I recently heard that the timing of hair loss post surgery was relevant. The sooner you started losing, the sooner it would end. For example, if your hair started falling out at month 3, the hair loss would only last 3 months. If hair loss started at month 8, the loss/regrowth process would last 8 months, etc. Has anyone heard this before? The information was reported from a fellow BP friend after attending the 3 month follow up class offered at the hospital where we had our surgeries. I'm attending the same class in a few weeks and will be sure to clarify! Are there any veterans out there that can share their experience? I have been shedding hair like crazy since 6 weeks post op, so I'm selfishly hoping this is true!!!

Edited July 12, 201412 yr by Bluesea71

My question is, "does everyone lose hair?". I am at 5 months and haven't had any loss yet. I have been taking Biotin, zinc, and Omega 3 and 7 to thwart it, but am I just a late hair loser or is what I'm taking working?

I think if there was really a hard and fast formula to this, we'd all know it. My experience has been that my hair has definitely thinned out a bit, but not fallen out in chunks (like some.) I still see some breakage issues at 8 months, but can't really say that's due to the weight loss entirely. I have long, thin hair and I have been taking all the supplements, using a shampoo designed to help with breakage/thinning, and also using an anti-snap leave-in conditioner. So far haven't had the urge to cut it yet either. Although, some swear by that for giving the illusion of fullness.

Hello, what I was told by hospital staff that if your hairless is within the first three months of the surgery it is most likely from your anesthesia. If your hair loss comes after then it is a lack of protien in your diet. I am very recently post op so I have not had the personal experience to the hair loss and fingers cross it will not happen. I hope this information helps.

This whole hair loss thing is so confusing! I've always shed a ton of hair on a daily basis even pre-surgery. It's hard to know if what I'm experiencing is what people freak out about or there is worst to come! I have taken in at least 60-80 grams of protein since the day after surgery and take all of my supplements plus biotin. I'm loosing my weight at a snail's pace (1.5-2 pounds per week) consistently with no stalls so far. It's hard to imagine this would qualify as sending my body into shock! Oh well, it's only temporary and teasing my hair a tad at the scalp helps disguise where it's thin on top!

Ree224's explanation seems the most accurate. At least in animals, a traumatic event (anesthesia, severe illness, even pregnancy) can result in complete hairloss but usually within 3 months. If we are experiencing hairloss after this time frame it's probably nutrition-related. I'm over 6 months out and have had no hairloss. I have not taken any special supplements or used special shampoos. I take a whole food based multivitamin, have always been good about getting all my protein, have never limited healthy fats and oils, and once on real foods, have been diligent about eating balanced meals including fruits, veggies and whole grains.

But do people who have other surgeries under general anesthesia also often experience hair loss? This isn't anything I'd ever heard about until I started becoming familiar with this surgery so I assumed it was somehow specific to us. Maybe the people who experience the worst loss are the ones who couple an anesthesia related loss with a prolonged nutrition related loss?

I'm six weeks out, so we'll see if I get anything before month 3 (my hair has always been sensitive to things like changes in medications, so my guess is if the anesthesia thing is true, I'll get it). As of now, according to Cronometer, I'm hitting my RDA for almost everything, but I'll try and do better until I'm over the 9 month hump.

I can only speak for myself, I started losing hair around 3 months post op and it lasted until 6 months post op. That is when I was losing TONS of hair and it was frightening! Right now I am between 6 and 7 months post op and the hair loss has seemed to slow down. Hopefully it continues to slow down but that's my experience so far.