Hi , I'm 14 months post surgery, I've lost 120lbs , I have 14lbs left to my goal, I started losing my hair at around 4months post opp , I take all my vitamins, my bloods have come back ok , my hair loss is still happening, it has slowed down, when will it stop ? I try to hit my protein goal but some days i don't hit my target, I can't lose any more hair, its making me feel so low , any advice please

Have you spoken to your doctor about it or maybe asked about seeing a dermatologist? Do you think it is still more than what you usually lost seasonally pre surgery? (It can be easy to be over sensitive to seeing any hair loss especially after losing the amount many of do.) Have you noticed any regrowth? Regrowth is always a good sign.

I have a little thin spot above my temple on one side courtesy of menopause and I use minoxidil (men’s 5% - the women’s 2% isn’t strong enough) and it’s been helpful. Maybe give that a go. It dyes take a couple of months to see the regrowth and you do have to use it everyday and for as long as your hair loss continues (which may mean forever). I know there are a few of us here who use it.

Not sure if you’ve done any reading into telogen effluvium which is what our hair loss (result of stress, dietary changes, etc.) is called. If not you may find this a useful start.

https://www.healthline.com/health/telogen-effluvium#treatment

4 hours ago, Arabesque said:

Have you spoken to your doctor about it or maybe asked about seeing a dermatologist? Do you think it is still more than what you usually lost seasonally pre surgery? (It can be easy to be over sensitive to seeing any Hair loss especially after losing the amount many of do.) Have you noticed any regrowth? Regrowth is always a good sign.

I have a little thin spot above my temple on one side courtesy of menopause and I use minoxidil (men’s 5% - the women’s 2% isn’t strong enough) and it’s been helpful. Maybe give that a go. It dyes take a couple of months to see the regrowth and you do have to use it everyday and for as long as your hair loss continues (which may mean forever). I know there are a few of us here who use it.

Not sure if you’ve done any reading into telogen effluvium which is what our hair loss (result of stress, dietary changes, etc.) is called. If not you may find this a useful start.

https://www.healthline.com/health/telogen-effluvium#treatment

Thankyou for your response , I have noticed regrowth , ok I may give that a go, i will probably speak to my GP too , Thankyou

I was just getting to desperation point when my hairloss stopped. I had the longest, straightest hair. It was my crowning glory. I had a pixie cut and I almost love it as much.

Its a tough time and I hope you can get some answers but I fear it can cost a lot for very few conclusive results

I lost my weight throughout 2022. I had three distinct phases of hair loss, each a few months apart, and each lasting several weeks. It has taken until now for my hair to fully recover, but it has.

I feel your pain, it's really demoralising. Trying shorter cuts can help while you wait for it to grow back. I know lots of people swear by various supplements, and treatments onto the scalp/hair itself, but I'm not sure there's much evidence that they work.

On 4/13/2025 at 9:36 AM, Star1234 said:

Hi , I'm 14 months post surgery, I've lost 120lbs , I have 14lbs left to my goal, I started losing my hair at around 4months post opp , I take all my Vitamins, my bloods have come back ok , my Hair loss is still happening, it has slowed down, when will it stop ? I try to hit my Protein goal but some days i don't hit my target, I can't lose any more hair, its making me feel so low , any advice please

I would definitely schedule an appointment with your dermatologist. Mine continued to "shed" even with all the right macros and supplements etc. My hair loss slowed quite a bit at one year - but then started again so I talked to my dermatologist, she did a punch biopsy and found out I have LPP (lichen planopilaris) which started/triggered after surgery. Luckily I didn't ignore it just thinking its the standard shedding after bariatric surgery ppl discuss on these forums. My doctor said if it had been, it should have slowed down and stopped by a year -16 months following surgery especially with eating properly.

Luckily I caught it early and I'm hoping it won't get bad. At the very least if you set an appointment with your dermatologist you will have peace of mind with a doctor looking you over and confirming its just the stress from surgery causing it. Unfortunately, sometimes the stress from surgeries can set things off in our bodies.

Good luck!

On 4/15/2025 at 3:42 AM, BlondePatriotInCDA said:

I would definitely schedule an appointment with your dermatologist. Mine continued to "shed" even with all the right macros and supplements etc. My Hair loss slowed quite a bit at one year - but then started again so I talked to my dermatologist, she did a punch biopsy and found out I have LPP (lichen planopilaris) which started/triggered after surgery. Luckily I didn't ignore it just thinking its the standard shedding after bariatric surgery ppl discuss on these forums. My doctor said if it had been, it should have slowed down and stopped by a year -16 months following surgery especially with eating properly.

Luckily I caught it early and I'm hoping it won't get bad. At the very least if you set an appointment with your dermatologist you will have peace of mind with a doctor looking you over and confirming its just the stress from surgery causing it. Unfortunately, sometimes the stress from surgeries can set things off in our bodies.

Good luck!

Oh that sounds awful. Did you have visible patches of hair loss? Mine was just repeated episodes of major hair fall. I hope you can get it treated.

22 hours ago, Spinoza said:

Oh that sounds awful. Did you have visible Patches of Hair loss? Mine was just repeated episodes of major hair fall. I hope you can get it treated.

Thank you, I'll take all the luck I can get!

I have just the "normal" shedding most complain about after major surgeries, except it has continued past when it should have stopped or gotten better 12 month - 16 months. Sometimes its a brush full sometimes lots of hair fall. I don't have any bald spots as of yet <fingers crossed>? I just happened to go in for my yearly skin check and mentioned it to my dermatologist (surfer, scuba diver, life guard, sailing ) so lots of sun in my past).

My doctor said she saw a few small scars and thought to just be on the safe side decided to do two punch biopsies. She has me on antibiotics and then in 10 days I go in for follow-up diagnosis (I diagnosed myself based on pathology slides - I'm a pathology lab director) and treatment options.

I just wanted to put it out there for people so if they were losing hair to not wait to long jic. There is a cut off that can be blamed on typical bariatric surgery for hair shedding, but if it continues the sooner you get treatment the better outcomes.

Edited April 19, 20251 yr by BlondePatriotInCDA