Hi all,

I'm 3.5 months out and my hair started falling out about 2-3 weeks ago. In that very short amount of time, I've noticed it's become extremely thin and my hairline is receding bigtime. How long does this last? Is there something that works to stop it and restart growth? I've added prenatal vitamins and liquid iron to my vitamin regimen, but I know it will take a while for them to start working - if they work at all. I'm still having trouble getting all my protein in as I have almost no appetite and it's still a bit painful to eat (yes, I'm taking small bites, chewing A LOT, and eating slowly). I'm supposed to have 60g-86g of protein/day, but I'm probably only getting about 40g-50g. I simply can't eat more. I'm really freaking out as I knew this may be a possibility, but I was reassured by my doctor and his team that it was unlikely....and now it's happening. Ugh...

I dunno, but I’m only 6 days out and brushed out a lot more hair than usual.... all you can really do is take the vitamins and wait for them to work. Maybe talk to doctor about hair loss drops for women. You can buy them generic at Walmart.

This is very common. It’s a reaction to the shock of the surgery, anaesthetic & reduced caloric intake. My surgeon said my body had more to do with the nutrients I was consuming than grow hair.

Your natural cycle of shedding hair has been accelerated as a result of all this. How long it will last & how much you will lose is individual. There’s nothing you can do except relax - you don’t need the additional stress. Supplements, shampoos, etc that promise to stop the hair loss or improve/strengthen your hair won’t stop this process. The hair you’re shedding is already dead. Those products only may help strengthen new hair growth.

While you’re losing hair, you are actually growing new hair. It’s just growing at it’s normal rate while you’re losing more quickly.You won’t notice the new growth until it’s a couple of inches long. Remember you don’t usually notice your new hair growth & you’ll only notice it now because your hair is thinner.

It will stop. Your hair will grow back. I found my loss reduced back to more normal amounts once I was close to maintenance & eating more.

Congrats on your weight loss so far.

1 hour ago, LAJ23 said:

I'm 3.5 months out and my hair started falling out about 2-3 weeks ago. In that very short amount of time, I've noticed it's become extremely thin and my hairline is receding bigtime. How long does this last? Is there something that works to stop it and restart growth? I've added prenatal Vitamins and liquid Iron to my Vitamin regimen, but I know it will take a while for them to start working - if they work at all. I'm still having trouble getting all my Protein in as I have almost no appetite and it's still a bit painful to eat (yes, I'm taking small bites, chewing A LOT, and eating slowly). I'm supposed to have 60g-86g of protein/day, but I'm probably only getting about 40g-50g. I simply can't eat more. I'm really freaking out as I knew this may be a possibility, but I was reassured by my doctor and his team that it was unlikely....and now it's happening. Ugh...

I feel you! Mine has been falling out at an alarming rate for about the last 4 months. My pony tail is significantly thinner than it used to be (but only me and my hairdresser have noticed). All the research I did said it's very normal and rarely continues past 6 months... I'm really hoping it starts to slow soon. I can see little 1cm shoots of new hair coming on my scalp, so it's definitely growing back. I did cut my hair to just above my shoulders (about 5 inches off) and that helped a lot with the look of it and now the new baby hairs wont have so long to catch up.

Mine stopped falling out but it never grew back despite taking Biotin hair and nail supplements. But I already had thin fine hair now it's just thinner.

I think mine lasted about three months (fortunately, I didn't lose much - I'm sure no one could tell). There's really not anything you can do about it other than keep on top of your supplements (protein and vitamins) so it doesn't get any worse than it would otherwise be.. For the vast majority of is, it does all grow back...

I’m almost 9 months out and mine is still shedding at a very high rate. Bloodwork, all levels are excellent but wow....this hair! Fortunately I had thick yet fine hair pre WLS, so other than quite noticeable thinning on top it’s not jaw dropping to others the way it is to moi.

As others have noted, use of biotin, etc. has been no help. I take all supplements daily and get 70grams protein, 90+ oz fluid. I’ve been taking Vital Protein Collagen (Costco) hoping that will help. Also, Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray REALLY helps fill out a head of hair. Love, love Oribe hair products, they won’t aid in the growing back, but will make the journey much easier and luscious fragrance. Good luck!

Mine started falling out at about the one year mark and it hasn't grown back. It's too bad but it's a price I'm willing to pay for being much healthier I guess.

Hair loss is almost a given for most people during drastic weight loss.

Mine started falling out at 3 months, and kept going until I was done with weight loss phase (7 months post op).

I'm 2+ years out now and its all back. I'd say the new growth after the losses are about 6-7 inches long now.

The one weird thing though is that the new hair has more curl/bend to them than what I'm used to. Which i don't mind at all, lol.

Natural shedding takes place as well as the stress of surgery and all that so it is expected. Just a few things you can do to try to keep your scalp and hair you are keeping as healthy as possible.

Brush your scalp super good without tearing on your hair, it increases circulation. Find an oil treatment and do it weekly, focus on your scalp and the ends of your hair. Do not over wash your hair, if you are using a good shampoo and condition without waxes and such you should only have to wash your hair twice a week.

I am a hair snob and will spend the money on a oil treatment that works well with me. I went through some medical crap 5 years ago and lost a lot of hair, I have found a program that works well with me and I am going to do my best not to go through what we went through last time

I can give you some good oil treatments and programs that are not medicated or anything just clean products that are good for scalp and hair health.

On 12/1/2020 at 7:52 PM, Betty1971 said:

Natural shedding takes place as well as the stress of surgery and all that so it is expected. Just a few things you can do to try to keep your scalp and hair you are keeping as healthy as possible.

Brush your scalp super good without tearing on your hair, it increases circulation. Find an oil treatment and do it weekly, focus on your scalp and the ends of your hair. Do not over wash your hair, if you are using a good Shampoo and condition without waxes and such you should only have to wash your hair twice a week.

I am a hair snob and will spend the money on a oil treatment that works well with me. I went through some medical crap 5 years ago and lost a lot of hair, I have found a program that works well with me and I am going to do my best not to go through what we went through last time

I can give you some good oil treatments and programs that are not medicated or anything just clean products that are good for scalp and hair health.

Hello, what are the good oil treatments?