I have searched in the Total Gastric Vertical Plication Sleeve Surgery thread and have not found whether or not anyone experiences hair loss with Plication ?(GPS, Total Gastric Vertical Plication Sleeve Surgery or Super Sleeve) surgery. I have found discussion threads in the VSG section, but would love to hear from Plication patients to find out if they are experiencing hair loss.

One might hope that if you get your Protein in and don't have to have to have a large portion of the stomach cut out you'd be able to keep more hair. From the VSG patients it sounds like it happens mostly between 3 months to a year and then new hair growth starts.

One would think, hope and pray....but I think hair loss just comes with the territory of weight loss surgery....

I have been "shedding" way more than normal, it's like my hair is thinning out, but I do see large clumps of hair on my brush and shower drain....

I am taking the Vitamins, and trying to get in Protein....but oh! well......I guess it's a fair trade.....

Thank you so much for replying..and I love your blog?

Thanks! I love your blog!

Hi Amy,

While I haven't had the plication, I have had the lapband for 9 years. I had very little

hair loss during my weight loss phase, I think maybe because it took me a good

2 1/2-3 years to lose about 110 lbs. I'm hoping that the plication will provide me

with the same, steady weight loss as the band did as to help with hair loss.

I'm supposed to be having my band replaced and the plication procedure done at

the same time in December so I'll let you know.

Good luck to you~

genepha

hair loss with weight loss is a very interesting thing. Hair follicles are high energy, high metabolism cells. This is why people lose hair so much during chemotherapy. Chemotherapy goes after fast-growing cells (like cancer cells) and so it is hard on hair follicle cells which make hair grow with healthy roots. During weight loss, your body is using stored energy as a primary fuel source and the hair follicles don't like this as much. I think hair thinning is a normal part of all successful weight loss. It is certainly more pronounce in the malabsorptive procedures like gastric bypass because you are combining Protein deficiency with the altered fuel source. One of the things I like about GPS (plicatin) is that it is a healthy, natural weight loss with no malabsorption. Digestion and absorption are normal and you can keep up on protein absorption. Interestingly, the hair grows back as full as ever once you reach goal so view the hair thinning as a symptom of your awesome success. This usually manifests itself as more hair on the bathroom floor, in the hair brush and in the shower drain. I've seen studies showing that Vitamins like Biotin help reduce hair thinning and I've had patients swear by this and others that say it does nothing. I've noticed that patients with a thick head of hair don't complain about this much but patients with thin hair to begin with complain a lot about this. I think it's best to take your vitamins, get plenty of protein and be proud of the hair thinning because it means that you are losing weight like a gold medalist.

Brad Watkins MD

Thanks so much