Bariatric surgery refers to various surgical procedures designed to help individuals lose weight by altering the digestive system's anatomy. These procedures are typically considered for people with severe obesity who haven't been successful with other weight loss methods like diet and exercise.

There are different types of bariatric surgeries, including gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, adjustable gastric banding, and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch. Each procedure works differently but generally involves reducing the stomach's size or rerouting the digestive tract to limit the amount of food a person can eat or digest.