Obesity leads to a multitude of serious medical conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. The number of Americans alone diagnosed with diabetes is steadily rising, with millions now on medication for what may be considered a preventable disease.

Bariatric surgery is typically recommended for severely obese individuals who have been unable to lose weight through normal dieting and exercise programs. Bariatric surgery is often a last ditch effort and requires serious consideration. Surgical procedures and techniques require extreme effort on the part of the patient to change eating and lifestyle habits for optimal results.

In the United States, bariatric procedures may range from $20,000-$25,000 and higher. In some cases, health insurance companies will cover the costs of such procedures, but many do not. As a result, individuals seeking life changing surgery often venture abroad for bariatric surgical procedures. According to the Consumer Guide to Bariatric Surgery, numbers of individuals seeking gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, adjustable gastric band or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgical procedures is expected to double in 2010.

New bariatric surgical procedures, including incision free bariatric surgery, known as Transoral gastroplasty (TOGA) procedures are on the rise. Phase III studies of this procedure are currently underway, with results expected in early 2010.

Excellent and certified obesity and weight loss facilities and specialists around the world offer affordable, effective and lifesaving gastric bypass procedures, such as Mexicali Obesity Solutions, located in Mexicali, Mexico, or the world renowned 365 mc’s Obesity Clinic and their Bariatric Surgery Center, located in Seoul, South Korea.