Weight Loss Surgery in The Hague

Yes, bariatric surgery is the medical term for it. At City Medical Centre the main methods are sleeve gastrectomy (gastric sleeve) and gastric bypass; the surgeon chooses the method by your BMI and health.

Usually a BMI over 40, or over 35 with related health conditions. The surgeon confirms whether surgery suits you at the consultation.

At the clinic, experienced bariatric surgeons perform the bariatric operations:

• Ruslan S. Menzulin — bariatric surgeon and surgical oncologist, 9 years of experience. Trained at Mercy clinic (USA) under Vadim Gushchin, spoke at the World Congress of bariatric surgery in Santiago (2025). Co-author of an international study published in The Lancet.
• Andrey G. Ugay — lead bariatric surgeon, 27 years of experience. Has performed the largest number of SASJ operations in the country. Expert council member of the national Society of Bariatric Surgeons.

Write to us — a coordinator will get back to you soon and arrange your consultation. The bariatric surgeon consultation is free of charge.

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Surgery is prescribed only when clear criteria are met

• The patient's body mass index (BMI)
• Overall health and any related chronic conditions
• Weight-loss attempts using conventional methods have not succeeded

BMI is the key measure used to assess how severe obesity is. You get it by dividing body weight (kg) by height squared (m²). Surgery is generally justified at a BMI above 40, or above 35 when serious related conditions are present. Sometimes it is also considered at lower values — when non-surgical methods have not worked.

Though often confused, the two have fundamentally different goals. Bariatric surgery is a medical treatment of obesity and related illnesses; it changes the functioning of the digestive tract to address the causes of excess weight and metabolism. Plastic surgery reshapes the outer contours of the body and neither treats obesity nor affects metabolism.

City Medical Centre performs four core types of bariatric surgery: sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, mini gastric bypass (MGB) and SADI-S duodeno-ileal bypass. Selection is individual and takes into account BMI, related conditions and the patient's goals.

Using modern laparoscopic technique, we perform the operation via 4 small punctures of 5 to 15 mm. Cosmetic sutures are placed, leaving marks that are nearly invisible after healing.

Recovery depends on what you do. Office work: after 2–4 weeks. Physical work: after 1.5 months. Sport and activity: swimming is allowed after 30 days, other exercise is added gradually as weight drops. Travel and holidays: best planned no earlier than a month after surgery.

You move through diet stages from liquid food to soft and finally solid. Protein comes first, and high-calorie, fatty food is restricted.

After bariatric surgery pregnancy is possible, yet doctors recommend at least 12–18 months of waiting. Meanwhile the body stabilizes, weight arrives at target values and nutritional status normalizes.

Yes, taking vitamins after bariatric surgery is mandatory. Because digestion is anatomically altered, the body absorbs some nutrients poorly, so regular vitamin and mineral supplements stay in the patient's life permanently.

Regaining weight after bariatric surgery is possible, yet very unlikely when you stick to the doctor's advice. The keys are proper nutrition, no high-calorie drinks and regular check-ups with City Medical Centre specialists.