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Monday-Friday: 9:30am to 5:00pm
With no cutting or stapling of the stomach, the LAP-BAND® System is up to 10 times safer than more extensive weight loss surgeries, such as gastric bypass or gastric sleeve.1 As effective as these procedures are, the LAP-BAND® System offers fewer risks and a generally faster recovery time — so you can be back to your normal activity in usually about a week’s time.
In most cases, the LAP-BAND® System is put into place during a laparoscopic procedure, using general anesthesia. The procedure is performed using long, thin instruments inserted through a few tiny incisions (usually 0.5-1.5 cm). Often done on an outpatient basis, the surgery itself typically takes about an hour.
Step One : Your surgeon implants the LAP-BAND® System around the upper part of your stomach, much like a belt.
Step Two : A tube is then connected from the LAP-BAND® System to a small access port, fixed beneath the skin of your abdomen.
Step Three : After the first four to six weeks, adjustments to the LAP-BAND® System are made through the access port. This is done as needed — more frequently in the first year — to maintain optimal weight loss, by adding or removing saline solution.
The surgeons who perform the LAP-BAND® System procedure have been trained and certified — meeting our rigid standards for qualification. These standards include:
Demonstrated surgical and advanced laparoscopic skills.
Completed an Allergan training course (mandatory by the FDA).
Performed several surgeries under the observation of an experienced LAP-BAND® System surgeon approved to “Proctor” the case.
Additionally, Allergan offers another level of certification: LAP-BAND TOTAL CARE®.
Surgeons dedicated to furthering their knowledge, experience and patient follow-up care are offered the LAP-BAND TOTAL CARE® certification program. Surgeons certified with this distinction have completed training in the following areas:
