Hi everyone! Although I have read posts regarding VSG and hair loss, until now I haven't experienced this at all. In the last 3 weeks though, my hair is falling out BIG time! Luckily I have thick hair so it's not so noticable. But if it keeps up at this rate, I'll be looking for a wig. What am I missing in my diet? I take multi vitamins, B-complex, B-12, and magnesium supplements. I try to eat a fairly healthy diet, as we all do. Any suggestions?:001_cool:

It SHOULD include hair! We work so hard to look so good, and what do our bodies do in return.....shed! This seems to be a lose-lose situation. Oh well, I guess I'ld rather be thin and bald than fat and furry!

My surgeon recommends the following to prevent hair loss:

flax seed oil

fish oil

Biotin

Coenzyme Q-10

I am taking all of these. So far (3 months post-op) I still have all my hair.

Can someone recommend a good fish

oil that does not make a nasty

taste if you burp it up?

And where do you get it?

Rose, it will be interesting to see if you still

haven't lost any hair when you reach 4 months.

4 months seems to be when it starts.

I'm dreading the hairloss. I'll start taking the fish oil, don't mind it too much. Might help when I get to 3mths post op, I now only I month post op. Let's see if I can prevent it by drinking the fish oils. It will be good to know.

Hi Rose,

I'm almost 3 weeks out and am very worried about too much hair loss. Can you tell me what dosage of Coenzyme Q-10 your surgeon recommended. I looked it up on the internet and it's mostly used for heart conditions, Parkinson's.. etc.... would like to add this in if it will work but wondering on the dosage.

Thanks,

~Chandra ... shutterbug

I didn't start losing my hair until 5 months out - I'll add in the Co-Q10 - I have that and was taking it before surgery -- it's a big capsule, so hope i can get it down. I'll try anything at this point to help slow down or stop the hair loss.

Has any one tried prenatal vitamins? Thay have really good ones at the vitamin store. Just as good as prescription. I don't know if it would help with the hair loss though.

I'm dreading the hairloss. I'll start taking the fish oil, don't mind it too much. Might help when I get to 3mths post op, I now only I month post op. Let's see if I can prevent it by drinking the fish oils. It will be good to know.

I have started losing hair this week. Will be at 3 months on the 23rd. It's worth it to me. I like the mantra...I'm losing hair...I'm losing weight.

I just read something in the paper that said if we are iron deficient, it can cause hair loss. That is one thing I don't take. I have problems with my liver, and taking iron can be dangerous for me.

I've been losing hair for 3 months, but I wanted to report that it has slowed down significantly.

I have been using Folicure shampoo, and taking Biotin every other day.

Neither of these will prevent the loss, but it will help with new growth. I have lots, and lots of little, baby hairs popping up all over the top of my head, and around my hairline so that is encouraging.

I honestly lost about 1/2 of my hair. But, it's coming back, and I've accepted it.

Yes, that is how much I have lost too. I did notice this morning when I was combing it out after my shower that I had some little hairs about 1" coming in at the top of my head.

After reading this section about hair loss I asked my doctor about it at our "meet the doctor and his staff" meeting yesterday. I was told that the reason why some people lose hair a few months after surgery is because of damage done to their hair follicles by the anesthesia used during surgery. The condition should be a temporary one.

Add this info to the "for what it's worth" section.

OldAv8tor

I have really thin hair to begin with, and my hair falls out all the time anyway, but now its really, really bad. I'm starting to get a bald spot on top of my head. I'm going to my stylist Saturday and will discuss a new style, but I love my style now so much. My hair is in awful shape from straightening and coloring, and now I'm losing it. Maybe I'll ask for a wig for Christmas.

I talked to a bariatric surgeon that just started going to my church and he recommended Biotin, but I haven't seen a change.

I have really thin hair to begin with, and my hair falls out all the time anyway, but now its really, really bad. I'm starting to get a bald spot on top of my head. I'm going to my stylist Saturday and will discuss a new style, but I love my style now so much. My hair is in awful shape from straightening and coloring, and now I'm losing it. Maybe I'll ask for a wig for Christmas.

I talked to a bariatric surgeon that just started going to my church and he recommended Biotin, but I haven't seen a change.

Biotin only helps with regrowth. My multi-Vitamin has biotin in, but I take about 15,000mcgs of Biotin a day which is 3 capsules per day. Some days I skip them all together, other days I remember them.

Here's an article that was posted on OH.

Major surgery, acute trauma, and other reasons are listed as the reasons why we lose hair while losing weight.

Telogen Effluvium: eMedicine Dermatology

It does not matter the surgery type, it can potentially happen to all of us.

I have new growth coming. I have those baby hairs popping up along my part, and at the hairline around my face.

Both times I had weightloss surgery, first to have my band placed, second to have it taken out, I did eventually lose a lot of hair. This is often attributed to a few things: anesthesia, vitamin/mineral loss, chemical changes due to weightloss, etc. First surgery, it started at about 3-4 months out. Second surgery, it started about 2-3 months out. I can attribute a lot of the loss in my second round of surgery, to the severe anemia I had, due to the band. Recently, an article was published about Iron deficiency and weight loss surgery. You can find it here, published in October.

Weight-loss surgery brings risk of iron deficiency: MedlinePlus

As far as my experience and research tells me, nothing can be done about the hairloss. Usually, it grows back, but it will take time... When you start seeing less and less hair in the drain, you've turned a corner. Hope this helps!