I'm 3 months post op and I'm losing my hair, like A LOT! Prior to surgery the dr. had told me it was going to happen, I just didn't realize it was going to be this bad... Does you hair grow back to like it was pre op? How long does this hair loss phase last? Anything other than Biotin that could help me?

The shock of the surgery & weight loss to your body & the reduced caloric intake accelerates your natural hair loss cycle. My surgeon told me my body had better things to do with the nutrients I was consuming than grow hair - blunt but true.

It will pass. How much hair you will lose & how long it will last is different person to person. But you should expect about 3 months +/-. Mine stopped when I was in maintenance so after about 4 months. I lost quite a lot but it’s just about all back now.

Don’t waste your time taking supposed hair growth supplements because they won’t stop the loss cause it’s a natural process. Some people say it stopped their loss, but it was probably when the loss would have stopped without taking the supplement. The only thing they may do is make any new growth stronger. Can’t help your existing hair cause it’s already dead. A lot of us cut their hair at this stage so the loss wasn’t as noticeable & the new growth wouldn’t take as long to get to the same length.

Your new hair is already growing back. It’s just growing at it’s normal rate & not at the accelerated loss rate.

Best thing to do is make sure you’re meeting your protein goals & accept it’s happening. You could make it worse if you stress about it. Temporarily losing some hair is a pretty minor price to pay to the amazing achievement of losing weight.

Good luck.

Yes, most people experience significant hair loss, but it starts growing back within a couple of months. That's when the real fun begins, because the new growth is much shorter than whatever hair didn't fall out, so it looks like a mess with all the short hairs sticking out. I have fine hair to begin with, so my hair loss was quite noticeable. It looked like I was going bald and trying to cover it up with a bad combover. It's growing back now, and it looks terrible because of all the short hairs, but it no longer looks like I'm balding. Some people say biotin helps and others say it does nothing. Protein and iron can also affect hair growth.

I'm six months post op and have a CRAZY amount of hair (my hairstylist says at least double psi than a normal person). She thinks I could stand to lose a little hair! I have been taking biotin and using collagen peptide protein in my coffee each day to get an extra boost of protein, as well as the collagen benefits for my hair, skin and nails. I don't know if it's helping, but it's certainly not hurting! Good luck!

Research I have come across, hope it helps

I've suffered from fine/thinning hair since my children were born and have taken hair, skin, and nail supplements for many years. WLS did NOT help the situation. My hair loss started around 3 months and didn't stop for at least another 3 months. I recommend you look up and read about telogen effluvium.

My advice:

• As others have said above, the supplements are likely worthless at this point. If you're already shedding, starting supplements after the fact won't make a big difference. *I took them long before surgery and still got it. The hair you're currently losing was in production at the time of your surgery (see telogen effluvium hair cycle).
• Meet your nutritional goals set by your doctor. At this point, it won't stop it, but it might help it slow down and help you recover faster/grow your hair back/etc.
• Consider healthy scalp treatments like massage, oil treatments (castor oil and others)
• Get plenty of rest and manage stress (stress only makes it worse)

Take it from someone who has spent $100s (if not $1000s) of dollars on "supplements," "natural cures," special shampoos, and all sorts of snake oil on hair loss. The best thing you can do is not stress and get your nutrition in.

Today, my regime looks like this:

• I still take a daily Hair, Skin, Nails formula (mine also has a lot of other vitamins/minerals, so I justify it like that) Here's the one I take
• I introduced a collagen supplement (good for hair and hails)
• I do not wash my hair daily. I usually wash about every other day and if I can stretch it to a 3rd day without looking like an oily mess, I do.
• I got a scalp massager Here's the one I purchased on Amazon
• I sleep on a silk pillowcase (it is recommended to reduce breakage) (besides, they say it's also good for the skin and preventing wrinkles)
• Before I wash, I do a deep scalp massage with follicle-stimulating oils like castor oil or red pimiento or some similar oil meant to moisturize the scalp and strengthen hair follicles.
• Every time I wash, I use a different shampoo (I change between 3 favorites) to prevent any build-up that would weigh my hair down or lead to breakage.
• I recently started washing my hair with cool/cold water. I cannot believe the difference! My hair immediately felt fuller and was definitely shinier, stronger! If you can tolerate it, I strongly recommend this one.

Fortunately, I lost very little hair. It started at about six months out and lasted maybe three months - and it does grow back. Some people say that biotin helps, but most will say it didn't do anything. I don't think most (any?) of those products do. The others are right - once you're in that cycle, there's really nothing that'll stop it. It'll grow back, though.

9 hours ago, skinnyfeelsgood said:

... Does you hair grow back to like it was pre op? How long does this Hair loss phase last? Anything other than Biotin that could help me?

Started shedding at 3 months. Continued until about month 6-7.

2+ years out now and its all back and the same length as the surrounding almost-shoulder length hair.

Sometimes I think it looks even thicker than it was pre-op, but that may just be wishful thinking, LOL.

I took Biotin for like 2 weeks until I read it really does nothing for the cause of my specific hair loss, so stopped.

Read @GreenTealael's post above RE: Telogen Effluvium

Stick with the vitamins. Add Biotin.

Sometimes it can feel like our hair looks even thicker post-op, and that could be a delightful result of your hair growth journey. It's always nice to see positive changes and feel good about them.

Regarding the Biotin supplement, it's true that its effectiveness can vary depending on the specific cause of hair loss. It's good that you stopped taking it after finding out it may not address your particular hair loss issue.

If you ever have any concerns or questions about your hair or hair care, Nova Medical Hair Transplant Clinic https://goo.gl/maps/pRjccyvtrnVZKmgi7 is an excellent resource. They specialize in hair restoration and can provide you with personalized guidance and advice.

Edited May 22, 20233 yr by masurdubai

In my case, because I had probably PCOS that was already thinning my hair, not only did it all grow back, it grew back THICKER. Make sure you're keeping yourself nourished and your hair will come back in a few months.

Oof, I'm 3 months post op and my hair just started coming out in clumps I really hope it stops falling out/grows back soon.

I have a thick head of hair. Has always grown fast. Even my nails. I saw no difference after surgery. Still grows fast but started losing strands at around 3 months. Still happening after 6. I was also told taking extra vitamins doesn't help so there's that.

I always cut my hair in layers with lots of texturing so no noticeable diff in lengths until.... yesterday. I was in a tattoo parlor with bright florescent lighting, buying some jewelry. Glancing at myself in the mirror I noticed a TON of little short curly frizzies all over the top of my head. UHHHH! And it wasn't even humid out. Haha!

Oh well.... more smoothing product should suffice

20 hours ago, jb279 said:

my hair just started coming out in clumps

Oh no!!! That doesn't sound right. Not in clumps. Anyone else here have hair loss in clumps? What causes that???? ?

47 minutes ago, BabySpoons said:

Oh no!!! That doesn't sound right. Not in clumps. Anyone else here have Hair loss in clumps? What causes that???? ?

Mine comes out in clumps when i wash it! I have a lot of shedding when brushing it also.

On 11/2/2023 at 12:38 PM, BabySpoons said:

Oh no!!! That doesn't sound right. Not in clumps. Anyone else here have Hair loss in clumps? What causes that???? ?

Mine was coming out in HANDFULS. About month 2 after my procedure I got deathly ill with pneumonia and wasn't able to eat much for several months. My hair loss was BAD. I've since been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder and I lose hair again every time I have a flare-up mostly because it makes it so I can't eat. I just keep it short now, no reason to try to grow it out and end up heartbroken again.