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Has your hair gotten thinner after being banded?  

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  1. 1. Has your hair gotten thinner after being banded?



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This whole hair thinning/hair loss thing really does suck... its bad enough i have to live with it but my mother reminds me of it everyday...

enough to drive a girl crazy.. i started taking the Biotin today.. and am going to make sure im getting enough protien... also i have the pcos thing that causes hair thinning and my dr. thinks i may have low thyroid problem which im getting tested for this month...:rolleyes2:

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I had surgery April of 08 and my hair started falling out by August 08. I was really concerned because it was getting bad. I asked the surgeon and my PC doctor and they said that as long as I was taking my Vitamins etc. that it was not from the lapband. I am in a disagreement with them both. I didn't have this problem until the surgery. I cut my hair three weeks ago and it has not been as bad. I still have to clean out the drain in the shower and wipe out the hair in the bathroom sink. However, it isn't as noticable. My hair dresser said she had the same problem when she started loosing weight (not fro lapband)but that it has stopped and it is stronger and thicker than it was before. I guess we just have to :thumbup:"weight" it out.

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My doctors all have said the same thing, that it's not from surgery, but I disagree as well. I never had a problem before.

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  1. If your Hair loss is due to trauma (surgery) it will correct itself on its own.
  2. If you hair loss is due to lack of Biotin and B-Vitamins then taking Biotin or a Hair, Skin and Nails supplement will help.
  3. If your hair loss is due to a deficiency in Protein then making sure that you are getting a minimum of 60G of protein a day will help.

Above are three most common causes for hair loss after WLS. In all three cases, the hair loss will start approximately three months after the cause occurs and once you start treating the cause it will take another three months for the problem to resolve itself. Your best bet is to make sure you are taking your multi-vitamins, getting all of your protein and whether your loss is Biotin related or not, taking Biotin or a Hair, Skin and Nails formula certainly won't hurt and it can really do wonders for your hair and nails! Then just give it time. My surgeon said that after many years in the business none of his patients have gone bald due to surgery.

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I'm so glad to see this thread, I've been really worried about this. I was banded in October of '07 and just recently have noticed I can see my scalp in my bang area.

I went to the doctor today and she said it could be a number of things - one being my age and fluctuating hormones. I do probably need to eat more Protein as well.

This is just very disturbing. I'm taking Biotin and using Nioxin on my hair when I wash it.

I'm thinking about the Women's Rogaine - has anyone tried it and/or had success with it?

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I had a lot of hair loss start about three months after surgery. I have always had fine hair. Add to that some thyroid issues a couple of years back that left my hair thinner than normal...I never was able to fully recover that loss. So the loss after WLS was pretty noticeable.

I have shoulder length hair and over the weekend I was trying new hairstyles and I pulled it up and there are two-three inch long strands of thick new hair along the top of my neck in the back-I haven't seen hair there in years and it has never been that thick! I took a closer look and I have spiky springs of hair growing all along my hairline.

I can see that in another couple months my hair is going to be thicker than ever.

When the hairloss started (post surgery) I upped my Protein and started taking hair, skin and nails with 3000mcg of Biotin. Due to weight loss my PCOS has been resolved and I no longer need my meds for it. Also, I just found out that due to weight loss my thyroid meds need to be lowered. I am not sure which of the above is contributing to the improvement in my hair but I am going to keep doing what I have been doing.

Edited by Jodi_620

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I lost hair too. However, it has been so gradual, I am the only person who really notices it. I can definitely tell in the heft and feel of it when I pull it into a pony tail or wash it. I would say I went from relatively thick hair to average hair. Nothing terrible but it is noticeable.

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I had a dental appointment so I wore my hair down today. I had difficulty finding a barrette that would stay in it. It's already fine and straight and now is so thin, every barrette I tried slid right out.

*sigh*

But it's been 7 months since the last general anesthesia -- it should be at the end of the LOSING phase. Hang in there everybody, it should turn around

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Make sure you are getting 60-80 grams of Protein a day. This will prevent hair thinning and further loss.

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Funny that some docs said it was NOT related to surgery....I disagree. My Center of Excellence docs and their nurse and nutritionist ALL say surgery causes it. My nutritionist said that Lapbanders are furtunate becuase ours is not encourage but malabsorption. I was assured mine would eventually stop and it did! My hair actually sheds less than before surgery now, which I attribute to Vitamins.< /p>

Of note, my mom had surgery a few months ago (ortho under general anesth) and she's losing right now too. Even her doc told her it was to be expected in some from the surgery and not to worry.

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i heard prenatal Vitamins help!!

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Make sure you are getting 60-80 grams of Protein a day. This will prevent hair thinning and further loss.

No it won't. Additional Protein is only going to help if you are lacking in protein and most WLS folks are not lacking in protein.

It's from anesthesia and weight loss. You can consume a gazillion grams of protein daily and unless you are low in protein anyway, extra isn't going to help.

Unlike some bypass folks, at least band and sleeve folks... it grows back.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. summerseeker

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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