Weight Loss Surgery may be right if you:

• are an adult (at least eighteen years of age)
  
• have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or higher
  
• have a BMI of at least 35 and you have one or more severe morbid obesity
  conditions
  
• weigh at least 100 pounds more than your ideal weight
  
• have attempted to lose weight in a variety of ways with only short-term success
  
• do not have a disease that may have caused you to become overweight
  
• are prepared to make significant changes in your lifestyle and eating habits, including implementing the psychological and emotional support from qualified professionals
  
• are willing to continue working with the specialist who is treating you
  
• do not consume alcohol excessively
  

• have an inflammatory disease or gastric condition
  
• have severe heart or lung disease, or other disease, which makes you a poor candidate for surgery in general
  
• have portal hypertension
• have an abnormal esophagus, stomach or intestine
  
• have cirrhosis
  
• are currently pregnant
  
• have a drug or alcohol addiction
  
• are under eighteen years of age
  
• have an infection that could contaminate a surgical area
  
• use steroid treatment, short term or long term
  
• are unable to or do not wish to follow the dietary rules that must be implemented with this procedure
  
• are allergic to the materials or devices used in the procedure
  
• or someone in your family has an auto-immune connective tissue disease
  

While these are some helpful guidelines, ultimately, only a surgeon can determine whether or not an individual is a good candidate for the procedure, or if a different procedure would be better suited to that individual's needs.

A surgeon may recommend that a patient consider other weight loss options if the patient does not comprehend the health problems their obesity is causing and refuses to agree to necessary responsibilities they will be required to take.  If an individual is ready to take an active part in long-term weight reduction, and meets the health guidelines, then a surgeon will consider the treatment procedure.