Realize® Band Los Angeles

The Realize® Band, is a gastric banding procedure widely available in the United States. Like its rival, the Lap-Band®, the Realize® Band is a very effective weight loss and disease improvement procedure.  Approved by the FDA in 2007, the Realize® Band was the culmination of decades of research and application in Sweden, where the band is called the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band (SAGB). The band is placed laparoscopically, which minimizes the change of complications such as significant pain, blood loss and recovery time. As with other gastric banding procedures, the Realize® Band is a purely restrictive procedure.

How It Works:

The Realize® Band works in the same way as other gastric banding procedures in that a biocompatible silicone ring is placed around the upper portion of the stomach. This ring is tightened, resulting in the formation of two distinct stomach chambers. The upper chamber, which is much smaller in size, forces the patient to eat less at every sitting. The food passes slowly from the upper chamber, through the narrow opening, and into the rest of the stomach where it is digested normally.

Soft, thin tubing connects the band to an injection port which is attached to the abdominal wall and rests just below the skin. After surgery, Dr. Lublin will adjust the band by injecting or removing a sterile, saline solution through the injection port and into the band. This process, known as a band adjustment, is quick and virtually painless. Adjustments are usually performed in our office every few months after surgery until ideal restriction is achieved.

Realize® Band Results:

The Realize® Band has proven to be an effective vehicle for long-term weight loss and disease resolution. Many obesity related disease including type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and sleep apnea are improved or eliminated within weeks or months after surgery.  Results will vary between patients and their particular circumstances.

Realize® Band Benefits:

  • Exceptional weight loss potential.
  • Exceptional obesity-related disease improvement or elimination potential.
  • The band is adjustable and reversible in cases of need.
  • Patients will not experience dumping syndrome as in the case of gastric bypass.
  • The band is the least invasive of all major bariatric procedures.
  • No part of the stomach or small intestine is permanently changed.
  • Nutritional deficiencies are less likely to occur as compared to other bariatric procedures.

Realize® Band Risks and Considerations:

  • The band is meant to be permanent, so patients will have to live with an implanted device for the rest of their lives.
  • Follow up is generally more intense than other bariatric surgery procedures.
  •  There are risks in all surgical procedures, including infection, blood loss and, in rare cases, death.
  • Complications can include band migration, injection port flippage, and the slight chance of saline leakage, which will all require a follow-up procedure.
  • Patients will not lose the feeling of being hungry.
  • Banding patients, on average, lose less weight than patients undergoing other bariatric procedures.

For more information about the Realize® Band or any bariatric procedure, we encourage you to attend one of Dr. Lublin’s free weight loss surgery seminars held monthly.