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Obesity is a rapidly growing problem in this country, with more people being extremely overweight now than ever before in history. To combat this issue, a variety of surgical procedures have been developed over the years, including the lap band or gastric band procedure.

When compared to more drastic measures such as gastric bypass and stomach stapling, the lap band procedure is really quite simple. There is no cutting of the stomach tissue and the procedure is completely reversible, making it a very popular among those who want a drastic solution, but aren't willing to undergo major surgery to do so.

Basically, a lap band procedure involves placing a silicon band around the upper part of the stomach. The band is then inflated, restricting the stomach, much like a girdle and helps the person eat less, but still feel full. The sensation of being full lasts for hours, meaning that less snacking occurs, one of the main reasons the obese become morbidly obese.

This treatment is safer than other similar, yet permanent procedures and tends to work just as well. Over 200,000 lap band procedures are performed every year on a worldwide scale. Seeking out lap band surgery overseas is something that has also grown in popularity in recent years, due to rising medical costs in the US. Many other countries, such as Mexico, offer the lap band procedure for drastically reduced costs, but you do need to consider what you are getting for the price.

In the United States, there are regulations and insurance to keep patients safe, but in other countries, you are pretty much on your own. While the lap band procedure is relatively simple, that doesn't mean you won't have complications, in which case you want to ensure that you are being cared for by experts, in a well-provisioned medical center. That is often not the case when having this surgery overseas.

Another major consideration is the doctor. Are you certain that he or she is a real doctor? In places like Asia and Latin America, it is very common for college dropouts to take on the role as doctor and begin performing procedures that they are simply not qualified to do. Even if you have a trained doctor, he may not be experienced in the insertion of the silicon band, and really, you want an expert working on you in this situation.

That is not to say that there aren't qualified doctor overseas. There are. However, you really need to do your research and make sure that you will be cared for properly during and after the lap band procedure and many people opt to simply have the procedure done in the States, after hearing the horror stories.

In other countries, often, the surgeon is required to pay for his own instruments and any medical items used in the procedure. This lends itself to buying cheaper, lesser quality lap band belts and re-using instruments, many time without proper sterilization. Cost cutting like this can be very dangerous, but it isn't regulated in many overseas countries. You have no idea what you are getting, despite impressive advertising. Overall, it can be a dangerous game to have your lap band procedure performed overseas.