University of California, San Diego Medical Center – Center for the Treatment of Obesity

Gastric Band Surgery in Mexico

Make an Informed Decision

At the Center for Treatment of Obesity, we are sometimes asked about weight loss surgery in Mexico, which is widely advertised as an alternative to surgery in the United States.

Some people are curious about the lower surgical fees that may be listed for weight loss procedures in Mexico. Others have questions about health and safety issues or the availability of follow-up care. Here are facts to consider about getting LAP BAND in Mexico and other countries compared to the United States.

Cost of LAP BAND in Mexico

While it’s true that weight loss surgery such as gastric banding can cost less in Mexico than in the U.S., prospective patients should consider their options carefully. The initial cost savings you might achieve by having  gastric  band surgery in Mexico can easily be outweighed by travel and hotel costs, or, in more serious cases, by surgical complications requiring more surgery, additional time in the hospital, and more intensive follow-up care.

In addition, you should ask the physician about additional charges for pre-op or post-op tests and examinations. Find out whether the fills you will need to undergo in the future for gastric banding are included in the initial price and how much they will cost if they’re not included. Also, factor in the travel and lodging expenses you will incur during each trip to Mexico for those fills.

If you don’t want to have your fills performed in Mexico, find out exactly who will be responsible for your treatment back in the United States, and what it will cost. No matter what type of bariatric surgery you undergo, find out where you should go if an emergency occurs and whether you must return to Mexico for any follow-up care.

Before opting for a Mexico LAP BAND surgery, confirm exactly what is covered in the fee you will pay, and whether that fee includes additional surgery, treatment of complications, band removal, or a longer stay in the hospital if any of these are necessary.

Pre- and Post-Surgery Care

Having bariatric surgery isn’t simply about the procedure, no matter where you choose to have it performed. It entails the extensive pre-surgical counseling and nutritional guidance you should receive well before your procedure. Even more important is the regular follow-up care that begins the day of your surgery and continues throughout your weight loss journey.

Although bariatric surgery can be safely performed in Mexico and other countries, the distance from your home generally precludes you from receiving comprehensive follow-up care after your procedure.

Proper follow-up care can include everything from monitoring the healing of your incisions to performing additional surgery should complications result. It also includes the fills that will be necessary to adjust your band as you lose weight. One-on-one counseling and ongoing support groups are also considered part of follow-up care.

Research has shown that proper follow-up care is responsible for 50 percent of weight loss successes. That is, the weight loss surgery itself is only half the equation for success. The other half is consistent follow-up care and support,  which you might not obtain if you go out of the country for your procedure.

Additional Considerations

Because of liability issues, it can sometimes be difficult to find a surgeon in the U.S. who is willing to care for a patient who’s undergone LAP BAND surgery outside the country. Finding a surgeon to perform fills if you don’t want to return to Mexico each time can also be a challenge.

Here at UCSD, we have had to operate on or treat many patients who had LAP BAND surgery in Mexico or elsewhere outside the U.S., but didn’t achieve their weight loss goals, either due to a lack of follow-up and supervision, or because of complications.

Research and Resources

In the United States, bariatric surgery research, journal publications and surgical outcomes are very closely scrutinized. At UCSD Medical Center, our surgeons are constantly presenting at surgery conferences and publishing information on their surgical outcomes. This allows patients to closely monitor the outcomes of our surgical group, a task that may be difficult to achieve outside the U.S.

We welcome your questions about our team and the many options we offer in bariatric surgery. These include gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass and the new, scarless ROSE procedure to reverse weight gain after gastric bypass surgery.  

Please join us for a free, informative seminar in which we’ll answer your questions and help you decide if bariatric surgery is right for you.