I am 5 months post op and my hair has been OK up until the last week or so; and now it's so thin I am really scared to comb or wash it. I know there must be lots of people out there who have been through this and have advice....please let me know! I have been taking Biotin every day for 4 months, but is there anything, something, that I can do to stop this before it gets worse?

Also, I am 58 so I'm nervous about whether it will grow back.

Love the forum; it's been a life saver for me.

Queen of Crop

www.queenofcrop.com

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A SLEEVER; UPDATED EVERY SUNDAY

In my case, I have a larger bougie- 40 French- so I have not had a problem getting in over 85g Protein a day ( even 2 days after surgery - I used protein shakes). I have faithfully been taking Vitamins (Multi, D, Calcium, Biotin, omegas, etc) for over 6 mos before surgery, and ever since (i even took liquid vitamins within the first few days after surgery). By still no luck- my hair kept getting progressively thinner. So in my case, it was NOT due to Vitamin deficiencies or lack of protein. A side effect of the actigall is hair loss- so I refused to take that. I asked one of my Dr if the hair loss could be related to the medicines used for anesthesia. He told me that the medicine could contribute to hair loss but the stress of surgery is more responsible. (btw- I did have another major surgery and had hair loss from that as well- & it grew back).

So, Hair loss is NOT YOUR FAULT because it is NOT necessarily preventable.

I have brown hair and I did use Joan Rivers product (about $20- it worked great until I lost a certain amount of hair.

Then I got a wig. Good news- my insurance paid for most of it. I have been told I by a male coworker that I have "always had a pretty face" - but now I am a "bombshell"! (Of course, since I figured "what the hell I might as well embrace this, I picked out gorgeous, wavy wig that has the same texture as my natural hair, but in a sexier brownish red color. ) If your thinning hair is making you sad, see if your insurance will pay for part or all of it, and then get what you want (or always wanted) in a wig! Get the long blonde hair you always wanted and have fun! (The first few times wearing a wig is a little weird, as if you are wearing a hat all the time, but then you get used to it and it becomes pretty natural. I feel a lot sexier with mine- that I hate not to wear it! I I can't wait to go back to the wig store to get a 2nd one customized for me)

Oh my I didnt mean to sound like I think its YOUR fault for hair loss... but if you don't follow good nutrition it could worsen it... that's what I meant. I wouldn't put myself through this surgery and then go back to eating McDonald's because that's really poor nutrition!

From what I can find out, yes, that is true... it's very likely gonna happen and you can't stop it, unfortunately. I'm really scared about it. I can't really do the wig thing and I hope it grows back!!

Debly: our hair will grow back. It will just take time.

In my case' date=' I have a larger bougie- 40 French- so I have not had a problem getting in over 85g Protein a day ( even 2 days after surgery - I used protein shakes). I have faithfully been taking Vitamins (Multi, D, calcium, Biotin, omegas, etc) for over 6 mos before surgery, and ever since (i even took liquid vitamins within the first few days after surgery). By still no luck- my hair kept getting progressively thinner. So in my case, it was NOT due to Vitamin deficiencies or lack of protein. A side effect of the actigall is hair loss- so I refused to take that. I asked one of my Dr if the hair loss could be related to the medicines used for anesthesia. He told me that the medicine could contribute to hair loss but the stress of surgery is more responsible. (btw- I did have another major surgery and had hair loss from that as well- & it grew back).

So, Hair loss is NOT YOUR FAULT because it is NOT necessarily preventable.

I have brown hair and I did use Joan Rivers product (about 20- it worked great until I lost a certain amount of hair.

Then I got a wig. Good news- my insurance paid for most of it. I have been told I by a male coworker that I have "always had a pretty face" - but now I am a "bombshell"! (Of course, since I figured "what the hell I might as well embrace this, I picked out gorgeous, wavy wig that has the same texture as my natural hair, but in a sexier brownish red color. ) If your thinning hair is making you sad, see if your insurance will pay for part or all of it, and then get what you want (or always wanted) in a wig! Get the long blonde hair you always wanted and have fun! (The first few times wearing a wig is a little weird, as if you are wearing a hat all the time, but then you get used to it and it becomes pretty natural. I feel a lot sexier with mine- that I hate not to wear it! I I can't wait to go back to the wig store to get a 2nd one customized for me)[/quote']

Where did u get ur wigs

I'm losing quite a bit of hair as well (just passed the 7-month mark) - it's really irritating, but I just keep reminding myself of how much healthier my body is. The hair will grow back . . . so I'm just sucking it up for now.

Indymom, are you seeing scalp and bald patches or just thinning?

Guys, buy some Nioxin. I know SEVERAL people who use it for thinning hair and it works like a charm. My wonder-stylist even has her boyfriend using it for his thinning hair!

I starting using Nioxin in December at 6 months post op because I had lost about 40% of my hair. My surgeon recommended it after checking my blood work for any deficiencies. I had none, so I started using the Nioxin everyday for 30 days and now I use it about 2-3 times a week. My hair has stopped falling out and is starting to fill back in.

I know how stressful it can be to lose your hair. Try to hang in there. Many surgeons also suggest Biotin in addition, but I didn't notice any difference with it, especially since I started taking it 2 weeks prior to surgery.

I found the Nioxin at Wal-mart's hair salons, CVS, and Walgreens. You can always buy it online, but it doesn't take a lot. My hair is really long, thick, and heavy with curls, and I use a quarter size amount of Shampoo and conditioner each. Oh and before I forget, it doesn't sudds up like normal shampoo.

Superficial hair treatments like dye should not matter post-op, with the caveat of medications and chemicals. Those are systemic and will be present in your hair. This is why drug testing via hair sample is so effective and can detect such trace amounts. Having those things present in the structure of your hair can impact its ability to absorb, rebound, etc. A lot of professional stylists will not do perms, Japanesse straighteneing, etc. if you've been on atypical Rx meds in the last 3 months. Color and perms may not take, or may not last. I've been told some types of colors can actually come out wrong if the "right" components are in the hair shaft.

Here's a previous post that may help.

I have posted another here on the hair lifecycle and what actually happens when a hair is "shed" but for whatever reason I can't find it now. I blame the mods.