Post VSG Hair Loss

[Rey Rodriguez 9]

I had my VSG the last week of June so I’m almost 10 weeks post op. I normally have really thick, long hair but the last few weeks I’ve lost so much hair that it’s about 50% gone. Most people I’ve read on here didn’t experience Hair loss until later so I’m scared I might lose even more. How long until it stops and should I be worried about bald spots?

[catwoman7 10,843]

it can start anywhere from a couple months out to around six months out. For most of us, it lasts about 3-4 months. And also for most of us, it (fortunately) isn't enough for other people to notice (it is for some for sure - but for most, no - we're the only ones who really notice it)

[lizonaplane 1,604]

Are you taking your Vitamins every day? There's nothing you can do about the normal amount of Hair loss from surgery and weight loss, but not taking the prescribed vitamins can make it worse. Hope it gets better!

[Rey Rodriguez 9]

6 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

Are you taking your Vitamins every day? There's nothing you can do about the normal amount of Hair loss from surgery and weight loss, but not taking the prescribed Vitamins can make it worse. Hope it gets better!

I’m taking my vitamins as directed and I always make sure I get enough Protein in which is why I’m so concerned. I feel like I started losing hair quite early and I lost 50% so I’m really worried

[learn2cook 485]

I lost hair like that after childbirth, so I expect it in a couple of months from this surgery too. I shortened my hair and wore it in a messy topknot until the hair regrew. I’ve been watching some “topper” and wig videos on YouTube for more options. It’s just a few months, shorter than how fat I was.

[Jaye W 218]

I have a juva bun that I wear for work - pull my hair into a bun and wrap it around the bun. I had it from before surgery for convenience since I usually pull my hair back for work. It is pretty inexpensive and I get lots of compliments when I wear it. You should look into one.

[Arabesque 6,420]

Hair loss is an recognised side effect but it is true that not every one experiences it. Those that do start & finish at different times & lose different amounts. That’s due to our own physiology but there are average times frames like it starts around month 3 or 4. You’re almost 3 months so pretty close to the average.

Your body reacts to the stress of the surgery, change of diet, reduced caloric intake & general emotional changes you’re experiencing by accelerating your natural hair loss cycle. So the hair you’re losing would have fallen out at some time but it’s just happening faster & sooner. The good news is that it does stop & your new hair is still growing (you just don’t notice the new growth until it has some length to it - look for fluffy bits).

I lost a fair amount but I had heaps to begin & as @catwoman7 said often no one else really notices it (only my mother & hairdresser did). Best thing I did was cut my length to just above my shoulders. My hair was bouncier because I didn’t have the length pulling it down & the new growth reached this shorter length sooner.

I didn’t take any additional supplements or Vitamins or use treatment shampoos, etc. & my hair stopped shedding at around 3-4 months which seems to be the average time frame the excess hair loss persists.

I know our hair can be an important part of how we present to the world & the loss can be scary & worrying but that only adds to the stress we’re already experiencing which is contributing to our hair shedding. I decided to look at it as a short term annoyance I had to go through. I felt the whole weight loss period was me transitioning & transforming (mutating???) into a better me.

[sierra.1834 13]

It's definitely a hard pill to swallow and I actually just died my brown hair blonde because I noticed that my hair was thinning. The blonde makes it look far less noticeable on my head. I didn't have the most hair to start with, so when I noticed that it was coming out a little more than normal, I panicked.

However, from what I've heard, the hair can come back because the hair follicle itself isn't dying or being damaged, it's the hair coming out of it that is weak. While I don't know if that's 100% true, it gives us hope!!!

[vikingbeast 985]

It's that the stress of surgery, caloric restriction, and emotions accelerates the natural cycle by which your hair "dies", but the rate of replacement is normal... so basically it all falls out faster than normal but takes a few months to regrow.

[Rey Rodriguez 9]

On 09/11/2021 at 21:34, Arabesque said:

Hair loss is an recognised side effect but it is true that not every one experiences it. Those that do start & finish at different times & lose different amounts. That’s due to our own physiology but there are average times frames like it starts around month 3 or 4. You’re almost 3 months so pretty close to the average.

Your body reacts to the stress of the surgery, change of diet, reduced caloric intake & general emotional changes you’re experiencing by accelerating your natural hair loss cycle. So the hair you’re losing would have fallen out at some time but it’s just happening faster & sooner. The good news is that it does stop & your new hair is still growing (you just don’t notice the new growth until it has some length to it - look for fluffy bits).

I lost a fair amount but I had heaps to begin & as @catwoman7 said often no one else really notices it (only my mother & hairdresser did). Best thing I did was cut my length to just above my shoulders. My hair was bouncier because I didn’t have the length pulling it down & the new growth reached this shorter length sooner.

I didn’t take any additional supplements or Vitamins or use treatment shampoos, etc. & my hair stopped shedding at around 3-4 months which seems to be the average time frame the excess Hair loss persists.

I know our hair can be an important part of how we present to the world & the loss can be scary & worrying but that only adds to the stress we’re already experiencing which is contributing to our hair shedding. I decided to look at it as a short term annoyance I had to go through. I felt the whole weight loss period was me transitioning & transforming (mutating???) into a better me.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond!! This was honestly so helpful and although my hair is still falling out it seems to have slowed down a bit so hopefully it won’t come out in chunks again. I really appreciate your response!!

[Lisa LoVuolo 63]

I lost a lot of hair from menopausal

Sent from my U307AS using BariatricPal mobile app

[blackcatsandbaddecisions 844]

Oof, Hair loss does suck. I have fine hair but I always had a lot of it. I started losing a few months after surgery and it has been ongoing it seems like ever since. I had long hair but it started getting stringy so I cut it to just above shoulder length and I’m much happier with it. I can see a ton of regrowth coming in so I am pretty sure it’s just temporary. That being said, nobody but my hairdresser and my husband have even noticed. It’s not like I have bald Patches or anything- it’s just less full.

The nice thing is that I feel like I can pull off shorter hair much better when I’m thinner- I kept my hair long when I was fatter because I felt like it helped balance out my body size, but now I don’t need to hide behind hair anymore. I might even cut my hair shorter, just for fun and because I can.

[Rey Rodriguez 9]

On 09/19/2021 at 11:05, blackcatsandbaddecisions said:

Oof, Hair loss does suck. I have fine hair but I always had a lot of it. I started losing a few months after surgery and it has been ongoing it seems like ever since. I had long hair but it started getting stringy so I cut it to just above shoulder length and I’m much happier with it. I can see a ton of regrowth coming in so I am pretty sure it’s just temporary. That being said, nobody but my hairdresser and my husband have even noticed. It’s not like I have bald Patches or anything- it’s just less full.



The nice thing is that I feel like I can pull off shorter hair much better when I’m thinner- I kept my hair long when I was fatter because I felt like it helped balance out my body size, but now I don’t need to hide behind hair anymore. I might even cut my hair shorter, just for fun and because I can.

It definitely does suck but thankfully my hair was pretty full too so the only place where it’s noticeable is the ends (since I had layers) and the top of my head. Luckily it seemed to slow down a bit but I might do the same thing and cut it soon. I completely agree and feel a lot more confident to pull off shorter hair now that I’m a bit thinner!!

[lizonaplane 1,604]

8 hours ago, Rey Rodriguez said:

It definitely does suck but thankfully my hair was pretty full too so the only place where it’s noticeable is the ends (since I had layers) and the top of my head. Luckily it seemed to slow down a bit but I might do the same thing and cut it soon. I completely agree and feel a lot more confident to pull off shorter hair now that I’m a bit thinner!!

I've had short hair at my highest weights. I am not a big fan of when women have long hair and put it up in a messy bun or sloppy pony tail and I don't like when my hair is in my face, and I think having short hair looks a lot better on a fatter face, so I've had short hair my whole adult life. Takes way less time to deal with.

[ms.sss 14,617]

35 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I am not a big fan of when women have long hair and put it up in a messy bun or sloppy pony tail

*raises hand* my hair is in a messy bun or sloppy ponytail almost ALL. THE. TIME. Even when I leave the house with it down, it ends up UP by the time I get home. 😂

35 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I think having short hair looks a lot better on a fatter face, so I've had short hair my whole adult life. Takes way less time to deal with.

That is so interesting...I've had super short pixie hair maybe 3 times in my life and I find that it actually takes waaaaaaaaay more time to style than longer hair! Probably cuz my hair is super straight and bed head is a real issue when I have short-short hair.

Edited September 21, 2021 by ms.sss