Alright. So I have been losing hair for a week. I have to say-I didn't expect this. It is alarming how much hair I am losing. I have a TON of hair, but it still scares me. For those of you that lost, did it slow down after a bunch falling out at first? It really scares me. I feel if I continued for months losing like this that I would have no hair left. I know that sounds extreme, but I am losing A LOT of hair. I am taking biotin for regrowth, but wow. I am getting a little nervous. This was one thing that DIDN'T scare me because I have so much hair and I lost after both of my pregnancies. THIS is different though. Please tell me I won't lose it all. :confused:

I lost half of my hair, literally half of it, and it got thin on the crown of my head.

I had super thick, coarse hair, and it freaked me out as well. It would go in spurts for me. I did lose a huge amount at first then it would not be as severe for a few days then it was back to having to use liquid Plumber in the shower drain every 2 days.

I would say I lost more than half my hair. My band doctor who also did my gall bladder surgery, and also does sleeve surgery, told me the hair loss would slow down at 9 months post op. That is when it slowed down. I will soon be at 1 yr. post op, and I have new hair growing back in all over the place. I am glad I have new hair growing in, but it's going to take a long time to replace all that I lost. My pony tail is about 1/3 the size it used to be.

I took Biotin, fish oil, ground flax seed, and every other supplement anyone suggested and nothing helped. It's just a natural occurrence after WLS. They do say to make sure you get plenty of Protein every day or it will get worse. That is one thing I can say I did for sure. From day one post op, I made sure I got plenty of protein every single day.

ugh...I have very superfine and thin hair already. In fact you can see my scalp through my hair on the top.

I lost a lot of hair after the birth of my second child and I went to a dermatologist and had shots in my head to stop it from falling out. It seemed to work but it wasn't a very pleasant experience...especially with my needle phobia!

I don't want to have to do that again but I guess I will cause I will seriously be almost bald if I lose that much hair!

Wuh oh....I also have very fine hair....there's a lot of it, it's just really fine. I think plan A will be to perm it before surgery (I know, curly perms are cheesy but on my wavy hair they actually look very natural) to create more volume and help hide the loss. THEN, when I have regrowth that's an inch or two long and it's sticking up everywhere, I'll get a super short pixie cut. Always wanted one of those but never had a JAWLINE....looking forward to that!

When I wash my hair tomorrow night, I will take pics of what I lose just in one washing. It is honestly disturbing to me. :thumbup1:

I lost about 4 good size handfuls every time I washed my hair. That doesn't even count the handful I pick up from the bathroom floor every day.

I'm grateful that I shave my head!

It is shocking & quite scary when the hair starts falling out. I was around 3.5 months post op when it started. I would have clumps of hair come out in the shower & then after drying/fixing my hair, I'd have to vacuum up more hair. I also had hair all over my shirt & bed linens after getting up in the mornings. It was gross. I am now almost 9 months post-op & it is finally slowing down. I am still losing a little bit, but probably more normal amounts. I also have some new growth coming in. It's hard to deal with the new growth b/c it sticks straight up, but I am so glad to see it!

BTW, I cut my hair very short. I have it stacked in the back & angled to my face. It helps my hair look "not so thin". I really like the hairdo & plan to keep it. :thumbup:

You guys are scaring me. I've been trying to believe that it just won't happen to me. I'm 3 mos out and I know it could start any day. I've always wondered though, is it the act of having the surgery that does it, or is it actually rapid weight loss that triggers it? If you had the surgery but lose weight very slowly, I wonder if it would still fall out. Anyone know?

I can't answer that. Everyone I know that has had WLS has lost a lot of hair. Everyone complains about it in my support group.

I have heard of some people not losing nearly as much as I have, but everyone I know complains about losing quite a bit between months 4-9

Yikes! I'm screwed, my hair is also sparse and very fine. I do remember losing quite a bit of hair on Optifast! Thank God mine is long I may have to fashion a comb over!

You guys are scaring me. I've been trying to believe that it just won't happen to me. I'm 3 mos out and I know it could start any day. I've always wondered though, is it the act of having the surgery that does it, or is it actually rapid weight loss that triggers it? If you had the surgery but lose weight very slowly, I wonder if it would still fall out. Anyone know?

Here's an interesting article on acute hair loss. It explains that there are several reasons why we lose hair.

From my understanding, it's more the major shock to the system post-op and not just the rapid weight loss. Even patients that got in 100 grams of Protein immediately post-WLS have noted major hair loss.

Telogen Effluvium

Telogen Effluvium Hair Loss

It is normal to lose up to about 100 hairs a day on one's comb, brush, in the sink or on the pillow. This is the result of the normal hair growth cycle. Hairs will grow for a few years, then rest for a few months, shed, and regrow. Telogen is the name for the resting stage of the hair growth cycle. A telogen effluvium is when some stress causes hair roots to be pushed prematurely into the resting state. Telogen effluvium can be acute or chronic.

If there is some "shock to the system", as many as 70% of the scalp hairs are then shed in large numbers about 2 months after the "shock". This sudden increase in hair loss, usually described as the hair coming out in handfuls, is acute telogen effluvium. This is a different problem than gradual genetic hair thinning. However, this can be seen in the less common chronic telogen effluvium, only after a significant amount of hair has already been lost.

A considerable number of different causes for telogen effluvium exist. Among the common causes are high fevers, childbirth, severe infections, severe chronic illness, severe psychological stress, major surgery or illnesses, over or under active thyroid gland, crash diets with inadequate protein, and a variety of medications. Most hair loss from medications is this type and causes include retinoids, beta blockers, Calcium channel blockers, antidepressants, and NSAIDS (including ibuprofen).

Typically, abrupt diffuse hair loss is noticed several weeks to several months after the incident has initiated the biologic program for hair loss. While the most often noticed hair loss occurs on the scalp, some individuals may also notice hair loss elsewhere on the body. Significant hair shedding usually occurs when shampooing, combing, or even when gently manipulating the hair. Shedding usually slowly decreases over 6 to 8 months once the cause for the hair loss is no longer present. As some of the causes represent ongoing problems, it is important to determine the likely cause when possible and take appropriate measures to prevent continued hair loss.

These shed or loose hairs all have club-shaped "roots" typical of resting, telogen hairs and may be easily identified under the microscope. After shampooing, the bulk of existing loose hair has often been shed and loose hair may not again appear until additional hairs enter this resting phase. When there is any doubt about the presence of this condition, a small piece of skin may be taken from the scalp as a biopsy to be examined under the microscope. In this way, the condition of the hair follicles, the tissues that produce the hair, may be determined.

No treatment is needed for most cases of telogen effluvium. Remember that the hairs fall out when a new hair growing beneath it pushes it out. Thus with this type of hair loss, hair falling out is a sign of hair regrowth. As the new hair first comes up through the scalp and pushes out the dead hair a fine fringe of new hair is often evident along the forehead hairline.

The most important issue in telogen effluvium is to determine if an underlying cause for the problem is present. Blood tests may need to be done if the cause is not obvious, such as mild Iron deficiency. If the telogen effluvium is caused by a medication, the medication needs to be stopped. When the cause of the hair loss is something like giving birth, a transient illness, or other self-limited problem the induced telogen effluvium is also usually self-limited and requires no treatment.

Chronic telogen effluvium is recently recognized and not uncommon. It often occurs in women who previously had very thick hair in their teens and twenties and still have an apparently normal head of hair to a casual observer. It affects the entire scalp with no obvious cause apparent. It usually affects women of 30 to 60 years of age, starts suddenly and has a tendency to fluctuate for a period of years. The degree of shedding is usually severe in the early stages and the hair may come out in handfuls. It does not cause complete baldness and does appear to be self-limiting in the long run.

Good news everyone...I have noticed in the last 5 or 6 weeks a decline in the amount of hair I've been losing. As of my last wash, (after coloring my roots!), I hardly lost any hair at all~I was so amazed, then when I brushed it out before blowing it dry, the brush hardly had any hairs in it! There is no longer any shedding! I had lost handfuls of hair for months but finally it has stopped!! My hair is about 1/4 in over all thickness than it was pre surgery but since the loss has stopped I am hopeful that it will reverse and grow back especially since the warm summer season is approaching and my hair grows fastest during summer months!! Right now I look like a pin head my hair is so thin. It used to take me 45 minutes to blow dry my hair and now it takes about 20 minutes. My pony tail used to be really full and thick and now it is very skimpy and thin......but not for long!