A set of guidelines for carrying out lap-band surgery on severely obese teenagers have been issued to Australian surgeons.

An advice about the controversial procedure, which involves restricting the stomach by putting a ring around it, has been provided by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians for teenagers.

The guidelines are about obese teens who are of 15 years of age and want to get the operation.

Professor Louise Bauer, the chairperson of the committee that developed the guidelines, says the surgery should be done on teenagers who are at the age of 15 only if they are severely obese.

She said, "We are recommending that weight-loss surgery be considered in young people aged 15 years and over who have finished puberty and who have severe obesity - a body mass index greater than 40."

Bauer stated that laparoscopic banding surgery for young people has been recommended because in OZ there is experience with its use and also because it is reversible.

She added, "I think that is an important thing to think about when we are dealing with young people, particularly when we are not sure necessarily of the long-term effects."