Just in case any of you were wondering what hair loss looks like post surgery and wanted to evaluate the level of loss for yourselves?

(Obviously this is with the caveat that everyone is different; people have different hair types, nutrient intake, etc.)

Here is a picture of what came out of my head after washing my hair this evening.

This does not include what additionally came out after combing it, either.

I wash my hair every other day and obviously, brush it in between. My hair is fine, but there is (or should I say, 'was') a lot of it.

My hair loss started at 3.5 months and started falling at a pace at 4 months. I am now 5 months and 19 days out and this is average loss every time I wash my hair.

What a joy!

Oh wow... that's scary. I'm sorry this is happening. I'll hit the 3 month mark tomorrow and have not noticed a whole lot of excessive hair loss. However, I started taking Biotin before my surgery and have done a so so job of taking it post surgery. I also had been taking prenatal Vitamins. A girl friend of mine, who did not have WLS---but has Lupus and has been experiencing hair loss has been using Hair Finity. She SWEARS by it. And her hair is looking fuller to me. Just something to consider. Good luck!

Hey Rev - Hang in there! It's got to get better right? Mine started falling out exactly at 3 months and has finally started to slow down at 7 months. Meantime I was afraid to color it (which I had been doing for years) and the little bit that is coming in skipped right past gray to white. I kind of look like a speckled egg and my hairdresser cut my hair really short and spiked it up (I'm 56) so if you just make the hair on my monkey pic white and black you kinda get an idea of what I'm looking like these days....see - it COULD be worse!!

Wow!! That is scary!! Even before my surgery I was on Biotin..Now since the surgery I am on 10,000 mg of Biotin at night..It is a huge pill but I use a pill cutter and splice it into 8 small pieces...Also, if I am hungry, I try to eat meat first before anything else and I still do a protein shake every morning....I pray the hair loss stops soon for you!!!

I am not trying to one up you but that is nothing compare to what happend yesterday in my shower. I didnt really take the hair loss seriously. I have lots and lots of hair, so I thought I wouldnt even notice any loss. But it comes out in thick globs when I run my finger through. I just bought biotin yesterday but I am afraid it to late. How many mg of biotin should I take? I just hope it stops, soon.

I started looking at wigs online long before my surgery. With my history and already thin hair I knew it was only a matter of time once I had the surgery. ( that I would need them) I searched all kinds of sites looking at price and style. I am a working single mom and could not invest a ton of money in a vanity item. I found a site called Paula Young that had very reasonable prices. They offer synthetic and human hair varieties, depending on how much you want to spend. I found a style that was at least close to my natural length, although no wig was near my "real hair". ( I had a combo of curly/kinky/frizzy hair ) I bought two styles initially. One was a bit shorter and the other close to my natural length. I decided I did not like the short wig because, at the time I got it, I had not lost a lot of weight and it seemed too small for my head. The back hairline looked unnatural because of how it fit. The second wig was a bit longer at the nape, so it hid the hairline a lot better. I kept the wigs in my closet until Thanksgiving time. Although my hair loss wasn't as pronounced then as it is now, I decided to take the plunge after a long weekend. That way I hoped people would think I just went to a hairdresser over the holiday. ( oh yeah, for the record I bought synthetic wigs) My plan worked! Most people just thought I got a style / color job and didn't realize it was fake. I have had a hard time not being brutally honest about it so by now most know it is a wig. ( women more than men) I eventually bought a couple more of the same style, but in different colors. This helps go along with the "this is my hair" theory. I just decide to change the color now and then!! It actually has been a little bit hard to accept that my "hair hat" (as I like to think of it) gets so many compliments it is crazy, while I never got complimented on my natural hair. I chose a style and color that fits the me I am, not who I used to be. I wish I had my real hair for sure, because going swimming and intimate moments can be tricky when wearing fake hair. But I have grown used to my wigs and I don't hate them. Sure makes getting ready soooooooo much easier!

I used to have very thick hair. So much in fact that when I went to the Hairdresser....they would run. I always got so many compliments on my thick dark full head of hair but then 4 years ago I was put on medication for depression and my hair started falling out and now my hair is very thin. I now have about 1/4 of what I used to have. I am 1 month post op and I sit here reading about the upcoming hair loss and I'm getting pretty nervous. I suppose I should be looking at wigs now but have no idea where to start that process and what I should be looking for. I am so happy I had the WLS but gee, I'm not in to this hair loss thing. If anyone has any suggestions or advice on where and how to get the wigs, please let me know.

i am near 8 months post surgery and my hair loss has stopped and is nearly not noticeable. it was not any different than what happens after you give birth. it was upsetting and stressful, but not the end of the world. i wore hair bands and scarves and a friend made me a "titchel." i didnt freak out too much. losing weight and not being obese was much more important to me. in the bog picture, it didnt figure much. i thought about the people i knew with cancer who lost all their hair and i got some perspective.

Not to be a Debbie Downer I met with my surgeon and he claims I can take all the Biotin and other vitamins and shampoo if its going to happen its going to happen...he seems to think that getting Biotin and getting all your protein or increasing it is not going to help hairloss. and then he says some of my most happy patients are losing hair and weight..OH GREAT! I have already bought wigs just in case and let me tell u I have tried wearing and it was a lil hot..I don't know what I am going to do..but no need in me stressing now since I can't predict the future....

I'm super sorry to see this happening to you. I wonder if it will to me. But would you rather full hair or unhealthy weight?? This too shall pass, stay strong!!!

The good news is that once you need to wear a wig most of your natural hair is gone, so it isn't nearly as hot to wear!!!. I have had no issues with heat for mine, but it has been winter. Ask me again in about six months. LOL

Not to be a Debbie Downer I met with my surgeon and he claims I can take all the Biotin and other Vitamins and shampoo if its going to happen its going to happen...he seems to think that getting Biotin and getting all your Protein or increasing it is not going to help hairloss. and then he says some of my most happy patients are losing hair and weight..OH GREAT! I have already bought wigs just in case and let me tell u I have tried wearing and it was a lil hot..I don't know what I am going to do..but no need in me stressing now since I can't predict the future....