Hello All!

I've been looking through the forums, I may have missed a thread on hair loss so if I'm being redundant I apologize...

It started this weekend, huge amounts of my hair (ok seems like a HUGE amount but it covers the hair brush so much you cant see the bristles) are falling out. Needless to say I am freaking out! I know this is expected with weight loss surgery, I thought more so with gastric bipass, and was one of my main reasons for choosing lap-band over bipass. If someone asked me if I would rather have a fat ass and beautiful hair, or bald and a small ass I would have said "fat ass please!"

If this has happened to others, when did it stop? Does it grow back?

I'm very much in the beginning of this journey with the band and being so good with my Vitamins and Protein intake, so what the heck is going on?

Thanks so much for any advice.

Soon to be not so sexy bald Gina. :omg:

HI Gina! Yep, we also sometimes get the hair shedding or falling out! Isn't it lovely? Hmmm. Well, there are several reasons that I found might be possible causes. Here are some one that I found....

1) Surgery-several months after, you can see a loss due to the "shock"

2) Not enough Protein in your diet or other Vitamins (take a supplement)

3) Weight loss itself, if it is quick...

Here is a website AAD - Hair Loss , that helps to explain the process.

I'm 9 months out, and have been dealing w/my shedding for 5 months. It has calmed down, but I still have some (more than usual). I am figuring, that as long as I am losing weight, that I may have some more than usual.

good luck..Shawn

I had hair loss about 4 moths out and taking Biotin everyday helped to ease the hair loss. If I didn't take the pill for a few days I saw the hair coming out again. Almost 1 year out and the hair loss seemed to have stopped and my hair is thicker. I stopped taking the biotin about a month ago.

By the way, bald is sexy....see Telly Savalas

Dear Gina,

I was beginning to experience similar traumatic hair loss....AAGH! I asked about hair treatments here in this Complications forum (Post titled: Nioxin and thinning hair treatments) and got very god advice, so you can check it out if you like. I've been using Nioxin for just a short time and am already seeing good results... I don't have quite as much hair showing up in my brush every morning! ... and my hair "FEELS" better...YAY! I know it won't take care of it completely, but if it slows it down I'm grateful! Everyone says it wil grow back eventually when you stop losing weight, but in the meantime, I'm glad for anything that helps!

Nioxin is excellent in hair breakage and hair loss.

Nioxin is excellent in hair breakage and hair loss.

Dumb question alert *

Is this a pill or a shampoo? Where do I get some. Starting to see the hair on the floor and comb :omg:

Nixon is a topical treatment. You can get a kit at the beauty supply store for about $24. Purchase the one you need for your hair type, natural, chemically treated, colored etc.

None of the beauty shops in my area carried Nioxin so I bought it online at sn2000.com. You can type "nioxin" in Google and pop up several sites, even find some on ebay. You can read about how it works, etc. on the company site. I bought the shampoo (Scalp Therapy) and conditioner (Cleanser) combo (25.4 oz.large size) and the scalp treatment spray and vitamin supplements (90 capsules). I use all of them every day and it should last me about 3 months. I think it was around $70 with shipping for everything.... but it has been SO worth it!:clap2:

I just wanted to add my experience with Nioxin. After I read another post about Nioxin and hair loss I decided I should try it. I had been losing hair since about 4 or 5 months out from surgery. I wasn't losing enough for anyone else to notice, but I was noticing it and it bothered me. I've been using Nioxin for about 2 weeks now. I use the shampoo, scalp treatment and follicle treatment. It came in a kit and I've noticed a significant difference in the amount of hair in my comb or loose hairs on my bathroom counter.

Good Luck

Hello All!

Just an update. Its been about a week now and clumps of hair are still falling out. However, last Thursday I ran to CVS and bought a bottle of Biotin. I'll take this for a week and see if it helps. I will let people know either way. If it doesnt, then I will try the shampoo/treatment.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

Well just thought i would tell you , I lost all of my hair! It was awful, Everytime I would wash my hair, hands full fell out! And yes you are correct, I felt the same way, I have surgery to look and feel beautiful, lol and my hair falls out! : ) Big ass, and no hair..(Boy God works in mysterious ways! ) Beautiful is on the inside..! The good news is, It does grow back.. I went to the hair club and let them do a treatment on me, it was funny, what little hair I had left they got in a Knot! Took them 3 hours to get it out and 3 people.. I told them finally just cut it !! I am going to be without hair there anyways with all the pulling.. So they did..Had to wear a cap from there on out. Then like I said it all eventually fell out. And to top it off after that episode, they wanted almost $2000.00 for a years worth of treatments..! WOW! So let me get back to the good news, as they were pulling and tugging on my hair, I was reading the ingredients. Found out how they treated, went to store and found Nioxin! MUch cheaper than 2000.00 and guess what after about 4 months all my hair was back!! It is still growing and I still use it.. But i recommend the Beginning package with all 3 steps and do what it says.. Vitamins and all.... So please dont be sad, you can get your hair back it might not be as beautiful or as thick,, but it does come back. And you want to hear something else funny, my hair grew back totally opposite of what it was,.. I had blonde straight hair! Now mind you straight as can be, would not hold a curl for more than 30 mins.. And now I have brown very wavy hair.. I use to say what I would do to just have a little curl!? And now I have it, : ) and dont know what to do with it.. : ) Goes to show,, we are never happy!! God Bless everyone, and to be honest about this . As I am writing this I am smiling thinking back how I paniced and how stupid I was thinking that my hair meant everything..! It is kinda sad but funny..Hair is on the surface and shoot I almost lost my life and was still not out of the woods at that time but sure was worried about my hair.. ! All I am saying is just "Be Happy!" Or atleast try your best and dont worry about the little things.. : ) Goodluck! And I hope this helps.. : )

I noticed the "fall out" at 4 months or so post-op. I asked my surgeon and he said eat more protein. That didn't help. So I asked my PCP and he checked my thyroid (which was fine). Then I consulted a Dermatologist. He said it's from the weight loss, not lack of protein or vitamins, not related to the "shock" of surgery or anything else and he sees a lot of it with bypass patients.

I tried Biotin and it didn't help, either. My dermie said just wait it out. You can lose up to half your hair and it might take as much as a year to come back.

This is very common.

I believe it peaks within the 3-6 month after surgery phase, when you're actively starting with fills and begin your real weight loss. Our bodies never stop shocking us, do they?

I've heard great things about both the Nioxin topical hair treatments and ESPECIALLY about the oral Nioxin vitamin supplements. They've helped scores of Weight Loss Surgery patients.

Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...

Can we swallow biotin capsules or do we have to take a liquid form? I was told by my surgeon not to swallow pills?? Liz :confused:

Hello All!

Update number 2....I went in yesterday for another fill. (down 50 pounds yeah!) Told The doctor I was having a complication, he got all serious on me untill I told him it was hair loss. Might as well said it was a hang nail for all he cared. He was much more thrilled with the weight loss. Frankly I could have lost 50 pounds of HAIR! haha OK not really but thats what it feels like.

By coincidence today I had a follow up appointment for my sugars at my primary care Dr. (I was pre Diabetes/PCOS but not anymore...another yeah!) Thank Goddess that my primary is a woman. She took the hair loss as a serious problem and I went into the lab to test for all Vitamin difficencies. If there is one, and it contributes to the hair loss I will certainly share the info in case it can help someone else. The Biotin doesnt seem to be doing much of anything and after a week I decided to up my dosage a wee bit.

Keeping my fingers crossed, oh and I'm ordering the Nioxin online.

Gina,

I'm following your story very closely. I'm starting to see more and more hair on my bathroom counter, in my brush, on my floor, stuck to my clothes, in my car . . . ya, pretty much everywhere. Keep us posted on what's going on with yours.

Thanks.