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Our Surgeons

Professor Franco Favretti


“I chose to work exclusively in the UK with Healthier Weight as Dr David Ashton and his team share my passion for helping patients achieve a healthier weight. Their expertise, commitment to patient care and professional approach are second to none”

Professor Franco Favretti

Prof Franco Favretti
As one of the most experienced obesity surgeons in the world, widely considered as the father of gastric banding, we are highly privileged that Professor Favretti has chosen to work exclusively for Healthier Weight in the UK. As a result of his unparalleled expertise and experience, Healthier Weight patients benefit from the best possible surgical outcomes and weight loss success.

Professor Favretti's interest in bariatric surgery began in the 1980s when he worked closely with Dr Lubomyr Kuzmak. Taking Kuzmak's original concept of an adjustable gastric band, Prof. Favretti helped turn it into a reality, culminating in the implantation of the first LAP-BAND by Belachew in 1993, followed a week later by Favretti and Cadiere.

In addition to the development of the band itself, Prof. Favretti developed the surgical technique used by most surgeons worldwide today. Since then he has continued to pioneer new procedures such as the single incision (SILS) placement of the band through the tummy button which now represents the gold standard in gastric banding throughout the world. He has also made contributions to other obesity surgery procedures, especially biliopancreatic diversion (BPD/DS) and the Bandinaro

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A Profile of Professor Franco Favretti 

Franco Favretti was born in 1948 in Agordo, Italy. He graduated as an M.D. from the University of Padua in 1972 and went on to qualify as a general surgeon and thoracic surgeon. Today he is Head of Surgery at Vicenza Regional Hospital, Italy and is a member of the American Society For Bariatric Surgery.

A summary of his experience and achievements can be seen below:

  • Performed obesity (bariatric) surgery as early as 1983

  • Performed laparoscopic surgery as early as 1991

  • Performed the second ever gastric band implantation in 1993
  • Developed, in 1993 with Dr Cadiere, the surgical technique for the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band  adopted worldwide by most surgeons
  • In 2009 for Healthier Weight, Professor Favretti was the first to implant a gastric band by single incision (SILS) rather than with the traditional 4 or 5 incisions. By implanting the band through the belly button (umbilicus) our patients can benefit from a gastric band procedure which leaves no visible scars.
  • Highly experienced, having performed over 5000 obesity surgery procedures
  • Regularly performs live procedures in front of audiences in Italy, Spain, USA, Mexico, Venezuala, Switzerland, France and Belgium
  • Teaches at the European University of Laparoscopic Surgery, France and the Italian School of Laparsocopic Surgery
  • Organized 15 international workshops where over 120 surgeons worldwide were given "hands-on" training on the laparotomic and laparoscopic application of LAP-BAND
  • Has given over 120 lectures and masterclasses worldwide
  • Published more than 150 medical articles in world journals including the British Journal of Surgery, Surgical Endoscopy, Obesity Surgery, Journal de Coelio-Chirurgie, Surgical Laparoscopy & Endoscopy, International Surgery, Hepato-Gastroenterology