Dr. Michael Feiz, MD, FACS is a board certified bariatric surgeon who specializes in life-changing weight loss procedures. He offers free consultations and seminars for those considering a surgical solution to weight loss. Throughout these informative meetings, a future patient can learn about all of the options available to them and begin the steps toward bariatric surgery. Then, the patient is cleared mentally, physically, and nutritionally for their procedure. This article will focus on two permanent weight loss procedures: the gastric sleeve and gastric bypass.

Both the gastric sleeve and the gastric bypass procedures surgically reduce the shape and size of the stomach. This restructuring of the stomach restricts the amount of food the patient can eat, leading to feeling full faster and weight loss down the road. Furthermore, Dr. Feiz performs both of these procedures laparoscopically, which minimizes their invasiveness and leaves few scars.

What benefits does the gastric bypass vs. gastric sleeve have? With gastric bypass, weight loss tends to occur quicker and weight loss overall tends to be greater. Plus, gastric bypass has been around for decades, meaning that its long-term effects are better known than those of the sleeve.

What benefits does the gastric sleeve vs. gastric bypass have? The sleeve gastrectomy is generally a shorter procedure and doesn't reroute any intestines (unlike the bypass), which lessens complications. While there is less research on the gastric sleeve, it is fairly certain that negative side effects of the bypass—such as dumping syndrome, risk of internal hernias, malnutrition— are minimized when it comes to the sleeve.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the differences between surgeries. Only a person committed to educating themselves and changing their habits should seriously pursue any of these bariatric surgeries. Dr. Feiz offers a free consultation for anybody interested in qualifying and can be reached at 310-817-6911.