Yes this topic has been beat into the ground. Here it is again....Hair loss is temporary. The norm is it will stop six months after it starts

I'm a year and two months out. My hair loss has continued. (I will post a pic after I get off work) I found some information on the live strong web site.

I am NOT saying to stop exercise and moving in you bariatric process. I have to admit I have taken my exercise to a bit of an extreme.

This was part of the info.

Excessive exercise over a long period of time puts the body into a state of chronic stress, advises Ann Louise Gittleman, nationally known nutritionist and author of the "The Fat Flush Fitness Plan." Chronic stress is one of the top two causes of telogen effluvium (TE), a condition in which hair follicles go into a resting phase prematurely and shed hair rather than continuing to grow it, the American Hair Loss Association explains. Poor nutrition is the other top cause of TE, which shows up as thinning hair all over the scalp. This shedding might not be even, with some areas of the scalp losing more hair than others.

here is the link

http://www.livestrong.com/article/75051-exercise-hair-loss/

Thanks for posting this, even though you say it's been beat into the ground. I haven't gotten my sleeve yet, and have only been following the boards for a few days. hair loss is one of the things I am afraid of the most. I already have very fine hair, and any thinning would be very noticeable. I see how much weight you have lost! That is fantastic! And you are exercising like crazy. I wonder if you should cut back a bit on your exercise? Maybe give your body a chance to get used to this new weight.

hair loss is definitely one of those things that's very individual as well. It seems like some people do everything "right" and still experience a great deal of ongoing hair loss, while others don't do anything special and have minimal loss. My personal experience is that I lost hair pretty heavily for about two months from months 3 through 5. It's been steadily growing back since (almost 11 months post-op), but I would still say it's a lot thinner than it was before. Right now all my baby hairs are about 2 inches long and they stick up all over the place and drive me crazy (especially since it's been a very wet/humid summer here). I should be happy they are coming back at all, but I wish they didn't looks like split ends and fly-aways. Hard to keep my hair under control without excessive amounts of hair product.

Anyway, I get all of my Protein and have done so since I was back on solid foods at 40 days post-op. I also have Biotin in my Multivitamin. I try not to brush my hair at all and only use a wide-toothed comb a couple of times a day. I do wash it daily, which some people say to try to avoid, but I can't imagine not washing it when I work out and sweat so much! I don't work-out excessively. At the most I was working out for about an hour 6 days a week. Now I am down to 3-4 days a week as I consider myself to be more in "maintenance" mode with just a few pounds left to lose and no real rush to lose them.

I'm almost 2 years out and my hair is still thin and not very long. Fortunately, I don't have bald spots which I was concerned about and I get optimistic sometimes that it feels a little thicker. I had clip-in extensions in briefly the other day for the first time since before surgery and I wanted to cry- I miss my long, pretty hair!

The article was interesting though, thank-you for posting!

I do not want this to change peoples mind about surgery. It is worth it.

I have second thoughts about posting my photos. But here I go.

Left is my hair 1 month out from surgery. The right is my hair a year and 2 months.

That's interesting, @jenn1. I started at 4 months, stopped at 8 months, and recently started again and I was really perplexed as to why it started again at 11 months out?? You may have given me the answer! Either way, I have started Nioxin, and it seems to be helping. Luckily, my hair is (was lol) pretty thick, so it's not too noticeable to anyone else except me and my hairdresser. But man is it dry and brittle, too! It's like straw right now!

I do not want this to change peoples mind about surgery. It is worth it.

I have second thoughts about posting my photos. But here I go.

Left is my hair 1 month out from surgery. The right is my hair a year and 2 months.

I have avoided this topic until now because when I get started I can't stop. I am a professional hair stylist 23 years. I also have a bachelors in kinesiology so I know more about anatomy/physiology than the average stylist. I also have been slick bald for months during chemo. I have grown a whole new head of hair and watched it as it came in TOTALLY different than before. I want to recommend a product without sounding spammy. But first a few things I know to be true...

Any surgery can make your hair shed heavily.

Any changes in hormones...

Any changes in stress levels...

Certain medications or changes in needs...

Any changes in metabolism, diet, circulation or lack of...

Best way to battle it:

Deep cleansing of the scalp.

Stimulation of the tiny capillaries of the scalp and a DHT blocker. DHT is a derivative of testosterone and can form a hard shell on the hair kind of like an M&M. That hard shell keeps the nourishment from feeding the follicle thus smothering it and the hair sheds. When you loose a lot of hair you eventually will grow hair back in and those follicles get on the same growth cycle. So a few months go by and those hairs seem to shed out somewhat at the same time. It takes awhile for all your hair to get to a staggered growth pattern again. Don't avoid brushing or washing it. The scalp needs stimulation. There is hair under the scalp that can't break through the "build up". That is why new hair often comes in with curl. It's been growing under the scalp and finally break through and is somewhat "coiled". Now for my product recommendation...

ALTERNA DAILY DETOXIFYING SHAMPOO made with red clover and a lot of other Japanese extracts etc. Leave it on 5 minutes. If you normally use a conditioner, then the ALTERNA CAVIAR volume conditioner goes with it. Avoid using anything else especially cheap stuff which can have a lot of waxes and fillers which can coat the hair and do nothing to remove build up. Yes Biotin is a great help. There are other products out there, this one is one that I have found to work best for my clients. You can buy it straight off Alterna's website. It is$32 for an 8 oz bottle. If you cannot afford it, buy a clarifying or kelating shampoo and pour SEABREEZE over the scalp after shampooing. You don't need to rinse it out necessarily. DHT can get out of control for any of the above reasons (for males and females), and cause hair loss. This surgery messes with your hormones, diet, and initially puts you under anesthesia which usually coats the hair and decreases circulation, etc. So I hope this helps. Even if you haven't lost hair, your hair may feel brittle or somewhat metallic. Using this type of product helps and you will love how your hair feels. Hang in there! There is hope!