When it comes to maintaining hard-earned weight loss, Kelly Osbourne is one of Hollywood's success stories. But the face of Madonna's fashion label, Material Girl, has recently seen a dent (or lack thereof) in her body-transforming progress. Now Kelly's considering gastric banding, a type of weight loss surgery.

While on vacation, Kelly reportedly gained about 14 pounds. Hey, a few too many pina coladas, midnight buffets, and tiramisus from Giovanni has happened to all of us. But then again, we aren't paid to look good.

It's no wonder Kelly is considering the gastric band, as her mother Sharon lost 100 pounds after getting the surgery in 1999. So what exactly is this procedure and when should someone consider getting it, or not?

According to our expert, Los Angeles internist Dr. Andrea Ruman, "The lap band (laparoscopic gastric banding) was approved by the FDA in 2001 for people categorized as morbidly obese, or adults with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 40, and those with BMI of 35 who have at least one obesity-related health problem. The FDA has broadened the approval to include people with a BMI of 30 as long as they have at least one health-related problem like diabetes or high blood pressure.

Via laparoscopy (a surgery that uses a thin, lighted tube put through a incision in the belly to gain access to the stomach) an inflatable ring is placed around the upper third portion of the stomach to create a small stomach pouch that initially holds 2 ounces of food, and eventually holds up to 4 to 6 ounces. Creating this restricted stomach space in the upper portion of the stomach causes a longer lasting feeling of fullness because the nerves that signal the brain when you're full are located in the upper area of the stomach. Unlike gastric bypass, it does not reroute food and cause fewer ingested calories to be absorbed--therefore weight loss is slower with gastric banding.

The risks of this procedure are enlargement of the stomach pouch due to slippage of the band or stretching of the wall of the pouch. In addition, there is the potential for band erosion into the stomach. Other risks may include nausea and vomiting, gastric reflux of stomach acid, blockage of the stomach outlet, bloating and lack of weight loss.

Certainly weight loss if difficult to achieve and keeping weight off is even harder. The lap band procedure may be of benefit to those who have had difficulty with weight loss and who have medical problems related to obesity."

We have a hard time believing you're obese Kelly, but also wouldn't be surprised if a sketchy Hollywood doctor were willing to do the procedure anyway. But if Kelly goes through with it, hopefully she's got a legit reason.