Dr. Cywes is making news here in Jacksonville and across the country. Lap-band surgery is a popular and safe bariatric surgery option that is FDA approved to help adults lose weight. The procedure is not, however, approved for adolescents at this point in time. With the rate of obesity rising among children, why should overweight teens need to wait until they are adults to make a drastic change for a healthier lifestyle? Dr. Cywes made appearances both locally on Action News Jax and on Southern California Public Radio to discuss this very issue.

Dr. Cywes believes that the Lap-band should be available to overweight teens that do not have an equal playing field with their peers. For this reason, Dr. Cywes is involved in a clinical trial with Allergan, the maker of the Lap-band product, and currently performs the procedure on adolescents with parental approval. Weight loss surgery is not a quick fix solution to obesity, it is a stepping stone that together with diet and exercise will provide patients with an advantage in their weight loss goals.

The Allergan clinical trials are expected to take another two years before the FDA approves the procedure in adolescents. Gastric bypass, another bariatric surgery procedure, has been proven safe for both adults and adolescents, but it is a much more invasive and dangerous procedure than Lap-band surgery is. The Lap-band procedure is adjustable and reversible, so it is not causing any permanent changes within the adolescent’s body. If the child grows up to be of a healthy weight and wants the Lap-band removed, that option is completely open to them. This is not true of the gastric bypass surgery.

Obese teenagers that are looking for JSAPA Weight Loss Surgery are not always granted their wish. Dr. Cywes does an intense screening process and only conducts the operation on adolescents that are emotionally and mentally ready to make this drastic life style change. In addition to providing teens with assistance in the form of the Lap-band, Dr. Cywes also provides guidance to his clients in the form of behavioral therapy.