Horrified by a Weight Loss Commercial

Yesterday while I was driving, I heard a commercial on the radio for a plastic surgery center in the area.  I hear their commercials all the time, but they're usually advertising breast implants, tummy tucks, liposuction, etc.  Sometimes they advertise the lap band procedure.  What horrified me was that yesterday they were advertising the lap band for obese adolescents.  I want to know what this world has come to that doctors are willing to perform surgery on growing teenagers that will lead to them being malnourished.

I understand why there are adults who resort to surgery to lose weight and even doctors who recommend it as a last resort.  But has lap band surgery really been approved for children?  WTF?

from ny presbeterian hospital (affiliated with columbia university) website:http://nyp.org/enews/lap-band-surgery-teenage rs.html 

so as of this spring it looks like it was only in supervised trials.  

more troubling to me is that you say a plastic surgeon is advertising the procedure.  last i checked, that wasn't exactly part of their practice.  you do bariatric surgery if you're more than 100 pounds overweight - it's to save your life. it's not a cosmetic procedure.

Thats so scary!

This is their website:

http://www.straxrejuvenation.com/

The tout themselves as a group of surgeons, each with different specialties.  So, I guess they decided to get a surgeon who does the lap band procedure.  I'm hoping it's not just a plastic surgeon.  I don't really fault them for doing the lap band procedure.  I'm sure it brings in a lot of revenue (*sigh*), but I do fault them for adverising it to and performing it on teenagers.

I think we live in the same area- I hear their ads all the time.  And I heard them recently start promoting the lap band procedure but not to adolescents- I feel like that's too soon to say, "I can't do it alone."

Check out this video:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=113 0618347958&ref=nf

Cripes.Like adolescents need any more self-esteem issues.

an adolescent heavy enough to qualify for surgery has plenty of self esteem issues, and losing weight would definitely help.  but it doesn't teach them the right way to eat healthy, lose weight and keep it off. so what happens in a couple of years when they have the same bad habits and eat their way back? because more and more people are showing 5-10 years later that if you don't change the way you eat, even surgery is not permanent, and may do more harm than good.

that's why surgery should only be used in cases where if the person does not lose a drastic amount of weight very fast, they are in danger of dying.  most teenagers are still young enough that they can take a few years and lose the weight in a rational, safe, and long-term way.

we are all looking for the magic pill. it doesn't exist.

This doesn't surprise me in the least.  I'm sure we've all heard those stories of plastic surgeons giving implants to underage girls when the parents are just crazy enough to consent, this sounds rather similar.  Anything to make a buck.

that is horrible!  it makes me sick!