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HI I'm 4 months out and boy am I losing hair! I know it is different in everyone but was wondering how long it last and when does it start to grow back. I'm not dealing with this very well. I did not have a lot to start with before hand. It is very thin and feels unhealthy. I'm taking my Vitamins, eating Protein and have lost about 60 lbs.

Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks:)

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Hi there! I am just over 7 months post op now and found it was really bad between months 3 and 6. In the past 4 weeks it has gotten much better. Like you my hair was thin to begin with and it definitely got worse. I found from working with my hair dresser that color did not hold so we opted to go shorter with some layers so it wasn't so limp and it gave a fuller appearance. Good luck and try not to stress over it. Trust me... you notice it more than anyone else! ????

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I know you have mentioned Vitamins, but have you tried high dose Biotin (5,000-10,000 mcg)?

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Sometimes I think Hair loss is the luck of the draw. I didn't start losing mine until about month 5-6. Then I began shedding like crazy. Every time I washed my hair I would have to remove the clumps in the drain- nasty!! Hair all over the bathroom floor. I started taking Biotin prior to surgery, have been compliant with my Vitamins, get all my Protein in and extra most days, all my lab work has always been great. I also take folic acid, zinc, and lots of B complex vitamins. I am 13 months post op and my hair still sheds quite a lot. It has slowed down a little so I am not completely bald. LOL

I have friends who had surgery within a few weeks of mine and their hair has been great. One of them never takes vitamins and is always low on her protein yet her hair has never fallen out and is shiny and healthy looking.

I call my hair- "the bariatric hairstyle"- slightly thin and a little dry looking. It's a good trade off for the weight I have lost.

I did start taking liquid silica and doing castor oil treatments on my scalp and I think that has helped the most.

You may be one of the ones whose hair does great!! Good luck to you ????

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I'm SIX months and it's still coming out like crazy. :(

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I lost a lot from three to six months and then it stopped. A year out and it's back to normal.

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I am also 4 months out and my hair is falling out. I have been taking Biotein 10000 mgs per day. I am hoping it will stop soon. Glad to see I am not the only one. Keep me posted on how long it takes for it to stop falling out.

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I lost at about month two to four. Even though I knew it was normal, it was stressful. It stopped as suddenly as it started and I had the lovely chia pet look before long :-)

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I'm almost 4 months out and have noticed a lot more hair has been coming out recently. I've been taking Biotin as well. We'll see what happens but if i start getting bald spots then im gonna rock a sexy pixie cut or get the sides shaved. Don't forget its hair it will grow back. This forum has prepared me for Hair loss so I'm ok either way. I feel brave for getting this surgery and brave for getting a daring haircut! Stay strong!

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I'm 10 mos out. My hair shedded like crazy starting at 5 mos and it stopped at around 8 mos. Lost a lot but never so much I looked terrible. Have been taking 5000 mcg of Biotin since month 4 and it didn't seem to stop the loss but it has seemed to make the regrowth faster and my nails better (bonus). I have long hair so now I have lots of spiky weirdness aroung my hairline and my part where it's coming in. Dealing with that with some hair products. But overall, other than being freaked out when clumps were in my shower drain, it wasn't nearly as bad as I feared it might be. Hang in there. It's all very temporary.

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Thanks everyone for all you tips and input. I'm trying not to stress about and just keep taking Biotin and all my Vitamins. I pray it stops soon and grows back fast:) I'm loving being thinner and healthier so I just keep reminding myself of that daily.

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My hair began to shed at 4 months as well. My surgeon advised me to take 10.000 mcg Biotin tablets, as well as, folic acid. And it helped tremendously. My hair dresser was impressed how much it did help and how quickly it helped. Good luck.

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I am one year three months post OP and mine is barely starting to grow back in.. It gets worse before it gets better.. at about 9 months post OP I thought I was going to be bald! I normally have really thick thick long hair. I took Biotin used thinning hair shampoo.. nothing worked- nature will take it's course. I am so excited to see the 2" of new growth on the top ... even if I do look like a chi pet!

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You hair loss is normal after surgery. It is caused not only by the dramatic shift in your diet, but also due to the shock on your body due to the surgery. It's called Telogen Effluvium. On a normal scalp, about 90% of your hair follicles are producing hair, and 10% are in the resting phase. This is called the anagen phase. In this phase, your hair falls out of the follicles, and then grows back in. When you've experienced a shock to your body, it sends 30 to 40% of your hair follicles in to the resting phase. This state is called telogen.

This is temporary, and I know it is scary. It happened to me after my Tummy Tuck, but not after my bariatric surgery. I took Vita4Life Hair, Skin & Nail after both procedures. I found my Hair loss wasn't too bad when I experienced it and I'd estimate I only lost about 15% of my hair. It grew back just as healthy and I attribute the lack of loss both times to these Vitamins. I'd recommend trying them. It can't hurt. And please believe me... it'll be okay! I was scared too. It'll grow back I promise! Here's the link. http://vita4life.net/products/bariatric-vitamins-hair-skin-and-nail-support.html

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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