I am 4 months out. I had sleeve into bypass. I can’t figure had to change weight yet on this site. I lost 50 pounds. I can’t believe the hair I am losing. I’m freaking going bald. Taking vitamins but 65 grams of protein a bit difficult for me. I get around 55. I can’t force the food. I talked with doc and they said it’s common to lose hair but he said it’s a lot. Try more protein. Ugh! So frustrated!

Temporary hair loss is very common after surgery. Your body is going through a lot is stress: the surgery, reduced food intake, weight loss, anaesthetic, hormonal flushes & changes, etc. The result is a temporary acceleration of your natural hair loss cycle. It actually can occur after child birth, periods of extreme stress, other more major surgeries, etc.

The hair you are losing is dead & you were going to lose it anyway just not as quickly. You can’t stop it. Or slow it down. Some people will suggest adding additional supplements but this period of hair loss still lasts about 4 month -/+ regardless of taking the additional supplements or not. Those supplements won’t help hair that is already dead. As long as you’re taking the vitamins your team recommends & are meeting your protein & other nutritional goals, you don’t need to do anything else. Your new hair is still growing just at its usual rate & it is only this new growth that may benefit from the supplements.

How much you’ll lose is very individual & you can’t predict it. You may lose more if it’s summer (when we usually shed more hair) or if you are in your 7 year hair shedding cycle (just went through mine again & was losing a lot more than usual). Try cutting off some of your length if you have longer hair. Many of us do this so the new growth reaches the length of the old growth more quickly. And shorter hair is always bouncier & looks fuller than long.

I decided some temporary hair loss is a small price to pay for the benefits of your weight loss. Oh, and try not to stress too much - it only adds to the stress your body is already under which influences the hair loss.

PS: You can update your weight by scrolling to near the bottom of this page. You’ll see a section titled Together we have lost… Add your current weight & click Update Your Weight. It will display the next time you start a thread or respond to a post.

Edited June 30, 20242 yr by Arabesque

It's normal and will eventually slow down. Mine stopped after my first surgery around month 9. After my revision, around month 11. I cut my hair shorter this time around and it REALLY helped. I also use thickening and volumizing shampoo and conditioner, and I changed up how I style my hair so the part at the top of my head isn't so obvious.

For extra protein, add a protein shake in at some point during the day. Use it as one of your snacks, or have it right before bed. That will give you a ton of extra protein, which is what your hair needs to grow. Hair can't produce protein, even though it needs it.

Biotin helps hair be healthy but does not reduce hair loss or promote growth. Same with collagen and keratin. Only thing that really helps is protein. But I promise, no matter how it feels, you won't go bald.

I agree with others that it’s normal and it will slow down and stop eventually. I remember that phase all too well. I couldn’t really see the loss in the mirror but I hurt my back pretty bad and was down for a while. Before I vacuumed I noticed the hair collecting near all the baseboards and.i was horrified. I never lost enough for anyone else to notice either. It just seemed like I was going to. Just keep getting that protein in and you will be fine.

Make yourself down a protein shake, even if it's half in the am and half in the pm -- just until you're more able to get the protein from food sources. (Or even then, if it suits your needs).

It doesn't have to be delicious, it just has to be nutritious -- at least while your body is still recovering (6-8 months?) and trying to establish a new regime of what it can eat. A protein shake, a bar, sip some bone broth -- whatever you need to do to get that protein up. ❤️

33 minutes ago, JennyBeez said:

Make yourself down a Protein Shake, even if it's half in the am and half in the pm -- just until you're more able to get the Protein from food sources. (Or even then, if it suits your needs).

It doesn't have to be delicious, it just has to be nutritious -- at least while your body is still recovering (6-8 months?) and trying to establish a new regime of what it can eat. A protein shake, a bar, sip some Bone Broth -- whatever you need to do to get that protein up. ❤️

They also have protein shots right here on bariatric pal. I’ve Never tried them but when you mention not having to love them, I bet it would be easier with a smaller amount ??‍♀️