My friend had a gastric bypass and lost a lot of hair. Have any of you with the VSG experienced this?

Yep lost about 1/2 my hair and it's just now coming back. I'm 14 months out today. It's still very thin but to be honest I never have taken vitamins but I just started this week.

This terrifies me. After my weight, my hair is my biggest problem. It's super super fine and frizzy and doesn't grow at all, maybe 2 to 3 inches PER YEAR. Yup, YEAR. So if I get the surgery, I'm doomed?

Here's what I don't understand. I've dieted in the past, once basically starving myself for a couple years. I ate hardly anything and took few Vitamins and almost no Protein (lived on fat-free frozen yogurt and coffee) and exercised 2-3 hours per day, but I didn't lose any hair. This was not healthy living, but hair stayed the same. I didn't even lose any hair after my pregnancies. Yeah, I have crappy hair, but at least it's consistent.

So it can't just be the weight loss, right? What about WLS does this?

Oy, my hair has been dropping like it's trying to escape a burning building! Started at almost exactly 3.5 months post-op and has really slowed down over the past month or so, but I'm not seeing much regrowth yet. I use Aveda Hair Potion to make it look thicker and I take biotin and silica...I think the Hair Potion is doing the most good LOL. I also use Joan Rivers Good Hair Day powder to make my scalp not show, which totally disguises the thinness. It's awesome.

I had a good bit of hair loss beginning at 4 months out, despite getting more than enough protein and I was on Biotin way before my surgery date. So I started making sure I took my multi w/Iron daily and added in Silica, because I read that Iron deficiency could also cause hair loss and silica would help with the hair loss problem too. I am a few days short of being 7 months out now and my hair loss has slowed way down, actually seems to have stopped. I am hoping I am finished losing, because it IS scary no matter how prepared we think we are for this side effect of weight loss surgery. I know we naturally lose around 30 a day with or without surgery, so I am hoping that's the case for me now. I have a lot of new growth coming in. All we can do is make sure we keep our protein, Iron, and other vitamins in check, but most people that I know experience the problem and there's hundreds of posts on these forums about it. I haven't heard of anyone going totally bald yet. *fingers crossed* that I don't go bald lol. Good luck!!

Thanks everyone for your input. I already have very fine thinning hair. I guess I'll just buy a cool wig for that time! Hmmm, maybe a hot pink bob?

The average adult should be getting anywhere from 60-80 grams of proten

i'm pre-op DOS 12/15/11 very soon- i know after the surgery i'll use the Protein shakes to get in my protein in,

For later i know chicken i.e. has a lot of protein in it, how does that get measured since it will be in small quantities. other Proteins in other foods? My NUT says not to worry yet cuz i will see her 10 days post surgery, and we'll talk about the 1rst stage of proper protein & stuff. i'm still concerned - cuz i don't know where i'll get 60 grams of protein from such small amounts of food and how it will be measured. she told me once to use those 1 oz. measuring cups. How in the world is that supposed to work with solids? i think i'm just getting nervous cuz my surgery is so soon.

Thanx

Yep lost about 1/2 my hair and it's just now coming back. I'm 14 months out today. It's still very thin but to be honest I never have taken Vitamins but I just started this week.

My hair has always been thin too ...seems thinner now, but WAAAY better than it was.

My sleeve sister YOU HAVE NOT TAKEN ANY VITAMINS THIS WHOLE TIME????? OMGOSH! How are your levels??? I stopped for a little while and I'm having the HARDEST TIME getting my dumb Ferritn levels back to normal...How's your blood work been???

so my hair just started falling out and I'm freaking out I've always had such nice hair everyone would compliment me on it! I'm six months out and for some reason the last time i washed my hair its fell out so much its to the point where my ponytail is thinner. its so depressing

my hair has started falling out more lately. i have always lost a lot of hair daily because i have a ton of hair. Now i do notice that i am constantly having to pull it off of my clothes, and when i shower there is a lot that falls out. no one can tell that i have lost any though cause i have so much hair.

This is the only thing I have truly worried about concerning my WLS. That may sound childish to some, but it is an EXTREMELY big deal to me. Because of religious convictions, I do not cut nor trim my hair and have not done so in over 25 years. Currently it is just a few inches from the bends of my knees. I have experienced hair loss with every anesthesia I have ever had (7); but even though I felt like I would go bald, others did not notice. I am praying it won't be anymore extreme than this for me. It is not like I would have many options to try to hide it. Cutting it would be completely out and getting the rest under a wig would make me look like a knot head. I suppose if it goes; thin will have to be IN, for body and hair.

I lost A LOT of hair after surgery. it started about 6 months post sleeve surgery and it continued for months. The greatest thing was to make sure you are using a sulfate free paraben free shampoo, or even a cleanser. I invested in the WEN hair care system, and it really helped. Before surgery, my hair was my security blanket. It hid the neck fat , thinned my face out ( or so i thought). And helped to mask the double chin. After I started losing my hair, i started to cut it shorter and shorter, and now have the cutest short pixie shag. I color it a nice bright red ( think sharon osborne color) and now with the new 130 less me, i love the sassiness and my husband loves the sexiness of my short hair. I still use the WEN hair cleansers, and sulfate free shampoos, the hair loss has stopped, and it helps to not fade my sexy red color so quickly! Moral of the story....its a new you...try a new doo!!!

I'm 1 year 3 mos post op, down 130 pounds, and as my doctor says...at my soul weight of 160. Loving life!

Let's dispel the Protein myth, that is not it otherwise we would start losing weight immediately. From many of the postings people seem to notice it from month 4 to month 8. My got thinner around month 4 and slowed down in month 5.

Some things I do that seem to help

I am taking Biotin that seems to be helping.

I use hairspray to keep hair in place, so I am not pulling a brush or comb pulling on the hairs.

I use a Hairmax Laser Comb and Hair filler that fills in the gaps in the interim. http://hairmaxestore.com/buy-hairmax-hair-fibers.html

Never heard of Wen . Where do you get this product?

As my name (illgeturhairdid) suggests- I used to be a hair stylist. Your hair is usually the first sign that there is something going on inside. Major surgery as well as such a drastic change in your diet are enough to start hair loss. 9 times out of 10 it is not permanent. I've seen first hand how devastating hair loss can be to my clients and I'm not looking forward to it. I experienced rapid shedding about 7 years ago after my home burned down. Good news is it WILL grow back. Vitamins are important to take- but honestly I'm not so sure how much the Protein intake is supposed to help with prevention. I think the protein intake helps more with re-growth. This is just my personal opinion of things I observed over years working with scissors and a blow dryer.

Good luck!

Never heard of Wen . Where do you get this product?

I buy it off of QVC as it appears to be more bang for the buck there. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Wen! Since discovering it in August nothing else has touched my hair!!