Hi all,

I am still pre op - my date is April 2nd...

I have accepted that a period of hair loss is heading my way and that's part of the parcel that comes with the sleeve. That said... is it just hair thinning or do some people have bald patches?

Thank you

Shelley

Sleeved 12/22 and don't have hair loss (I'm older as well). Good luck.

There are several videos on this subject on youtube of people explaining their personal hair loss issues with weight loss surgery. I have seen some that it thins and others that lost decent chunks but it all grows back. Kinda dreading that too when i have my surgery lol. I hate hats. lol

14 minutes ago, armartin98 said:

Sleeved 12/22 and don't have Hair loss (I'm older as well). Good luck.

Super lucky!! I hope I am the same. Thank you hun x

7 minutes ago, liveaboard15 said:

There are several videos on this subject on youtube of people explaining their personal Hair loss issues with weight loss surgery. I have seen some that it thins and others that lost decent chunks but it all grows back. Kinda dreading that too when i have my surgery lol. I hate hats. lol

Heads over to youtube! Thank you... haha I'm with you on the whole hating hats thing! If mine gets too bad I will buy a wig x

3 minutes ago, Crinkles said:

Heads over to youtube! Thank you... haha I'm with you on the whole hating hats thing! If mine gets too bad I will buy a wig x

LOL yea youtube has sooooo many great videos. So many people post their weight loss surgery journey on there from pre op, even the surgery and right after the surgery and so on. Very fun to watch the differences between each person.

It is massively variable from person to person. My hair started thinning right at the 3 month post-op mark. I'm almost 6 months out now and it has slowed down some, but definitely has not stopped. I don't have any bald spots, but the thinning is VERY noticeable to me, but my family says its not visible to them. You can't control it, you can only do your very best to take care of yourself, heal well, and make sure you get adequate nutrition to prevent nutritional hair loss on top of the telogen effluvium.

I'm dreading this part too! I adore my long, curly hair. And I'm trying to decide if I should just go ahead and cut it now so maybe it won't look so bad when it does thin out. I didn't have hair loss with the Lap Band.

I am a year out and I never had any hair loss. I was lucky and able to meet my fluid and protein goals from the very beginning. Not sure if that had anything to do with it.

I've lost a ton of hair, but it is thinning and not bald patches. It is noticeable to me and my hair stylist, but not to most people. I think the visible impact depends a lot on what your hair situation is going into surgery. I had very thick hair, so while it is now thinner (and obviously so to me, especially when I notice how oily my hair gets after not washing it for a few days and also when I am putting it in a ponytail) most people can't tell. I'm now about 7 months out and the hair loss has slowed. I just got 6 inches cut off the ends to bring it to my shoulders, and it looks really nice. So, there is a lot you can do to help with volume with a different cut, if that is a concern. My stylist confirmed that new growth is coming in at the roots again, because it is thicker there than at the mid-shaft and ends.

A plus side? The new shorter length and thinner face has people commenting on how much younger I look. I'll take that!

just edited to add: I always met my protein, food, vitamin, and fluid goals from the beginning, so you can do all the right things and have hair loss. It is luck of the draw, I think.

Edited March 11, 20224 yr by Queen ApisM

3 minutes ago, ShoppGirl said:

I am a year out and I never had any Hair loss. I was lucky and able to meet my Fluid and Protein goals from the very beginning. Not sure if that had anything to do with it.

I'm pretty sure it's all about protein intake, and I hope to have the same ease after surgery as you.

I've met my protein and fluid goals from the beginning and still experienced hair loss. No bald spots though and probably not even noticeable thinning to anyone else. It was mostly just in the shower/hair brushing I had a lot more fall out than I normally would so that's when I would notice it the most. Once dried and styled I don't think I really noticed it much. I'm about 10 months out now and I think I'm pretty much back to normal, and I have a fuzzy little halo of regrowth frizzing all over my head, so that's fun. I think it may depend on your hair type and a lot of different things. If you already have thin hair, it'll likely be more noticeable.

I didn’t experience bald spots but had LOTS of thinning. It was noticeable and family pointed it out ? too because my hair had been so thick before surgery. I can tell as well and am pretty self-conscious about it…

I hardly had any. I noticed more hairs than usual in my comb and brush, but when I looked at my hair in a mirror, no - not noticeable.

some people have no hair loss at all.

it's kind of unusual to have it fall out in chunks and have bald patches. It happens to some, but that's very uncommon. Usually you just have some light to heavy "shedding" (mine was super light). Others may not even notice it unless it's really heavy. Some people who have heavier shedding get their hair cut short or wear hats or scarves.

honestly, in the grand scheme of things, the hair loss seems pretty minor. For a lot of us, no one notices it but us - and in any event, it's temporary.

4 hours ago, WhispersOfAngel said:

I'm dreading this part too! I adore my long, curly hair. And I'm trying to decide if I should just go ahead and cut it now so maybe it won't look so bad when it does thin out. I didn't have Hair loss with the Lap Band.

I'd wait and see. Some people have no hair loss at all - and for those of us who do, often it's light enough that we're the only ones who notice it.

Sorry, I think I was hit by the double whammy of final menopause and the surgery or dumb non-luck. It was curly like 3b and now it’s like a 2 wave. It is so thin you can see through it, but so far not my actual scalp. My old ponytail was a wrist around, and now it’s one finger thick. Most of the brown fell out and the fuzzies are white. It had been salt and pepper like dental floss, but now it’s a bright white that feels like cob webs. Luckily I like the new color as it reminds me of my father. I bought toppers, and pieces to fill in a bit while the shorter hairs grow out. Yes, I ate the protein and took the vitamins. There are worse things in the world.