So I've been reading a bit on here about hair loss. Just how much hair falls out and does it re-grow? Oh! And why or why does it have to fall out at all?

Yikes!

So I've been reading a bit on here about hair loss. Just how much hair falls out and does it re-grow? Oh! And why or why does it have to fall out at all?

Yikes!

My understanding is that it falls out because of lack of Protein. As you have probably seen on here, in the first weeks after surgery some people have difficulty getting enough protein. If you let that go on too long it will have adverse effects, one being loss of hair. Some people will take Biotin to help prevent the hair loss and to also help it grow back quicker. As far as I know, yes it will grow back as your diet improves.

I am so worried about this, mostly cuz I seem to be losing a lot and I am pre-op!! I just started taking biotin to see if will help. I wouldn't be as worried if my hair was as thick and healthy as it used to be. For most ppl it is temporary from wls though. It stops and then grows back.

I am worried also. I am 3 weeks post op and I can not get enough protein in through fluids or foods! I am taking a multivitamin and a hair skin and nails vitamin with 833% Biotin to try and prevent hair loss as well. I sure hope that it helps because I can basically eat thin soups, Popsicles and a very very very small amount of mushies like 6 bites at the most and I am extremely full. I also have bad gas and heartburn whenever I eat unless it is liquids. The protein shakes in the can agree with me but I am only able to drink about a half of a can before I am too full. ALL of the powders make me gag and throw up!!! I've heard that the Isopure fruit punch bottled drinks from GNC are pretty tasty and pack a lot of protein. However they are $50 for 12 (20 ounce) bottles, which for me is high for only a weeks supply if you consume two a day to get your protein in! Yet still I am thinking of investing in a twelve pack this month to see how well they work with me. Good Luck to you!!!! I hope that everything goes well with your surgery :-)

Tiff might come explain this here. She does a great job of it! It is not lack of Protein. People who get in the required protein also lose their hair. It is likely a combination of things including anesthesia, dramatic/quick weight loss and a low calorie diet. Might even be a hormonal thing. Lord knows they are outta whack after VSG. It ususally starts around 3-4 months after surgery and lasts several months.

There is nothing you can do to prevent the hair loss, but some people have had luck taking Biotin to help RE-GROW the hair. Biotin does not prevent it from falling out. I plan to start taking the biotin as soon as I have no trouble swallowing a pill just to get a jump start on the regrowth.

Don't worry, though, it will grow back and I think it is a small price to pay to lose all this weight. My sister said she would just but a bandana on her head and strut her prissy (skinny) tail around like nobody's business. Good attitude if you ask me!!

Tiff might come explain this here. She does a great job of it! It is not lack of Protein. People who get in the required protein also lose their hair. It is likely a combination of things including anesthesia, dramatic/quick weight loss and a low calorie diet. Might even be a hormonal thing. Lord knows they are outta whack after VSG. It ususally starts around 3-4 months after surgery and lasts several months.

There is nothing you can do to prevent the hair loss, but some people have had luck taking Biotin to help RE-GROW the hair. Biotin does not prevent it from falling out. I plan to start taking the biotin as soon as I have no trouble swallowing a pill just to get a jump start on the regrowth.

Don't worry, though, it will grow back and I think it is a small price to pay to lose all this weight. My sister said she would just but a bandana on her head and strut her prissy (skinny) tail around like nobody's business. Good attitude if you ask me!!

Agree, My Dr. said it is from the changes going on inside your body he told me it would happen to anyone who loses weight rapidly possibly hormonal from chemical changes in your body. He said their is no proven study but he recommended biotin to me.

Besides being successful with this surgery, I had TWO goals - not throwing up and not losing my hair. I've accomplished all three!! Yay! I started taking Biotin 5000 mcg (Wal Mart, fairly cheap) a few months before surgery, and I'm still taking it. I started getting in between 60 - 80 grams of Protein in at two weeks post-op. I guess it was around month two that I quit supplements and was able to get all my protein in with food!! I've been very lucky, but I really, really didn't want to lose my hair!!!!!!!!!! Go get Biotin today...and start it!

So I've been reading a bit on here about hair loss. Just how much hair falls out and does it re-grow? Oh! And why or why does it have to fall out at all?

Yikes!

Blue Raspberry bullets from GNC are 'ok' and have 42 or 43 grams of Protein. Very 'strong' in flavor, but are only 3.5 oz. I would sip a little in the morning, a little at noon and finish it off later in the day. Hold my breath and it wasn't a big deal. Rinse my mouth out if it was bad, seriously, I tried a LOT of stuff before surgery and returned a LOT of stuff to GNC, thank goodness they take stuff back. It all grossed me out!!! I got a sample of this from Forest Park Medical Center when I was discharged.....3.5 oz - I was sold!! LoL I tried the grape one time, but it was very, very strong. The Blue Raspberry was the least offensive to me....even my husband thought it was ok.

I am worried also. I am 3 weeks post op and I can not get enough protein in through fluids or foods! I am taking a multivitamin and a hair skin and nails Vitamin with 833% Biotin to try and prevent hair loss as well. I sure hope that it helps because I can basically eat thin soups, Popsicles and a very very very small amount of mushies like 6 bites at the most and I am extremely full. I also have bad gas and heartburn whenever I eat unless it is liquids. The protein shakes in the can agree with me but I am only able to drink about a half of a can before I am too full. ALL of the powders make me gag and throw up!!! I've heard that the Isopure fruit punch bottled drinks from GNC are pretty tasty and pack a lot of protein. However they are $50 for 12 (20 ounce) bottles, which for me is high for only a weeks supply if you consume two a day to get your protein in! Yet still I am thinking of investing in a twelve pack this month to see how well they work with me. Good Luck to you!!!! I hope that everything goes well with your surgery :-)

I do not think it is protein either. I have not had the surgery yet, but I can tell you that when I did WW, they encourged healthy oils. Olive, flaxseed, canola, safflower and sunflower are all healthy oils. I bought flaxseed oil in a bottle and put a teaspoon on my oatmeal every morning or in my smoothie, couldn't taste it at all.

I then used olive oil on my meat at night. 2 tsp a day was all it took to stop and keep my hair from falling out! Also made it really shiny.

Try it, it just might work!!

Kelly

I am pre-op, but My hair has been thinning for yrs now. I've been concerned at the alarming rate it comes out. Of course while researching wls i read about the hairloss and got worried. But when I added a lot more Protein to my diet, just trying to lose weight on my own, I noticed a lot of regrowth. So I do think protein does something, at least for regrowth. I have now started taking Biotin pre-op to try to get a head start.

I've heard of people using the bullets and if they tasted strong they would Water them down or add a little to a crystal light at a time. Spacing it out thru the day.

Kelly - I have heard of people watering them down a little too. I tried it but then discovered if I'd hold my breath then rinse my mouth out it really wasn't bad....seriously! Sounds like a kid taking medicine, doesn't it?? LoL At 3.5, that is not a lot at all, I just wanted to get it out of the way! If you think about 3.5 in a baby bottle, it's nothing! A little over an ounce, 3x's a day! It wasn't any worse than the yucky liquid Tylenol the week after surgery!!!!

I am pre-op, but My hair has been thinning for yrs now. I've been concerned at the alarming rate it comes out. Of course while researching wls i read about the hairloss and got worried. But when I added a lot more Protein to my diet, just trying to lose weight on my own, I noticed a lot of regrowth. So I do think protein does something, at least for regrowth. I have now started taking Biotin pre-op to try to get a head start.

I've heard of people using the bullets and if they tasted strong they would Water them down or add a little to a crystal light at a time. Spacing it out thru the day.

Yes that is true, just chug it down and you have all that protein out of the way. I have seen the tropical punch at WalMart but not the Blueberry. I think I'd like the blueberry better. I need to get to GNC.

It's blue raspberry....not bad and you can order it on line too. Once in a while it will be on sale, but on line you can only get a case of it, not individual bullets.

Yes that is true, just chug it down and you have all that Protein out of the way. I have seen the tropical punch at WalMart but not the Blueberry. I think I'd like the blueberry better. I need to get to GNC.

An example of this happening showed up for my sister-in-law at boot camp ; she HATED the MRE's and refused to eat them and would only eat the fruit she pilfered from the mess hall and it wasn't long before her hair started falling out, not sure how long it took before it started growing back but I know she was not happy, yet still refuses to eat the MRE's. She's in Afghanistan now and may be bald by the time she gets home.

Hi, This was one of my biggest fears because I have super thin baby fine hair. I took biotin and collagen started them a month before surgery and have been using Nioxin shampoo and conditioner and never lost mine. There are several reasons for it the anesthesia can cause it, not enough protein and vitamins, and the stress of rapid weight loss the body goes into starvation mode once it does that it cuts back on feeding nutrients to the less important areas of the body like hair, nails and skin. It does grow back. It typically happens within the first six months of surgery.

There is nothing you can do to prevent it if your body is going to experience. I can count on 1 hand how many WLS patients in general across all the surgeries that didn't lose hair. No amount of Protein, snake oils, shampoos, pills, supplements will stop the losing, but it does grow back, and you can take things Biotin, extra zinc, make sure you Iron stays stable, that will help with regrowth.

Here's 2 articles that explain it:

http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/telogen_effluvium.html

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1071566-overview

I personally lost half of my hair by volume. It started at 3.5 months post-op and lasted 3 solid months. It's all grown back in at this point. There's plenty of sleeve patients that got in their protein from immediately post-op, and they lost more hair than I did and I didn't protein in until I was 6-8 weeks out.

So, protein is NOT going to keep your hair from falling out.