Obesity in childhood and teenage is a common problem that most of the adolescent and children are facing nowadays. A recent study says that more than 12.5 million children between ages 2 to 19 years in United States are considered to be overweight. Due to the obesity many adolescent are suffering from problems that are usually found in adults like heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes etc. Despite of these problems and growing rate of obesity in adolescent’s weight loss surgery for adolescents is not so common.

Teenager suffering from obesity may suffer from some critical health related problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, joint problems, lungs diseases, liver problems, lots of pressure in brain that may effects eyes and many others. Doctors recommend weight loss surgery for adolescents only when the risks of surgery are less then problems that the he or she is suffering because of obesity.

There are some eligibility conditions that an adolescent candidate must fulfill before undergoing weight loss surgery for adolescents:

• The BMI or Body mass Index should be greater than 40 and the candidate must be suffering from severely weight related problems. Or if the BMI is 50 or more and suffering from less severe weight related problems.


• Have attempted to lose weight by severe weight loss techniques and not been successful.


• The age must be greater than 13 years in girls and more than 15 years in boys so that he or she must have achieved physiological or skeletal maturity.


• Agreed to adopt changes that occur before and after lap band surgery. Must be committed to make changes in the dietary habit after surgery and should take proper balanced diet as directed by the doctor.

Weight loss surgery for adolescents is an efficient option to lose excessive body weight. It is a safe and secure method to lose body weight if a person is not successful to lose body weight by any other procedure. But it is not a short-range term it have long term effect that involves a proper balanced diet and regular exercise.