Obesity (Overweight) treatment in Turkey

Sometimes diets and exercise are not enough for weight loss. In case of progressive obesity, bariatric surgery comes to the rescue. Weight loss surgery provides quick results, regardless of the person’s eating habits and physical activity level. To take advantage of the most recent advances in bariatric surgery, you can go to Turkey. This country offers modern minimally invasive weight loss surgery. Here you can undergo treatment at an affordable price, without any risk to your health. In addition, Turkish healthcare institutions offer high level of the postoperative care and privacy.

Gastric balloon

If a doctor and a patient believe that weight loss surgery is not mandatory yet, and the result can be achieved by conservative methods, a gastric balloon is installed. This surgical procedure has a low cost and provides weight loss by reducing the stomach capacity.

The essence of the procedure is that a doctor inserts the gastric balloon into the stomach. It occupies a lot of space, so a person cannot eat a lot of food. Thus, early saturation leads to weight loss. However, it is necessary to make some efforts for this. The significant weight loss without conscious diet control is not possible.

Advantages of the procedure for weight loss: 

• Non-invasiveness – a gastric balloon does not require weight loss surgery
• Good weight loss results in motivated patients
• Affordable cost of weight loss

Disadvantages of the gastric balloon: 

• Temporary result – the gastric balloon can stay in the stomach for no more than 6 months, and then it will be removed
• Satisfactory results of weight loss cannot always be achieved, if a person is not ready to keep a diet
• Need for conscious control of the diet – the gastric balloon does not allow to forget about the diet, weight loss can be ensured only when refusing high calorie foods
• Effectiveness of the gastric balloon is lower than that of weight loss surgery

Thus, the gastric balloon cannot provide weight loss on its own. This is just an assistive device that makes it easier for the patient to keep a diet. In some patients the gastric balloon helps to completely normalize body mass and avoid the need for weight loss surgery in the future. In other patients, the procedure only leads to the loss of several kilograms, which quickly return after the gastric balloon removal. Candidates for this type of treatment should discuss all its advantages and limitations with a doctor in advance.

Adjustable gastric banding

It is the most sparing weight loss surgery. Doctors do not remove or dissect anything. A surgeon puts a silicone ring on the stomach using a minimally invasive approach. It separates the upper small part of the stomach, which is rich in receptors that are responsible for saturation.

The weight loss occurs due to early saturation. When a person eats food, it quickly stretches the upper part of the stomach, activates receptors, and a signal of saturation is sent to the brain. At this point, a person can stop the meal.

Advantages of weight loss surgery:

• The method provides weight loss in 85% of cases
• Minimal invasiveness
• Speedy recovery of the patient
• Low price for weight loss surgery

Nonetheless, this weight loss technique also has disadvantages:

• Effectiveness is lower when compared with other bariatric surgery methods – weight loss is on average 50% of overweight
• In 2-3% of cases, the ring slides off the stomach, which requires a repeated operation
• Patient needs to keep diet after gastric banding – a ban on high calorie foods remains
• Weight loss surgery is ineffective in 15% of patients because they do not keep diet

Gastric sleeve

One of the most popular methods of bariatric surgery for weight loss in recent years is gastric sleeve. When performing minimally invasive laparoscopic weight loss surgery, patient’s part of the stomach is removed. Doctors turn this organ into the gastric sleeve with a diameter of about 2 cm and a capacity of about 100 ml.

The mechanisms of weight loss in the formation of the gastric sleeve: 

• Reduced stomach capacity, as a result – early saturation
• Decreased secretory activity of the stomach
• Removal of the part the stomach, in which most of the hunger hormone is produced

Thus, formation of the gastric sleeve results in weight loss due to the decreased appetite and early saturation. In this case, the digestion and assimilation of food is not disturbed.

Benefits of the gastric sleeve:

• Minimal invasiveness of weight loss surgery
• Results of weight loss do not depend on willpower and patient’s motivation (no need to keep diet)
• Gastric sleeve can be performed even in patients with high surgical risks
• Speedy recovery
• Relatively low cost
• Gastric sleeve does not violate the absorption of vitamins and minerals, so the patient does not have to take dietary supplements all his life after this weight loss surgery

The gastric sleeve is mostly performed in patients with a body mass index of 35 to 45 kg/m². Over 2 years, the weight loss will be about 60% of overweight, and in some patients it can even reach 75%. The weight loss can occur faster in the patients who initially have a lower BMI.

Gastric bypass surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is one of the first weight loss surgeries that was first performed back in 1966, but the methodology for its performance has changed significantly since then.

The weight loss after gastric bypass occurs immediately due to two mechanisms:

• Reduced stomach capacity
• Indigestion

Gastric bypass involves reduction of the stomach size, as well as the formation of a bypass for the food lump – it bypasses the duodenum and part of the small intestine. As a result, certain nutrients are not absorbed, which leads to rapid weight loss. What is important, swithich the duodenum and the upper part of the small intestine from the process of digestion affects mainly the carbohydrate metabolism, while sparing absorption of amino acids. This helps get rid of the excessive subcutaneous fat and build muscles.

Gastric bypass as a weight loss surgery is preferred in patients who:

• Have a very high body mass index – over 45 kg/m²
• Suffer from diseases associated with obesity (diabetes mellitus, gallstone disease, atherosclerosis)

Gastric bypass results in the weight loss up to 75% of overweight during the first year. The rapid weight loss often provokes the formation of stones in the gallbladder, as well as its inflammation. Therefore, the gallbladder is usually removed during gastric bypass (as the preventive measure).

This weight loss surgery has a significant positive effect on general health state. It improves carbohydrate metabolism. Most patients with diabetes mellitus can completely stop taking sugar-lowering drugs and do not need insulin injections after gastric bypass surgery. Gastric bypass surgery affects favorably the state of the cardiovascular system by improving the blood lipid profile. This weight loss surgery prevents a huge number of diseases and increases a person’s life expectancy.

Disadvantages:

• Higher cost compared with minor surgical procedures
• Gastric sleeve surgery is the traumatic intervention, so patients need more time to recover
• Need for constant intake of dietary supplements after gastric bypass due to impaired absorption of nutrients

With some disadvantages, this weight loss surgery still has many advantages, and therefore it remains the most popular in many countries of the world. Gastric bypass for weight loss is mostly performed in the USA – in the countries of North America it remains the "gold standard" of bariatric surgery techniques.

Biliopancreatic diversion

It is considered the most effective weight loss surgery, but it has some disadvantages that limit using this bariatric surgery technique. Therefore, the proportion of biliopancreatic diversion among all weight loss surgeries is not very high.

A doctor removes part the stomach and connects it to the ileum. The small intestine is divided into alimentary (200-250 cm long), biliopancreatic and general (50-100 cm long) loops. The biliopancreatic loop is used to divert bile and pancreatic juice to the lower ileum.

The rapid weight loss occurs in all patients, as this bariatric surgery technique involves additional weight loss mechanisms. It not only reduces the stomach, but also accelerates the transit of food as the gastric bypass does. The weight loss is also achieved through the removal of digestive juices: they do not mix with the food lump and do not break down nutrients, so most of the food is simply not absorbed by the body.

Advantages of weight loss surgery:

• High efficiency, which provides results even in the most severe cases
• Diabetes mellitus compensation, cardiovascular health benefits

Disadvantages of biliopancreatic diversion:

• It is a difficult technically weight loss surgery
• Surgical procedure requires gallbladder removal as in case of gastric bypass performing
• Patient requires lifelong monitoring – a diagnostic examination after weight loss surgery is carried out every 3 months initially, and annually afterwards
• There may be a need for taking enzymes, antisecretory drugs
• Continuous intake of vitamins, especially fat-soluble ones, is required

Why is it better to undergo treatment in Turkey?

The most important thing for any person is his life and health. Therefore, it is important to undergo weight loss surgery in a clinic that shows good treatment results, provides a minimal risk of complications, and has extensive experience in bariatric surgery.

A huge number of patients travel to Turkey for weight loss. The treatment in this country has many advantages:

• Affordable cost of medical and related services
• Modern minimally invasive surgical procedures
• High efficiency – most patients are guaranteed significant  weight loss within 1-2 years after surgery
• Accurate diagnostics and an individual approach to choosing the best weight loss technique
• Weight loss surgery is performed by experienced surgeons who perform dozens of such interventions annually
• Minimal risk of complications
• High-quality postoperative care

In Turkey, laparoscopic surgery remains possible even in the most severe cases of obesity. To this end, doctors use special elongated tools, large tables with fixators and powerful insufflators, which maintain sufficient pressure in the abdominal cavity even in a large mass of the anterior abdominal wall.

Where to seek medical help aimed at weight loss?

To undergo obesity treatment in Turkey, you can use the services of Booking Health. Our service offers you the opportunity to compare the cost, choose the right clinic and book a medical program at the best price. The Booking Health company offers the following services and benefits:

• Selection of the right hospital for overweight treatment in Turkey, which specializes in certain procedures and operations for weight loss

• Reduced waiting time for treatment in Turkey
• Direct communication with a doctor who performs the weight loss surgery
• Appointment for treatment in Turkey on the most suitable dates
• Reduced cost of obesity treatment in Turkey – prices for operations and procedures for weight loss are reduced due to avoiding additional coefficients for foreign patients
• Price control and return of unspent funds after treatment in Turkey
• You will receive insurance in the amount of up to 200 thousand euros, so the cost of treatment in Turkey will not increase even in case of complications
• Preparation of a medical treatment program in Turkey without the need to repeat previous diagnostic examinations
• Buying and forwarding the necessary medicines
• Communication with the hospital after treatment in Turkey completion
• Organization of additional diagnostics, treatment in Turkey or rehabilitation after weight loss surgery

Booking Health specialists provide high quality service. We will book a hotel and airline tickets for you, meet you at the airport and take you to the hospital by car.