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Hi

I'm nearly 4 months post op for the bypass. Does anyone know if Hair loss is a side effect of surgery? Mine is falling out by the handful which is causing me a lot of concern.

I haven't had any post op checks or consultations to ask for advice due to covid so feel like I'm out on a limb.

Thanks 👍

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Yes it is. Some people find that taking Bioten helps them. Others just get their hair cut shorter.

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Mine started falling out at about 5 months. I'm now at 6 months and it has stopped. No bald spots or anything, but much more than I was expecting!

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The surgery & change to your diet speeds up your natural Hair loss cycle. It’s a reaction to the shock to your body. You just have to wait it out. There’s no common experience as to when it will start, how much hair you’ll lose or for how long it will go on. I lost a lot of hair over about 6 months. You may notice a change in your hair texture too.

There’s nothing you can do to stop it. Biotin, silica, Vitamins, etc. won’t stop the loss but they will help strengthen your new growth.

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yes - lots of us experience Hair loss. It's actually not all that uncommon after surgeries, although I'm guessing you see it more often after bariatric surgery than some of the other types of surgery since we're taking in so few calories those first few months. It's also not uncommon after giving birth. Anyway, here's an article about surgery-related hair loss. The good news is, it just lasts a few months and it grows back. And in most cases, you're the only one who'll notice it

https://drnichter.com/hair-loss-after-surgery-explained/

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Ugh! I fell your pain. I'm 5 months post-op and my hair started falling out about 3 weeks ago. It is awful. Thankfully, I had very thick hair, so I'm dealing with it, and I think the Hair loss has started to slow. I take Biotin and get plenty of Calcium, Protein and Iron through supplements and food. I think hair loss is just part of WLS, but it's temporary, so I wouldn't worry unless it is still excessive at the 6 month mark.

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1 minute ago, Paula Hushy said:

Thank you for all your advice. I've never heard of Biotin so I'll look into it.

it's the same as Vitamin B7. Some people say it worked for them, some said it did nothing - I guess you just have to try it to see if it works for you.

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5 hours ago, Paula Hushy said:

Thank you for all your advice. I've never heard of Biotin so I'll look into it.

Did your Hair loss stop? I’m only a week out of surgery and not looking forward to that at all😕.

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15 minutes ago, Ravengirl said:

Did your Hair loss stop? I’m only a week out of surgery and not looking forward to that at all😕.

fortunately, for most of us, we're the only ones who notice it. I did some "shedding" for about three months, but I doubt anyone else noticed it.

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I lost almost 50% of my hair over about 6 months but thankfully I had a lot to begin. It was noticeable because it was long. I cut it off to above my shoulders so it wasn’t as obvious. I’ve got a good two inches of regrowth now. Feels strange when I wash my hair. All my old thickness at my skull but still thin at the ends.

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Hi
I'm nearly 4 months post op for the bypass. Does anyone know if Hair loss is a side effect of surgery? Mine is falling out by the handful which is causing me a lot of concern.
I haven't had any post op checks or consultations to ask for advice due to covid so feel like I'm out on a limb.
Thanks [emoji106]

Yes it is a side effect. Mine is still falling out 4 years later. Not as bad as in the beginning. I was told it would eventually stop falling out. Not for me though. Others I know, it has stopped falling out. So don't give up hope.

Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

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I am losing so much hair! It started at about 3 1/2 months post surgery and hasn't slowed down. I'm now just over 6 months.

I have very fine hair, but had a lot of it. Now I have fine hair that is also thin. No one else seems to notice though so that's good. I'm hoping that the loss will slow down soon. In addition, as soon as we are allowed I plan on cutting it into a chin length bob. Good news is with the weight loss the shorter hair should look good with my not so round face.

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1 hour ago, loridee11 said:

I am losing so much hair! It started at about 3 1/2 months post surgery and hasn't slowed down. I'm now just over 6 months.

I have very fine hair, but had a lot of it. Now I have fine hair that is also thin. No one else seems to notice though so that's good. I'm hoping that the loss will slow down soon. In addition, as soon as we are allowed I plan on cutting it into a chin length bob. Good news is with the weight loss the shorter hair should look good with my not so round face.

I’m sorry to hear this! I’m not looking forward this this at all! I’m trying to keep up my Protein as much as possible to negate this side effect!

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      Soooo I am coming to a realization
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    • Alisa_S

      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.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

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