Everything is bigger in Texas, and evidently, that includes the people. Texas boasts one of the highest numbers of bariatric surgery centers per capita among the 50 states. And Dallas, in particular, is one of the fastest growing areas for weight loss surgery clinics. The most popular weight loss surgery procedure? Gastric banding, better known as the Lap-Band. Dr. Jason Harrison has been performing weight loss surgery in Arlington, Texas?just 20 miles west of Dallas?for close to five years. He specializes in the Lap-Band procedure, and he has found that the Lap-Band is gaining popularity in Arlington, because it poses fewer risks of complications and has fewer post-surgical side effects than other weight loss surgery techniques, such as the gastric bypass procedure.Lap-Band surgery is a restrictive procedure, which means that it limits the amount of food intake into the stomach. Gastric bypass, in comparison, is b Tulsa dentist oth restrictive and malabsorptive, meaning that patients not only eat less, but also absorb fewer calories?and fewer nutrients?from the food they eat.With the Lap-Band procedure, a band made of silicone is inserted into the stomach cavity and wrapped around the top portion of the stomach. When saline is injected into a small balloon that lines the inside of the band, the band gets tighter. This results in the creation of a separate, smaller stomach pouch above the band, which reduces a patient?s appetite because it limits how much food they can eat before feeling full.Because the surgery is performed using laparoscopic instruments, there is little risk of infection?one of the reasons that Dr. Harrison recommends the Lap-Band to patients in his Arlington practice. In addition, the recovery time is shorter than with other weight loss surgery procedures, and patients can generally go home within two days after surgery.