Hello, everyone,

I was banded Dec. 20, 2007 and have done very well - down about 60 pounds, exercising, making sure I eat plenty of protein and other nutritious foods, etc. Lately, though, it seems to me that I am loosing hair! I'm wondering if this is some sort of deficiency. Is it something I need to talk to my doctor about right away? I'd love to hear about others' experiences with this.

Kathy

From what I read, hair loss is caused by protein deficiency. if you are sure you are taking all your proteins, then you may want to ask your doctor.

korpa, How many grams of protein does your doctor have you on?

Hello, everyone,

I was banded Dec. 20, 2007 and have done very well - down about 60 pounds, exercising, making sure I eat plenty of protein and other nutritious foods, etc. Lately, though, it seems to me that I am loosing hair! I'm wondering if this is some sort of deficiency. Is it something I need to talk to my doctor about right away? I'd love to hear about others' experiences with this.

Kathy

I was banded Jan 7, 2008 and noticed that i started loosing hair about 2 months ago. Others on the site have suggested eating more protein (I was getting 40-50 grams daily), so i added a protein drink to my diet and also started taking biotin. It's slowed down some, i'm hoping it will grow back soon.

You def. need protein - drink protein supplements - and start NOW!

I started noticing hair loss around 6 months post-op. I didn't alter my diet, because I knew my protein was sufficient and I was having good results. I started using Nioxin shampoo and Conditioner and although a little pricey it really helped me. I noticed it to completely stop after about 2, maybe 3 weeks. I still use the Nioxin - love it! Don't forget your multi-vitamin also!

Hairloss is common for WLS patients between 4-6 months out although it does not affect everyone. I have not seen it yet but I know it might be coming for me as well. Keep Protein levels high, caloric intake in your doctors recommended range, use Biotin and make sure you are getting Vitamins in and it should help.

I expect I should start experiencing some hairloss because when I was pregnant I lost a lot of hair. I have been really careful on my intake so I am hoping it will not happen. I gues only time will tell.

It also can be the lack of fat in your diet - I know pple who say they get all their protein and still lost their hair - Don't cut all fat out of your diet make sure you include some healthy fats.

I was on another forum where someone posted about this. Apparently, she wound up going to the doctor about it and when her blood tests came back, they found that she was really Vitamin D deficient. She's now supposed to be taking strong supplements for the next 10 weeks I think she said and then going back in to be checked.

I started noticing it a couple of weeks ago myself, and I had a mini-meltdown. My hair has always been my thing. I have been getting about 70-90 grams of protein a day already, so I really don't think mine is a protein deficiency. I picked up some biotin at the health store, and that seems to be working. I'm planning to ask the doctor when I get my fill next week.

How much biotin are you taking each day? I am thinking I might want to start now when I am not having a problem.

I was banded on 4/7/2008, I too noticed my hair breaking i had my beautician to cut in a layer style now I'm thinking I needed to consume more protien and not get hair cut.

what is biotin?

Thank you all so much for your replies. I eat at least 60 grams of protein a day and often more but I am not eating much fat so that may be the problem. I'll also try the biotin.

Kathy

I'm taking one 5 mg capsule of Biotin a day. I bought the smallest capsules they had, and I haven't had a problem swallowing it, but I'm also not very restricted yet. Biotin is in the B-vitamin family. A biotin deficiency can result in weak or brittle hair/nails as well as hair loss. Here is a link for you to learn more about biotin: Biotin

Good luck everyone...this has been one of the hardest things to deal with for me. I know I shouldn't be so vain, but I've always loved my hair, and the thought of losing it is tough. We all have our things, and that is mine. I'm doing better with it now.

Thank you all so much for your replies. I eat at least 60 grams of Protein a day and often more but I am not eating much fat so that may be the problem. I'll also try the Biotin.

Kathy

Kathy - I really think it's the fat issue - I asked my doc and he said they don't know why protein - antheistha (sp) or trauma from surgery - but I had a gf doing just medifast and she lost ton's of hair - she wasn't getting much fat at all - so due to the fact that she was getting all her protein - no surgery - it makes sense that it's the fat issue -

Since I am most likely related to Paula Dean (butter) Emril (pork fat rules) I do still get fats in my healthy eating but it's 1/16th of what it use to be and I have thin hair to begin with and I haven't lost any...