Now, lose weight without ugly scars

Till recently, obese people opting for weight loss surgery had to live with scars on their body. Now, a new method called the Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (Sils) performed through the navel has made scar-free surgeries possible.

“This is not a cosmetic surgery. It is the cheapest and most complex form of laparoscopy. It is complex because we have to work with delicate instruments through only a 1.8-cm incision in the naval,” said Dr Mahendra Narwaria of Artemis Health Institute.

Doctors use flexible instruments that can bend once inside the body.

This surgery is different from the other three types of laparoscopic surgery — normal surgery, gastric band and gastric imbrication. “In our method, we reduce the stomach size by stapling it. The reduction in size disables the patient to eat more, hence controlling weight,” said Dr Narwaria.

Shweta (42), a businesswoman weighing 110 kg, said she feels better since the surgery three weeks ago. “The size of my stomach has reduced and I don’t feel the urge to overeat. The recovery was also fast and I didn’t feel any discomfort, apart from the usual surgical pain,” she said.

Patients are discharged within two weeks after the surgery and are put on a liquid diet for a month. Then they are supervised to eat a healthy diet for a year.

Dr Narwaria, who has performed this surgery on over 100 patients in the last two years, said this is a better technology. “It leaves better psychological effect on patients, giving them a feel-good factor as it is also scar-free. The toughest surgery I did was on a 22-year-old nurse form the US, who weighed 130 kg,” he added.