While choosing to have weight loss surgery as a teenager is a difficult decision, waiting on gastric bypass may put obese teens at greater risk.

“Our new data show that when we intervene when a patient is between 100 percent and 150 percent over ideal weight, we can expect successful resolution of obesity,” said Dr. Thomas Inge, associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. “But by the time the teen is 200 percent over their ideal weight for age, the surgery will reduce their weight substantially, but many of the patients will still remain morbidly obese.” (To read the full Cincinnati Children’s study, click here.)

In addition to feeling tired, uncomfortable and self-conscious, overweight teens can experience a variety of health problems. These include:

• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Sleep apnea
• Hypertension
• High cholesterol
• Blount’s disease
• Gallstones
• Fatty liver

If you’re concerned about your obese teen and would like to schedule a weight loss consultation, call Barker Bariatric Center in Dallas/Fort Worth today. While the risks and benefits of weight loss surgery should be carefully considered (no matter what the patient’s age), gastric bypass may prevent dangerous health complications where traditional weight loss methods have failed.