So, I'm at 4.5 months out and things couldn't be better. I'm 74 pounds down, feel incredible, tolerating almost all foods just fine, and am grateful every day that I had this surgery (RNY).

Except.

My hair is coming out now, big time. I knew it was coming, but nothing prepared me for the panic it's causing! My hair is long and dark, with long layers. I color it myself to a dark brown and have been happy with it up until now. But I'm feeling like if I lighten up the color, either with highlights or take the whole thing up a few notches, and do some extra layers around the crown (where you can see some thinning), it might do a better job camouflaging the thinner spots.

What did you all do? Keep the same style, try to do some damage control? I am shampooing with Dioxin, taking Biotene, and doing a nightly scalp massage. I get plenty of Protein and take all my supplements, but I knew the hair loss was inevitable. Ah well, it's still totally worth it!

Thanks for sharing your stories!

I had long hair, too, and it started coming out in handfuls around 5 months out. It looked awful and I felt awful about it. One day I just snapped and cut it short and I couldn't be happier about it. About month 6 the loss seemed to stop, but my hair is still short. Because I like it. LOL

My hair was shoulder length when I had surgery, now it's just below my ears. I cut my hair shorter at the advice of my stylist to lessen the weight of my hair until it stopped falling out in handfuls. I may grow my hair back out past my shoulders again. Still debating it. Would make my husband happy.

I cut my hair shorter (above my shoulders in a bob), I didn't change the color and just about the time I thought I looked bald it stopped falling out. Now it's growing in and looking crazy sticking up everywhere.

I was one of the unlucky ones who lost about 2/3 of my volume. Now understand I am Italian and had a huge head of thick coarse hair.

It started very soon after surgery and did not stop until about 13 months post op.

Yes I got all my Protein and used Biotin every day. I knew it was inevitable for me. Just about any surgery I have I end up with hair falling out.

When it continued for so long I actually started to freak out a bit. I saw my Bariatrics team as well as my dermatologist. I was told as soon as my weight loss slowed down my hair loss would slow as well. That set a new panic because I was not ready to stop losing.

I had shoulder length hair and cut it in a cute little bob. Also I am 52 and have to color my hair every 4 weeks. I really felt like it looked worse the lighter it got so I ended up coloring to my natural very darn brown color. It looked best short and dark.

Now I am 14 months post op and my hair loss finally stopped and I have tons of regrowth. In fact it sticks up everywhere. Incidentally my weight loss did slow way down but it has not stopped. I have around 12 lbs to go and I know I will get there slowly.

My vote is short and dark. The thinning definitely does not show as much.

Also, most people don't even notice. My husband did because there was hair everywhere, my stylist did for obvious reasons but really no one else even mentioned it. I guess they were way more focused on how thin I am.

I actually just cut my hair after a year and a half this past week to, probably, the shortest length it's been in my adult life (almost like an angled bob with the longest parts still above my shoulders). I'm only three months out and I'm almost to a 50 pound loss, but I'd say for the past few weeks my hair has really been coming out in the shower.

I've got hypothyroidism, so hair loss isn't really new to me, and my General Practitioner just changed the dosing on my thyroid medicine, so I'm hoping it will resolve to a tolerable amount again soon.

I cut it more for my peace than necessity. My showers would end up almost an hour long just so I could comb the bigger clumps out and then peel off all of the long random strands stuck all over me. Drove me nuts. Luckily my hairdresser said my hair looks healthy, so I'm optimistic about it.

I definitely agree about the darker color for a while, but I'd say the length just depends on what you think you can handle falling-out-wise and how you think it looks.

Edited November 25, 201510 yr by theother_onefoot

I am still pre-op, but have been experiencing a slightly more than usual amount of hair in the bathtub lately. This doesn't really have anything to do with styling, but, I also hate trying to get all of the hair off my body, when I'm done washing it. I figured out that if you can flip your head and wash your hair away from your body, so you don't have to try to get them all off yourself. This might help somebody!

I haven't had any major hair loss, but I did cut off my hair soon after surgery. I've worn my hair long for decades so it was a big step. It was one of the best decisions I have made.

3 months post op and I just cut my hair last week. I had lots of blond streaks put in and got a pixie cut. My hair was shoulder length.

I love it and going from a size 18-20 down to 10-12, my face lost its roundness, my eyeglasses looked huge so, I changed that too. New look for a new me!

Everyone loves it.