Questions worth
asking before you decide

Your case manager will contact you the day before to confirm your check-in time. Please arrive at the time given.

Bring: Your passport (or local ID if applicable), toiletries and a change of clothes, your regular medications, phone charger, and one sports drink plus two bottles of water.

Check-in: Go directly to the center on the 3rd floor and your case manager will walk you through admission. For weekend admissions, check in at the ground-floor registration counter.

Payment is required on admission day (card or cash accepted). The final amount is settled on discharge, with any balance refunded or outstanding amount collected.

You won't feel anything during surgery itself, that's what general anesthesia does. What most people find harder is the waiting beforehand, and the first 24 hours after.

The standard sequence: pre-op anesthesia review → intubation in the operating room → surgery → recovery room → ward. The anesthesiologist monitors you throughout.

The first 24 hours post-op are typically the most uncomfortable: dull wound pain (laparoscopic incisions are small, but they're still there), shoulder and neck ache (residual CO₂ from the laparoscopic gas irritating the diaphragm), and throat discomfort from intubation. These are all normal, nursing staff will manage pain based on how you're doing.

If you have a history of anesthesia reactions or particular sensitivity to pain, tell the anesthesiologist at your pre-op assessment. They'll adjust the approach accordingly.

Surgery duration varies by individual, 1–1.5 hours is a general reference, but liver size, prior abdominal surgery, anatomical variation, and procedure type all affect this. Don't plan your day around a precise end time.

Hospital stay: typically 2–4 days. Discharge happens when the clinical team confirms you're stable, comfortable, and managing oral fluids.

Bariatric surgery is performed laparoscopically (keyhole). There are 2–3 incisions, each approximately 0.5–1.5 cm, distributed across the abdomen. Compared to open surgery, recovery is faster and infection risk is lower.

All incisions leave scars, that's normal tissue healing. With proper care (keeping them clean, protected from sun exposure, using scar treatment products once fully healed), most scars fade significantly within 6–12 months.

If you have a history of keloid scarring, mention this before surgery.

It happens occasionally, though it's not common. Pre-operative workup (gastroscopy, ultrasound, blood work) is designed to identify issues in advance. But once the laparoscope is in, we sometimes see things imaging didn't show: a larger-than-expected liver, adhesions from prior surgery, a previously undetected stomach lesion.

In those situations, my principle is: if continuing with the planned procedure would increase risk, I'll switch to the safer option, or, in some cases, close and reschedule once we have more information. That's not a failure. That's the right call.

This possibility is covered in the consent form before surgery. If you have questions, ask before you go in.

One person with you on surgery day is strongly recommended, for discharge logistics, transport home, and the practical help you'll need in the first week.

Time off work: desk work and light duties (typically 4–5 days. Physical work, prolonged standing, or heavy exertion) at least 2 weeks. Recovery pace varies; the clinical team will give you a specific recommendation before discharge.

If you need a medical certificate for your employer, we can provide one.

The first year is the most intensive follow-up period:

1 week: Wound check, first post-op assessment.

1 month: Blood work, weight change, diet adaptation.

3 months: Blood work, InBody body composition, nutritional status.

6 months: Comprehensive health check, weight loss progress.

1 year: Full annual review.

After year one, intervals extend, typically annual. The first six months are when your body is changing most rapidly; close monitoring keeps nutrition, metabolism, and weight on the right trajectory.

For international patients: the week-1 and month-1 checks can often be planned around your travel schedule. Subsequent follow-ups can be remote.

Post-surgical hair loss (telogen effluvium) is extremely common, around 30–50% of bariatric patients experience it, typically peaking at 3–6 months after surgery.

The cause: the physical stress of surgery, the rapid drop in caloric intake, and insufficient protein push hair follicles into a resting phase. The hair that was held in place falls out a few months later.

The good news: it's temporary. With adequate protein intake and proper supplementation, most patients see normal regrowth by 9–12 months post-op.

What helps: Hit your daily protein target (typically 60–80g+ depending on your procedure and body weight). Take your prescribed bariatric multivitamin, iron, and zinc. Mention hair loss at follow-up appointments so we can check ferritin, Vitamin D, and zinc in your blood work.

You don't need to see a dermatologist unless hair loss is accompanied by scalp rash or itching, or it hasn't improved 12 months after surgery.

Honestly, yes, this is likely. When body weight drops significantly over 6–12 months, skin elasticity can't always keep pace. The most common areas are the abdomen, upper arms, inner thighs, and chest.

The degree of looseness depends on your starting weight, age, rate of loss, and genetics.

What helps: Resistance training increases muscle volume and significantly improves the appearance of loose skin. Start at 6 weeks post-op, work with a trainer experienced in post-bariatric exercise. Moisturizing regularly has modest benefit.

If skin looseness causes functional problems (persistent friction, skin breakdown, infection) body contouring surgery can be evaluated once weight has been stable for 12–18 months. The right sequence: health first, body contouring second.

Plateaus are a normal metabolic adjustment, they're common at 3–6 months post-op and can last 2–4 weeks.

Before worrying, run through this checklist: Are you drinking 2,000ml of water a day? Are you hitting 60–80g of protein? Has your activity level dropped compared to earlier? Is your sleep adequate (poor sleep disrupts hunger hormones)?

If all of those are on track, the plateau will typically resolve on its own. Severely cutting calories or dramatically increasing exercise during a plateau usually backfires, it signals the body to be even more conservative.

If you're stalled for 4–6 weeks or seeing weight creep back up, come in. There may be a strategy to adjust, including medication if appropriate.

Surgery is a tool, not an endpoint. That's not deflection, it's the honest clinical picture.

Weight regain is rarely a pure biology problem. The patterns that lead to it:

Eating habits that didn't really change. Still preferring high-sugar, high-fat, high-calorie foods, just in smaller quantities initially. As stomach capacity gradually recovers, overall calories add up again.

Losing follow-up contact. Years 1–2 post-op are critical. Many patients disappear once they feel well. That's also when early warning signs of regain first show up.

Emotional eating patterns. Surgery doesn't resolve the underlying psychology of using food for stress, boredom, or low mood. That needs separate work.

Loss of exercise habits. Less muscle mass means a lower resting metabolic rate, the body needs fewer calories to function, making regain easier.

If you notice regain starting, come in early. Early-stage options are much broader than late-stage ones, often just a dietary strategy adjustment or medication support. Waiting until weight is fully back to pre-op levels makes everything harder.

Yes, but wait at least 12 months, until weight is stable.

The first 12 months is when weight loss is fastest and metabolic adjustment most intense. This is also when nutritional stores are depleted, and pregnancy has high demands for folate, iron, calcium, and Vitamin D. The risk to both mother and baby is higher during rapid weight loss.

Once weight is stable and nutritional markers are normal, pregnancy is generally safe and well-supported by the data.

If you do become pregnant after surgery, inform both your obstetrician and your bariatric surgeon. The prenatal nutrition plan needs to account for your post-surgical absorption.

One more thing worth knowing: surgery sometimes improves fertility, women whose cycles were irregular due to obesity often see them normalize after weight loss. If you're not planning a pregnancy, take appropriate contraceptive precautions.

Bariatric surgery (particularly bypass procedures) alters intestinal absorption. Long-term supplementation is not optional; it's part of the program.

All procedures, recommended long term:

Bariatric-formulation multivitamin (with minerals), 1–2x daily. Calcium (calcium citrate preferred for absorption), 1,200–1,500mg/day in divided doses, max 500mg per dose. Vitamin D3, 3,000 IU/day minimum, adjusted by blood results. Vitamin B12 (sublingual or oral absorption form).

Bypass procedures (RYGB, OAGB, SASI), additional attention to: Iron supplementation (especially important for pre-menopausal women (ferritin levels monitored at every check). Folate (alongside iron). Vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency can cause neurological symptoms).

Doses are adjusted based on your regular blood work, not a fixed formula for life. That's exactly what the monitoring at every follow-up is doing.

I understand the weight of this question. "No sweets, ever" is a significant psychological ask.

The honest answer: the first 3 months, yes, strictly avoid sugar. It directly affects your weight trajectory and blood sugar stability.

After 3 months, with a good overall diet and consistent weight loss progress, the occasional small amount of something sweet isn't going to undo months of work. The key word is occasional.

For bypass patients specifically, be aware of dumping syndrome, after high-sugar intake, you may experience rapid heartbeat, sweating, dizziness, or diarrhea. The body is giving you a clear signal. Most patients find this makes the temptation much easier to manage.

Long-term dietary strategy is something we review together at every follow-up. You don't need to be perfect, but you do need to be honest about what you're eating.

Every follow-up covers: weight and InBody body composition, blood work (liver/kidney function, glucose, lipids, blood count, key nutrients), review with Dr. Ser, and dietitian guidance.

Even when you feel great and weight is stable, keep coming. Nutritional deficiencies (especially B12, iron, Vitamin D) often have no obvious symptoms until they're significant. Blood work is early detection. Bone density and muscle mass changes accumulate slowly; long-term tracking is the only way to catch trends.

Fasting: Most follow-ups include blood work, fast for 6–8 hours beforehand (water is fine). For wound-check appointments without blood work, no fasting needed. If unsure, call the center the day before to confirm.

Based on current international literature:

Major complication rate (anastomotic leak, severe bleeding, reoperation): approximately 1–3% depending on procedure and patient factors.

30-day mortality in elective bariatric surgery at experienced centers: <0.1–0.3%. This is comparable to other common elective abdominal procedures such as cholecystectomy.

Minor complications (nausea, wound issues, temporary food intolerance): more common in the first weeks, typically resolve with management.

Risk increases with higher BMI, more comorbidities, prior abdominal surgeries, and poorly controlled chronic conditions before surgery. Pre-operative optimization (the work done before surgery) directly affects these numbers.

It depends on the procedure, and this is a real factor in how procedure selection is made.

Sleeve Gastrectomy: Removes the fundus (which produces ghrelin), but reduces lower esophageal sphincter support. Some patients develop new or worsened GERD post-sleeve. If you have significant GERD already, sleeve may not be the first-choice option.

Gastric Bypass (RYGB) / Mini Gastric Bypass (OAGB): For patients who already have GERD, bypass procedures generally improve it, less gastric acid reaches the esophagus.

SASI: Evaluated case by case.

If you have a history of GERD, mention it before surgery. It may influence the recommendation.

If GERD symptoms develop or worsen post-op, come in, don't self-manage with antacids long term without letting us know.