I am almost 3 weeks post op and I am terrified by the prospect of losing my hair. I am 24 and relatively healthy. Can anyone share their hair loss experiences and/or give me some tips or advice? Thanks :-)

You won't be bald! My hair loss started at 3 months and lasted 7. I tried taking Biotin but it didn't stop the loss (I hadn't expected it to) but I had great fingernails and my hair regrowth is strong and healthy. I would trade a little hair for a lot of weight loss any day.

Mine started at 4 months. I'm 6 now and its still going strong. I am nearly bald on top. Just ordered some scalp cover up tonight. Sure hope this doesn't happen to you.

I started losing my hair at about 2.5 months. It lasted until about 8 months pre-op. I take a supplement from GNC called B-beautiful. It doesnt stop or even slow the lose but it does help the regrowth (I think). It took about a month for me to see a difference. I was pretty frantic at first but in the end it is only temporary and well worth it!

I'm 4 mo out and my hairloss started at 2 mo out. I do have A LOT of hair, but it is coming out in handfuls. It is pretty scary! I wonder if my weight loss is mostly from my hair, lol just kidding. But seriously it is CRAZY how much hair I am losing. It is all over the house and the shower is now clogged! Don't mean to scare you, just tellin the truth. For me anyways! Sure hope it stops soon! Maybe you'll get lucky and not have much. I would still do it over and over again!

Ugh. This topic just made me have a heavy sigh. I haven't lost any more than my normal daily shed. I am hoping it passes me by! We will see. I will be 3 mos post op next week and I hear that the hair loss happens at month 3...*cue dramatic music*

I lost half of my hair by volume. It started around 3.5 months, and lasted 3 solid months. I had new growth coming in before the shedding stopped. By 18 months out, my hair had returned to it's lovely, lusterous pre-surgery volume. The only difference is my hair was super wavy, almost curly pre-op, now it's stick straight.

Nothing will stop it if it happens, no amount of shampoos, pills, supplements, Protein is going to prevent it. I never took Biotin or any other supplement to "help". I did use Folicure extra care shampoo and all it does is strip your scalp of build up so the new growth can come in.

Here's a few articles that explain it:

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

http://www.obesityaction.org/magazine/ywm22/wlsandhairloss.php

(the conclusion from the above article)

Conclusion

Hair loss can be distressing to bariatric surgery patients and many will try nutrition themselves to see if they can prevent it. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that early hair loss is preventable because it is mostly likely caused by surgery and rapid weight-loss.

Later hair loss, however, can be indicative of a nutritional problem, especially Iron deficiency, and may be a clinically useful sign. Educating patients about the potential for hair loss and possible underlying causes can help them to make informed choices and avoid wasting money on gimmicks that may have little real value.

Mine started around 4 1/2 months and lasted about 2 months. I noticed more hair on my brush and on my hands after putting in conditioner etc. and around the house. My part looked a little wider but other than that you couldn't tell anything. I'm not seeing much falling out now (8 months out). Don't freak out too bad. Maybe you'll be lucky!

I was told to start taking the biotin now to help with the eventual fallout....

I am waiting for it to start now, too. I have a box of nioxin and my multi has biotin in it (not sure if its enough) I know its going to start soon, just waiting....ugh. I have really thick hair but up in front (PCOS girl) it has thinned out, so I think that most of my head could survive but that front part I am really worried about.

I am still pre-op and have been taking GNC's be-Beautiful supplement along with my multis for two months now. I decided to "beef" up my hair before it was going to fall out! I have noticed better nails and skin along with a little bit of hair growth and thickness. Hopefully it will make it less noticeable when the time comes!

Mine started at about 4-5 months and is still going strong. I have a ton of hair so I haven't worried about it thus far, but it is pretty bad. I'm hoping it stops soon!

Thank you all for your input I really appreciate it

Mine started at 3.5 months and its slowed now at 7 months-- nobody can see the difference. It's just annoying picking hair off everything!