The gastric lapband has a promising future for special patients. Now that more than a decade of experience has passed and after perfecting this technique, the procedure has been proven to be safe and effective.

This opens new possibilities in its application for weight loss in various arenas. One of the most desirable aspects is that it is gentle and mild enough for adolescents. After surgery, they are so resilient and vibrant that they generally experience rapid recovery.

We live in a society where one of the most affected obesity age groups is that of adolescents, with numbers growing dramatically out of control. Measures are being taken at every level to stop this rampant disease, but sadly it seems to be a losing battle. Already more than 15 percent of American children aged 12 to 19 are either overweight or obese, according to a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, up from 11% a decade earlier and 5% in the late 1970s. For many of these adolescents, weight loss surgery is the only solution.

Because of that, nearly every week and often nearly every day, a teen or young adult has weight loss surgery at Obesity Control Center located in Baja California, Mexico (20 minutes from San Diego, CA). In fact, chief bariatric surgeon Dr. Ariel Ortiz was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show as Oprah followed the story of Cassie, a young teen who had successful lap-band surgery in the OCC Medical Center and showed dramatic results.

The Obesity Control Center is a recognized world leader in weight loss surgeries for adolescents. Read testimonials and view videos here. http://obesitycontrolcenter.com/teens/


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OCC’s epidemiologist is closely monitoring the COVID-19 status and is actively issuing updates as they are available. The Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization are the most trusted sources online.  While the CDC has announced new mask protocols for vaccinated individuals, there will be no changes for our office protocols for patients, guests, and staff members as the announcement does not apply to hospitals or medical facilities. Masks are still a requirement for all patients, guests and staff at our facility.

As we reinitiate weight loss surgery, we are constantly adapting and installing new and updated safety measures.

Weight loss surgery is medically necessary.

Bariatric Surgery and the clash of two pandemics.   

Major metabolic and bariatric surgery Societies and colleges globally are now calling for the safe resumption of bariatric and metabolic surgery before the COVID-19 pandemic is declared over. 

The sooner bariatric surgery can be safely performed, the quicker obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other diseases can be reduced or resolved as they are not only chronic they are also progressive.  Obesity is also linked to more than 40 diseases including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and at least 13 different types of cancer.

A recent statement from the ASMBS says “Before COVID-19 began, it was clear that patients with obesity were ‘safer through surgery.’ In the era of COVID-19, ‘safer through surgery’ for patients with obesity may prove to be even more important than before.” Obesity and Metabolic syndrome have been identified as an independent risk factor for adverse outcomes including death among COVID-19 patients.

See here for full COVID-19 update. 

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