Bariatric surgerySpain6 min read
Did Kiko Rivera have bariatric surgery? Yes — and he documented it
Kiko Rivera, the Spanish DJ and son of Isabel Pantoja, has never treated his weight-loss surgery as a secret. He had a gastric band fitted in 2017, lost 42 kilos in a year, and four years later he told his million followers, post by post, that the band had to come out. Here is what he said and what gastric banding means for patients today.
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Medically reviewed by Andrey G. Ugay, lead bariatric surgeon. Review date: .
Key facts about the procedure
- Back to work2–4 weeks
- Stay in clinic1–5 days
- Final result18–24 months
- Price
$4,800from $3,600
Profile
Kiko Rivera
- Country
- Spain
- Who
- Spanish DJ and TV personality
- Year of operation
- 2017
- Quote source
- El Mundo, 18 August 2021
What did Kiko Rivera say about his operation?
The story is documented in his own words. In 2017 he had an adjustable gastric band placed to lose weight — an operation he chose to document in a series of videos for his followers, as El Mundo recalled: with the band he lost 42 kilos in a single year.
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WhatsAppIn August 2021 the same openness applied to the complications. On 5 August he announced on Instagram, in hospital pyjamas: “Pues nada, vía y al quirófano. Deseadme suerte” — off to the operating theatre, wish me luck. After the operation, as RTVE reported on 6 August 2021, he explained why the band had to go: “Me ha hecho un daño bastante importante en el estómago” — it had caused considerable damage to his stomach, because the band had migrated. He posted a photo of the extracted band, thanked his medical team “por el trato en esta migración de banda gástrica” and told his followers: “Comienza una nueva vida y toca cuidarse al 100%” — a new life begins, time to take care of yourself one hundred per cent.
That is what this article relies on: his own posts and words, quoted by El Mundo and RTVE. He did not name the clinic or the surgeon, so nothing about his treatment is guessed here. What follows describes gastric banding and bariatric surgery in general.
What his case teaches about the gastric band
Kiko Rivera's four years with the band cover the full arc of that procedure, both halves of it. The first half is the effect: a band placed around the top of the stomach limits portions, and his 42 kilos in a year show how much it can do together with changed eating.
More on this topic: Bariatric surgery with support all the way to your result, Gastric Sleeve (Sleeve Gastrectomy), Gastric Bypass (Roux-en-Y), Bariatric Operations in Phoenix, Obesity Surgery in Singapore.
The second half is the maintenance reality. A band is a device that can shift over the years — migration is an uncommon but recognised complication, and it becomes more likely with time, as the specialists consulted by El Mundo explained. That is why band patients keep regular follow-up appointments for the whole life of the device, and why problems such as pain, reflux or stalled weight loss are reasons to be seen, not to wait. His case is also a reminder that bariatric treatment does not end with the operation: when his band failed, the solution was another operation, not a diet alone.
What bariatric options look like today
The gastric band was the most talked-about bariatric operation of the 2010s; today it accounts for a small share of procedures, having largely given way to the sleeve and the bypass. All options start with an assessment of weight history, related conditions and eating patterns.
Gastric sleeve
- How it works
- Most of the stomach is removed, leaving a narrow tube
- Notes
- The most common operation today; permanent
Gastric bypass
- How it works
- A small pouch is connected to the small intestine
- Notes
- Larger operation; often favoured with reflux or diabetes
Gastric band
- How it works
- An adjustable band around the top of the stomach limits portions
- Notes
- Adjustable and reversible; a device for life, with follow-up
Which option fits is decided at a consultation, not from a celebrity story.
Who is a candidate and how to prepare
Surgery is generally considered for adults with a body mass index above 40, or above 35 with serious related conditions, sometimes lower when other approaches have failed. Preparation follows a set routine:
- Assessment: blood and urine tests, biochemistry, coagulation panel, and reviews by a GP, endocrinologist, psychiatrist and cardiologist.
- Before the operation: cut fast carbohydrates and fats for two to four weeks and stop smoking a month before.
- Plan the follow-up: whatever the procedure, the first year of check-ups is part of the treatment — and for a band, reviews continue for as long as it stays in place.
What the operation and recovery look like
Bariatric procedures are done laparoscopically, through four small punctures. Band placement is the shortest of them, and patients are usually home quickly — Kiko Rivera's own discharge within a day in 2021 was reported by RTVE. Patients are up and moving from the first day; office work resumes in two to four weeks.
Food returns in stages over one to two months, and the final result is assessed over one and a half to two years.
The band's specific rhythm is different: it is adjusted in the clinic over time, and the weight-loss curve depends heavily on those adjustments and on the eating habits built around them.
How the months after bariatric surgery usually go
- Day of surgeryLaparoscopic procedure through four small punctures; most patients are discharged within one to five days.
- Days 1–5Observation at the clinic; up and moving from the first day, liquids first.
- Weeks 2–4Return to office work; the diet moves from liquids to soft food.
- Months 1–2Solid food returns in small portions, protein first, regular rhythm.
- Months 3–6The fastest weight-loss phase — for Kiko Rivera the year with the band took 42 kilos.
- Every check-upReviews continue: adjustments for a band, monitoring for sleeve and bypass.
Bariatric treatment at City Medical Centre
City Medical Centre performs gastric sleeve and gastric bypass surgery for international patients, including patients from Madrid. The first consultation is free and can start online: the surgeon reviews your history and tests, agrees the operation, and the price is fixed in the contract before a date is booked. Prices start at $3,600 for a gastric sleeve, with gastric bypass from $4,000. The team follows up during the first year.
More details are on the bariatric surgery page and the page for patients from Madrid.
To be clear: City Medical Centre has no connection with Kiko Rivera or his treatment. His story is quoted here only because he chose to talk about his operation openly.
Frequently asked questions
Did Kiko Rivera have bariatric surgery?
Yes. He had an adjustable gastric band placed in 2017 and lost 42 kilos in a year; in August 2021 he had the band removed after it migrated and damaged his stomach, as he told his followers.
Why was Kiko Rivera's gastric band removed?
In his own words, the band "caused considerable damage to my stomach" because it had migrated. The removal took place in August 2021 and he was discharged within a day, as RTVE reported.
What did Kiko Rivera say after the operation?
He posted a photo of the extracted band, thanked the medical team for their care, and told his followers that a new life begins and it was time to take care of himself one hundred per cent.
Is a gastric band still used today?
It accounts for a small share of bariatric operations now: the sleeve and the bypass have largely taken its place. Any band patient needs lifelong follow-up, which is exactly what Kiko Rivera's case shows.
What bariatric surgery is available at City Medical Centre?
Gastric sleeve surgery from $3,600 and gastric bypass from $4,000, with the price fixed in the contract after a free consultation.
Sources
What the article says about the celebrity is based only on these public statements.
Medical background and further reading
General information about the procedure from health authorities and medical societies. It is not advice for any individual patient.
- PubMed / NCBI — Benefits and Risks of Bariatric Surgery in Adults: A Review (JAMA, 2020)
- PubMed / NCBI — Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy vs Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: systematic review and meta-analysis (2016)
- World Health Organization — Obesity and overweight
- American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery — Bariatric Surgery Procedures
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