How to choose a weight loss surgeon in Perth?

With the team here at Advance Surgical, we have performed hundreds of weight loss surgery procedures with our Perth patients over recent years. So this has helped us compile a checklist that will help you reflect on important aspects of your choice:

• Qualification: Check that your obesity surgeon and their team are fully qualified. Typical references you would be looking for include the Royal Australiasian College of Surgeons (FRACS). And accreditation through the Australia and New Zealand Metabolic and Obesity Surgery Society (ANZMOSS).
  In any case, your weight loss surgeon is an experienced General Surgeon and it is key to verify their qualification level before you engage with a surgeon.
• Experience: Ask for verifiable data on the amount of procedures performed. A weight loss surgeon who builds on the individual experience with hundreds of patients, integrates this expertise. So he/she will be able to recognise patterns in your unique situation, when planning, performing and evaluating your surgery and the required follow-up program.
• Multi-disciplinary approach: As a patient, you want to check that your treatment program includes more than the actual sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass procedure. Ideally, you are supported by a qualified dietitian who helps you prepare for your surgery. Your dietitian guides you with dietary instructions and information after your procedure, so you optimise your weight loss and create sustainable, long-term results.
• Care: Even though a surgical procedure tends to be focused entirely on the quality of the surgery as a medical technique, check that your surgeon and their team also see you as a human being. A weight loss journey often comes after having tried other methods to lose weight. This may have left you vulnerable and in need of support. Check that your clinic can offer this support and that you feel comfortable with the surgeon and dietitian team that you work with.