9 popular surgical and non-surgical weight loss methods you should know

Diet and exercise, although a viable path to losing weight, prove insufficient for those with concentrated or high levels of obesity and where genetic/health challenges contribute to weight gain. In Dubai and many countries, these cases are tackled with surgical and non-surgical interventions. In this blog post, we explain how both of these interventions are carried out and take a deep dive into the common methods in each category.

Key statistic: In 2022, 2.5 billion adults (aged 18 years and older) were overweight – World Health Organization

How are weight loss surgeries carried out?

Surgical weight loss interventions are performed in three major ways: laparoscopic, endoscopic, and open surgery.

Laparoscopic surgery requires small cuts/incisions created under general anesthesia. Thin surgical tools and a small scope (on which a camera and accompanying video feed is attached) are then inserted through the small cut. In this surgical process, the risks, pain, and scarring normally associated with surgical interventions are minimized.

In endoscopic surgery, surgical instruments are inserted via the mouth to access the patient's digestive tract while in open surgery, these instruments are inserted through a single, large cut in the abdomen.

Open surgery is often suited for more severe levels of obesity or where the patient's medical history is decidedly complex.

Some common surgical weight loss treatments in Dubai

1. Sleeve gastrectomy
2. Gastric bypass
3. Laparoscopic gastric band
4. Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch

1. Sleeve gastrectomy

This is a non-reversible surgical weight loss procedure that involves removing the outer portion of the stomach (about 80% of the entire stomach), and then fastening the remaining portion to create a tube-like, banana-shaped section, akin to a sleeve. The procedure reduces the amount of food that can fit into the stomach, helping patients to feel more quickly full.

And the quicker a patient feels stomach-full, the less they will eat, and the more likely they will lose weight.

2. Gastric bypass

Performed for more than 50 years, gastric bypass is a difficult-to-reverse surgical procedure that changes how the stomach and small intestine handle food. It includes both the mini-gastric bypass and the luxuriously-termed Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

The gastric bypass is executed in three steps.

Step one: The surgeon reduces the size of the stomach by stapling it and creating a small pouch in the upper section. Like the sleeve gastrectomy, this reduces the amount of food that can fit into the stomach, leading to quicker satiety.

Step two: The surgeon proceeds to divide the small intestine into two parts, attaching the lower part directly to the pouch.

Step three: The surgeon then reconnects the upper part of the small intestine to a new location farther down the lower part of the small intestine, allowing digestive juices in the stomach to flow from the bypassed part of the small intestine to the lower part so that food can still be digested.

3. Laparoscopic gastric band

Also known as the adjustable gastric band, this procedure involves the surgeon placing a band around the upper part of the stomach that modifies the volume of the stomach and restricts the amount of food that will fit. The effect is that the patient feels full after eating only a relatively small amount of food.

This procedure has been approved by the United States FDA for patients whose body mass index is greater than 30, and who suffer at least one obesity-related condition, like Diabetes.

However, it has been known to cause a series of complications, often due to the necessity of band removal due to intolerance. Another downside of the procedure is that it often requires multiple post-surgery visits to determine the band's continued compatibility with the patient's body.

4. Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BDDS)

Sometimes referred to as mixed surgery, this method involves two separate procedures. The first procedure bears striking similarities to the sleeve surgery (see number one on this list).

The second procedure, on the other hand, involves the retrofitting of the small intestine into two tracts: the first tract to carry food to the colon (bypassing the small intestine) and the second tract to carry digestive juices from the stomach to mix with the food in the colon. The BDDS essentially reduces the number of calories and nutrients absorbed in the food.

It is often recommended to patients who have severe obesity but has a reduced application as it has been shown to cause surgery-related problems and a shortage of nutrients in the body.

How are non-surgical weight loss methods carried out?

Non-surgical methods of losing weight are minimally or entirely non-invasive and typically do not require cutting. They are used when an individual's weight loss goals can be achieved without an operation and involve probing in and around the epidermis - where waves, heat, carbon dioxide, etc. are then used to target fatty cells.

Common examples of non-surgical weight loss methods in Dubai are

1. Radiofrequency therapy
2. Weight loss injection
3. Ultrasound cavitation
4. Carboxytherapy
5. Cryolipolysis

1. Radiofrequency therapy

Used in tandem with a micro-massaging vacuum to promote blood circulation, this method involves bombarding fatty cells with radio frequency energy to liquefy and facilitate their elimination from the body. It is ideal for belly fat removal without surgery and restoring pre-pregnancy bodies, as it markedly reduces wrinkles, stretch marks, skin sags, and acne scars.

RF therapy is twofold: the more intense and slightly invasive monopolar (that delivers electromagnetic current through one active electrode) or the subtle bipolar (that delivers the current between the two placed electrodes), with the method of choice often depending on the extent of treatment.

It is typically used after an ultrasound cavitation procedure (see number 3 on this list) to smoothen cellulite and tighten the skin.

2. Weight loss injections

Certain injections have been modified to instigate weight loss. These injections can be categorized into three: appetite-suppressant injections (they curb/reduce food cravings), metabolism-boosting injections (they facilitate the burning of more calories), and fat-burning injections (those that directly liquefy fat).

Weight loss injections may however come with side effects and should be used only as directed by a doctor/physician.

3. Ultrasound cavitation

This is a low-risk and highly effective procedure that involves barraging fatty cells with ultrasound waves. The waves produce stress on the fatty cells which damages their membranes and leads to ‘cell death'. The dead cells are subsequently excreted by the body's lymphatic system without any damage to the body.

4. Carboxytherapy

The relationship between oxygen and carbon dioxide, besides playing a key role in respiration, is sacrosanct to many of the multifaceted processes in the human body - including fat accumulation.

As the aging process occurs, there is a natural reduction in the number of small blood vessels in certain areas of the body. This translates to a reduction in the quantity of oxygen reaching those areas, leading to fatty deposits and less-than-radiant skin.

Carboxytherapy is a treatment method where carbon dioxide is introduced (via micro-injections just beneath the skin surface) to ‘deceive' the body into sending more oxygen and nutrients to areas with fatty accumulation. The body interprets this as an oxygen deficiency and rushes to plug this deficiency by flooding these areas with oxygen.

It can also be used to smooth the appearance of the skin, tighten the skin, and enhance texture.

5. Cryolipolysis

Cryolipolysis, also known as Coolsculpt therapy, is a fat reduction method where desired areas are subjected to sub-zero temperatures. Low temperatures are outside the endurance scope of many fatty cells and result in their breakdown and eventual excretion via the body's lymphatic system. 

It also works very well for belly fat removal without surgery.