Weight loss · UK
The Allurion Programme, no endoscopy, no anaesthesia.
A swallowable gastric balloon, filled with 550 mL of saline in a 20-minute clinic visit. In place for 16 weeks, then passes naturally. A full 12 months of nutritionist coaching sits around it - which is where the weight actually stays off.
Why patients choose us
- 01
No endoscopy, no anaesthesia for placement
The Allurion capsule is swallowed in a 20-minute clinic visit. No sedation, no scope, no removal procedure at the end.
- 02
A 12-month coached programme, not just a balloon
Balloon plus fortnightly nutritionist calls, a connected smart scale and the Allurion app for 12 full months, including 8 months after the balloon has passed.
- 03
Independent, and free
We are paid by no clinic, so the recommendation is impartial. You get an honest view on Allurion versus Orbera, ESG or a GLP-1.
Indicative pricing
What the Allurion Programme costs in the UK.
Indicative ranges across our vetted London clinics. The programme price is all-in: balloon, coaching, smart scale and app.
In short
Full 12-month Allurion Programme in London: £4,500 to £7,500, home the same day.
| Component | Indicative range | Typical duration | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial specialist consultation and eligibility review | £250-£450 | 45 min | Same visit |
| Pre-procedure gastroscopy (if indicated) | £950-£1,600 | 20 min | 48 hours |
| Allurion Programme (balloon + 12 months coaching + app + scale) | £4,500-£7,500 | 20 min placement | Home same day |
| Add-on: extended dietitian support (year 2) | £600-£1,200 | monthly calls | Rolling |
Prices vary by clinic, by the seniority of the physician and by whether a pre-procedure gastroscopy is needed. We come back with a firm quote within one working day.
The journey
From swallow to 12-month outcome - step by step.
One team from first consultation through to your maintenance year, including the 8 months after the balloon has passed.
- 01
Before
Initial consultation and eligibility
A 45-minute specialist review of your weight history, BMI, upper GI symptoms, medication and prior bariatric surgery. Not everyone is a candidate and we say so.
- 02
Before
Upper GI review and pre-procedure PPI
A short symptom review for reflux, ulcer disease or hiatus hernia. Some patients have a pre-procedure gastroscopy. Two weeks of proton-pump inhibitor before placement.
- 03
Placement day
Capsule swallow and fill (20 minutes)
Fasted from midnight. You swallow the Allurion capsule with fluid, the fine catheter is passed, and the balloon is filled with 550 mL of saline. Position checked, catheter withdrawn. No anaesthesia.
- 04
Placement day
Home the same day, anti-emetic pack
You leave the clinic within an hour with a prepared anti-emetic and anti-spasm pack. Expect 3 to 5 days of nausea and cramping while your stomach adapts.
- 05
After
12 weeks of active coaching
Fortnightly video calls with a specialist nutritionist. Weekly weigh-ins via the connected smart scale, syncing to the Allurion app. Typical loss is around 1 kg per week.
- 06
After
Balloon passes naturally at week 16
The time-release valve opens on schedule, the balloon deflates and passes through the GI tract in the stool. No removal procedure. Some patients see fragments; most notice nothing.
- 07
After
8 months of maintenance coaching
Coaching continues for 8 months after the balloon has gone. This is the phase that protects the loss and builds the habits that keep the weight off.
When it helps
Who Allurion is for - and who it is not.
Eligibility, common candidates and the situations where we recommend a different pathway.
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BMI 27 to 40 with a weight-loss goal
The typical Allurion candidate: overweight or class I to II obesity, wants meaningful loss without surgery or long-term injections.
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Wants a non-surgical, non-injectable option
A defined 16-week device plus a coached programme, without daily or weekly medication and without stapling or cutting.
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Kick-start before a GLP-1 or after plateau
A structured 4-month reset, either before starting semaglutide or tirzepatide, or to break a plateau on an existing programme.
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Not eligible for or declining surgery
Patients who do not meet NHS bariatric criteria, or who want to avoid a sleeve gastrectomy or bypass.
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Prior bariatric surgery
Allurion is not offered after gastric sleeve, bypass, band or SADI-S. The anatomy is not suitable and the risk profile changes.
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Large hiatus hernia (over 5 cm)
A significant hiatus hernia increases reflux and migration risk. Repair or an alternative pathway is discussed first.
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Active peptic ulcer or severe reflux
Active ulceration, severe GORD or coagulopathy are absolute contraindications. Pregnancy and planned pregnancy within 6 months also exclude.
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Red flag: dysphagia, GI bleeding, weight loss
Unexplained swallowing difficulty, bleeding or unintentional weight loss needs a two-week-wait pathway, not a private weight-loss booking.
Compare your options
Allurion sits in a family of weight-loss options.
What each pathway actually involves - and which fits which patient. We often combine Allurion with a GLP-1 pathway afterwards.
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Allurion swallowable balloon
A capsule containing a folded balloon on a fine catheter. Swallowed with fluid, filled with 550 mL saline, catheter withdrawn. In place for 16 weeks. No endoscopy, no anaesthesia, no removal.
-
Orbera intragastric balloon
A silicone balloon placed and removed by gastroscopy under sedation. In place for 6 months. Similar 10 to 15% weight loss. Two procedures instead of a swallow.
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Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG)
A day-case endoscopic suturing procedure that shrinks the stomach without cutting. More durable loss (around 15 to 20%) but higher upfront cost and a sedated procedure.
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GLP-1 medical programme
Weekly semaglutide or tirzepatide under specialist supervision. Comparable or greater loss, ongoing injections and cost. Often combined with Allurion as a follow-on.
Our vetted London network
Allurion-certified clinics, we picked them.
The London Obesity Group, Blossom Weight Loss, Wimpole Clinic, Nuffield Health and HCA Wellington GI are among the Allurion-partner services we introduce patients to.
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Allurion-certified clinics and specialist bariatric physicians only
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On-site or partnered gastroscopy for pre-procedure assessment
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Nutritionist-led fortnightly coaching for the full 12 months, not just the 16-week balloon phase
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A named clinician for out-of-hours contact during the balloon phase
Safety and recovery
What to expect - honestly.
Nausea and cramping are expected for the first few days and well managed with the discharge pack. The rarer risks worth understanding are early deflation and obstruction.
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Nausea, vomiting and cramping (days 3 to 5)
Expected as the stomach adapts. Peaks in the first 72 hours and settles by the end of the first week. Managed with the anti-emetic and anti-spasm pack you leave with.
-
Reflux and heartburn
Reflux is common during the balloon phase and covered by a daily PPI. Persistent severe reflux is discussed early rather than pushed through.
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Early spontaneous deflation (uncommon)
A small number of balloons deflate earlier than the 16-week valve schedule. Passage is usually uneventful but can rarely cause obstruction requiring intervention (under 1%).
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Bowel obstruction (rare, under 1%)
If the deflated balloon does not pass, it can lodge in the small bowel. Presents as vomiting and pain and needs urgent endoscopic or surgical retrieval. Rare but real.
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Not for prior bariatric surgery
Sleeve, bypass, band and SADI-S all exclude Allurion. The altered anatomy changes device behaviour and risk.
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Hiatus hernia over 5 cm, active PUD, coagulopathy
Absolute contraindications. Also excluded: pregnancy or planned pregnancy within 6 months, GI motility disorders, and inflammatory bowel disease flares.
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Weight regain without maintenance
Regain is common without the 8 months of post-passage coaching. This is why the programme, not just the balloon, is the point.
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Red flags after discharge
Severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, dark or bloody stools, chest pain or fever - contact the clinic or attend A&E the same day.
Reading your programme notes
Your Allurion year in four parts. Read the last one first.
Every clinic keeps to a similar shape - baseline, placement, progress, outcome. The app dashboard tracks this in real time.
- 01 Baseline
Weight, BMI, waist and body composition
Recorded at consultation and again on placement day. This is your reference point for the 12-month programme and for the app dashboard.
- 02 Placement
Fill volume, position confirmation, tolerance
The saline volume (typically 550 mL), how the position was confirmed and how you tolerated the swallow. Kept on file for the clinical team.
- 03 Progress
Weekly weigh-ins and coaching notes
Every fortnightly nutritionist call is logged - weight trajectory, symptom review, dietary plan for the next two weeks.
- 04 Outcome
End-of-programme summary at 12 months
Total body weight loss, percentage loss, waist change, and a maintenance plan. Read this first when the year finishes.
Recognised by major UK insurers
Gastric balloons are usually self-pay. Some enhanced policies and employer wellness packages contribute. We confirm cover before booking.
Frequently asked
Everything we get asked about Allurion.
Quick answers on endoscopy, cost, insurance, other balloons and why the coaching runs for 12 months.
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Do I really avoid endoscopy and anaesthesia?
Yes. That is the point of Allurion. You swallow the capsule with fluid in a clinic room. A fine catheter is used to fill the balloon with 550 mL of saline, then withdrawn. The visit takes around 20 minutes and you go home the same day. There is no scope and no sedation for placement, and no removal procedure at the end because the balloon self-deflates and passes naturally in your stool at around 16 weeks. Some patients have a pre-procedure gastroscopy first if the upper GI history warrants it.
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How much weight will I actually lose - and will I keep it off?
Pooled real-world data show around 13 to 15% total body weight loss by the end of the 16-week balloon phase, roughly 1 kg per week for most patients. Longer-term maintenance depends heavily on the 8 months of coaching that continue after the balloon has passed. Patients who complete the full programme keep most of the loss at one year. Patients who drop coaching once the balloon is gone tend to regain a meaningful proportion within 12 to 18 months.
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What does the Allurion Programme cost in the UK?
The all-in programme (balloon placement, 12 months of nutritionist coaching, the connected smart scale and the Allurion app) is typically £4,500 to £7,500 depending on the London clinic. That covers the initial swallow, the anti-emetic pack, the 12-week active phase, the passage of the balloon, and the 8-month maintenance phase. A pre-procedure gastroscopy, if you need one, is £950 to £1,600 extra.
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Will private insurance cover Allurion?
Weight-loss balloons are usually excluded from standard private medical insurance and are paid for self-pay. A small number of policies with bariatric add-ons will consider Allurion, and some employers include it in enhanced wellness packages. We check cover in writing with your insurer before you commit and quote you both the insured and self-pay routes.
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How does Allurion compare to the Orbera balloon?
Both are gastric balloons with similar weight loss (around 10 to 15% total body weight). Orbera is a silicone balloon placed and removed by gastroscopy under sedation and stays in for 6 months. Allurion is a swallowable capsule, no anaesthesia, and stays in for 16 weeks before passing naturally. Orbera is longer and better studied over decades; Allurion is shorter, gentler on placement day, and pairs a shorter device phase with a longer coached programme.
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Why is the coaching 12 months if the balloon is only in for 16 weeks?
Because the maintenance phase is where weight-loss programmes are won or lost. The balloon does the mechanical work for the first 16 weeks and gets you the initial loss. The following 8 months of fortnightly coaching, weekly weigh-ins on the connected scale, and app-based food and activity tracking are what turn short-term loss into a durable habit change. The clinics that skip this - or charge extra for it - see much higher regain rates.
Ready to start?
Tell us your weight history and we come back within a working day.
An honest view on Allurion, Orbera, ESG or a GLP-1 - independent of the clinics we introduce you to.
Related treatments
Looking for something else?
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Orbera intragastric balloon
The classic endoscopic 6-month balloon.
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Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG)
Day-case endoscopic suturing of the stomach.
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SADI-S bariatric surgery
A modern single-anastomosis bariatric operation for higher BMI.
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Obesity - condition guide
The full pathway from diagnosis to treatment.
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