I'm kinda freaking out about hair loss after surgery. I love my hair and I don't want any balding spots or thinning. Help!

@@chasingchloee Are you taking Biotin? I started it a few months before surgery and now take 5000 mg a day (a BariMelt tablet). It's supposed to help prevent hair loss, but I'm sure it's no guarantee. I'm six weeks post-op and so far so good (knock on wood!). Hope this helps.

Okay! I'm not taking it right now, but now that you told me that I'm going to! Thank you! Do you use a particular type of shampoo or do you not put your hair up tight?

Not everyone is affected by hair loss after surgery. It varies by individual. I was unaffected. It is important to consume the required Protein each day because this can lead to hair loss. I took a supplement called Juvenon. I have been taking this for a decade now. I take it because it helps my lung function but one of the side effects was to stop hair loss.

@@SoCalLeslie

@@James Marusek Wow! Thanks! You haven't experienced any hair thinning or loss? Do you think my surgeon would allow me to take that? Is it over the counter?

I am experiencing serious hair loss. I also have not been getting in my minimum requirements for Protein daily. There is a direct correlation I believe. At my 6 week checkup, the NUT said no more Protein drinks. I've been struggling since then to get all my protein in. I don't have hunger, so it's hard for me to eat enough. Yesterday at my 3 month checkup, they started me back on two protein drinks a day. I hope this helps, not only to get 60 grams of protein daily that they want me to consume, but to stop this terrible hair loss. My surgeon said in the 1000 or so bariatric surgeries he only had one patient who lost all her hair and it never grew back. I sure hope I'm not patient #2! lol

I had super thick hair pre op. I started to lose at around 4 months and it didn't stop until after a year. My hair was also quite long.

It started to regrow during that time.

I recently got it cut a bit shorter and am wearing it in a different style. It's thinner but I think it will thicken up over the coming months.

I believe it's a combination of surgical shock plus rapid weight loss. I've had rapid weight loss before without surgery and never lost any hair.

Have faith. It's temporary.

The hair loss tends to occur about 3 months after surgery, if it occurs. I did not experience it. I haven't even noticed any thinning. I don't know why some get it and some don't... I do know that I was committed to getting my Protein in from the very first day. I drank the clear protein bullets and Isopure ready to drink the week of Clear liquids. I was as serious about reaching my protein as I was about taking my daily Vitamins and getting in all my liquids. I don't know if that is what made the difference, or if it was just luck.

Mine has recently started coming out pretty heavily too. I am almost 4 months out. I have been taking Biotin and I was told it helps with regrowth.

I had two question pre-surgery: hair loss & energy level (being tired).

Surgeon said if I WASN'T tired for the first few months then I wasn't probably working my plan.

The hair loss is generally a combination of both the shock of your new diet (weight loss) and surgery. I have cut my hair to my shoulders about 2 weeks ago and pray some hair stays put...

Some people are more prone to hair loss during rapid weight loss than others. Biotin does not stop your hair from falling out it simply helps with

Regrowth.

It is the rapid weight loss that causes it. Yes, both the shock of surgery and not get your Protein in daily can make it worse.

I happen to have had massive hair loss and got my protein in from the very first week. I have also been taking biotin since the very beginning. My hair started coming out within 2 months and progressively got worse. by the six month mark my hair had thinned to about 1/3 of its normal volume. I cut it short in a cute bob and was expecting it to stop falling out. At 9 months post op it was still coming out at the same rate and I really started freaking out. When I saw my surgeon he told me there is no set time it will stop. He said when your weight loss slows down and finally stops your hair loss will do the same.

It is from rapid weight loss for the most part. I am now 11 months post op and it has slowed down. By the way, I have had regrowth happening since month 4.

Also the texture of my hair changed as well. It is very corse and more curly than it was. The good news is your hair will thin, not come out in Patches.

At first I was freaking out about it because I had fabulous hair but honestly once I changed my style I started feeling way more confident about my appearance. At the same time I was losing hair I was losing fat and getting healthy. Sometime along the journey I just became ok with it.

Not everyone has this happen and again, I followed the plan and got all my protein in since the beginning and my labs have been excellent.

@@James Marusek Wow! Thanks! You haven't experienced any hair thinning or loss? Do you think my surgeon would allow me to take that? Is it over the counter?

I ordered it over the internet at http://www.juvenon.com/products/juvenon-tablets/

My doctor had me go off Juvenon just prior to surgery and then O.K. the use around 2 months after surgery.

I take a dosage of one tablet per day.

My NUT recently said at my pre-op class that if you are losing large amounts of hair she can pretty much guarantee you haven't been getting enough Protein in. Bad thing about it is that it will then take several months of doing it right, to catch up and stop losing.

This is for LOTS of hair loss, not just some thinning, which is more likely just the shock of surgery and weight loss.

Luckily I've always had extra thick hair, so hopefully I won't notice a big difference. It thinned a lot when my thyroid was low but bounced back once on meds.

Even so I'll gladly trade some hair loss, even large amounts, if this surgery works on my weight and co-morbidities.

I'm nearing the two year mark and I'll tell you my story...I've had three bouts of hair loss since surgery. The first one, at about 3 months was the worst...My stylist and I estimate I lost about 30% of my hair. It was horrifying, really it was. I remember shampooing and looking at that hair in my hands and crying. I remember blow drying my hair and looking at hair on the floor and crying.

I talked to my surgeon - she said that "whatever you lose due to the surgery will grow back"...I found that to be true. She told me to take Biotin and folic acid, but that's for regrowth, not for the loss. I used Nioxin shampoo and conditioner. I also used a product called Toppik (it works just like the videos on the website). I went to a shorter cut to try to mask the loss.

So after my first experience with hair loss, it grew back - my stylist said she even thought it might be growing back thicker. The 2nd one happened at about a year - it wasn't as bad as the first. The 3rd one happen at about 15 months - again, not as bad.

As bad as the hair loss was, it was totally worth it. Going thru it sucked, but to get to where I am today, I had to go thru it. I embraced it as another step in this process. I call things like hair loss and saggy skin a "tax" for allowing my weight and life to get out of control.

@@McButterpants Did you lose hair like bald spots, or just hair thinning?

Thank you all so much for your help! I'm praying that I am not affected by hair loss, and if I am, not severely. My hair is my comfort blanket.