‘‘Bariatric surgery is not just an aesthetic procedure; it’s a medical treatment that can change people’s lives,” explained Dr. Eufrocino Martinez, a Filipino-American bariatric surgeon of 21 years. The Sunday Times Magazine had the good fortune of interviewing the successful doctor during his brief vacation in the Philippines from the United States, and uncovered many facts and misconceptions about a range of procedures that can save millions of lives.

He clarified that only the morbidly obese are qualified to undergo surgical procedures to lose weight, and not those who merely want to achieve a slimmer figure.