I've had my fair share of losing significant amounts of hair. After each of my 3 children, after every surgery I've ever had, and after a couple extreme dieting episodes I did in my 20's. So, I know I'm prone to it and am anticipating nothing different this time around. I actually even got 12 inches cut off last week to donate before it gets a lot thinner after surgery (in my opinion, long thinning hair just isn't attractive). So anyone do supplements prior to surgery or even after? Anybody found anything that helps or is it just is what it is and there's really nothing that can be done??

According to my dermatologist, there's nothing that can be done to offset the hair loss that WLS patients may experience - it's called telogen effluvium. Everyone naturally sheds a bit of hair on a day to day basis, but it's usually so little that we don't notice. Surgery and the lowered calorie intake are major stresses to our bodies, so they interrupt our hair's growth cycle, and more hair sheds than usual. It takes 1-3 months for the affected hairs to fall out after their growth has stopped. (That's why it's common to shed like crazy at about 3 months out.) Eventually, new hairs then grow from the hair follicles as usual.

However, it's possible to make your hair loss worse by:

- Not getting enough Protein.

- Vitamin deficiencies. (Zinc, which I'm strugging with now, Biotin, Vit D, Vit E, Iron, and others.)

Make sure your doctor checks your vitamin levels, and fix any deficiencies. Taking too much of single vitamin or mineral you aren't deficient in can also cause problems, so that's why I say you should check with your doctor. Take a good Multivitamin. You may want to take biotin just in case, since some studies have shown that biotin can slow hair loss. Make sure you get enough protein. You may also want to use a sulfate-free shampoo; I use Nioxin, and I find that it helps A LOT with shedding in the shower, and makes my hair look fuller once it dries.

(Zinc, which I'm strugging with now)

I'm really watching my zinc intake because as far as I know it's the only thing that has been shown in a published scientific study to help with hair loss post WLS (although the sample size in the study was so small, who knows what it really means). I am getting zinc as follows

2 Trader Joe's High Potency Chewable Multi Vitamins = 30 mg

Country Life Chelated Zinc = 50 mg

Chike High Protein Coffee = 5 mg

total 85 mg per day

This is very high and I wouldn't do it long term. Zinc is one of those things that you can't just take too much of and assume your body will flush it out and you won't have any problems. Taking over 40 mg zinc daily for an extended period can have serious long-term effects and you shouldn't go over that number, even on a short term basis, unless you are working with a doctor who is monitoring your labs and health.

http://ods.od.nih.go...thProfessional/

If zinc upsets your stomach (it does for a lot of people) look into taking chelated zinc instead of zinc glutonate. You won't absorb as much of it, but absorbing some is better than absorbing none because either you're vomiting it all back up or you just refuse to take it because it makes you feel so awful!