June 16, 2026
Valley LifeStart: The Center for Weight and Wellness™ is pleased to offer an Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Program for a holistic, comprehensive approach to weight loss surgery for teenagers aged 15 and older.
Approximately 1 in 5 United States children and adolescents has obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity is complex, but treatable, and best approached before an obese teen becomes an obese adult and suffers serious health and social consequences. Once engaged in treatment, teens are usually more willing than adults to make permanent life changes.
“Operating on young patients is a rare opportunity to not just improve the life of a patient, but to change the entire trajectory of their lives,” said Edward Yatco, MD, Medical Director of Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery for Valley Medical Group and Subspecialty Director of Bariatric Surgery for The Valley Hospital. “Those who struggle with adolescent obesity and undergo bariatric surgery can attain a positive self-identity and self-esteem during a crucial time in their lives.”
Valley’s Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Program features a compassionate, supportive team of doctors, nurse practitioners, dietitians, social workers, and patient coordinators who partner with patients and their families to help teens achieve success in attaining weight loss and developing a healthy lifestyle for their future.
Adolescent patients would undergo a sleeve gastrectomy. In this restrictive surgery, approximately 70-80% of the stomach is removed, creating a smaller stomach. Weight loss is achieved through decreased portion sizes and changes in the body’s hormone, ghrelin, which controls and regulates hunger and satiety, the state of feeling full.
“These are done using a minimally invasive surgery so patients can recover quicker, have less discomfort, and get a great tool to start their journey,” said Dr. Yatco. “Adolescents have certain advantages – such as higher metabolism, higher muscle mass, and non-orthopedic concerns – that allow them to more readily and easily make permanent changes to their lives versus someone who has been living a certain lifestyle for most of their life.”
Guidelines for adolescent bariatric surgery include a psychological screening, age of 15 years old and older, females who are past puberty, males whose growing period is over, failed non-surgical attempts at weight loss, and a body mass index (BMI) over 35 for teens with other weight-related medical conditions (hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea) or 40 without other weight-related medical conditions.
Valley LifeStart offers medically managed weight loss using the latest FDA-approved medications, and leading-edge surgical options, including robotic-assisted sleeve gastrectomy and robotic-assisted modified duodenal switch, for adolescent and adult patients recommended for surgery.
For more information about Valley LifeStart and adolescent bariatric surgery, please visit ValleyHealth.com/AdolescentBariatricSurgery. To schedule an appointment, please call 201-251-3480.