Hair Loss

Hair loss is not caused by WLS directly it is caused by malnutrition and stress which may come about following WLS or just plain dieting or indeed subjecting your body to pretty much any kind of 'stress'.
No one nutrient we ingest works on its own, everything depends on everything else which is why there is no one magic pilot take to fix your hair. I'm not at this stage yet but if it were me I'd be taking -
Silica & Biotin as supplements
Zinc & protein supplementation only if not getting sufficient through diet
Zinc is in meat, organ meats like liver, seafood, nuts/seeds & dairy - better absorbed than from plant sources
Protein from meat, eggs, dairy or shakes (whey isolate is better than concentrate).
Zinc helps with protein synthesis so you need enough of both.
100g most meats = about 26g protein.
Dunno why dieticians tell people to get 40 or 60g or whatever fixed amt of protein per day when the truth is the amount you need depends on your weight and body composition. Aim for 1g per kg of lean body weight. That may or may not come to the fixed qty dieticians tell you. You'd need more if exercising a lot or intensely.
Just because you've been fat or have a sleeve doesn't mean the normal rules of nutrition don't apply.

I spoke to my hairdresser as I am 11 weeks till surgery so I have lots of time for preparation. This is the tips that she gave me:

Massage
This is to loosen the scalp up. If your scalp is tight it means there is less space between the hair follicle and the skull. The reduction in this space means that the capillaries that transport the nourishment to the follicle are smaller so less goodies getting through. So lots of massage and it feels good and you can do it at all stages of your journey.

Good Quality Vitamins and Supplements
She emphasised the "GOOD" as the basic ones from the supermarket do not have the high quality ingredients. She recommended Fusion Hair Tonic that is available in health food shops. It has also been mentioned on other thread by fellow sleevers. It is easy to take as it is a capsule so no yucky taste in your mouth. The only thing is they are more expensive I just paid $19 for 15 days worth. (but I love my hair and don't want to loose it. I have seen on the net that you can pick up 60 tablets for $25 if you shop around which is what i will be doing. They can take 3 months to kick in as they work on the follicle which you don't see so you have to wait to you get some growth but lots of sleevers have given them good reviews.

Have a good shampoo and conditioner
Try to avoid supermarket brand shampoos and conditioners. I use Matrix which is available from Price Attack and Hairhouse Warehouse and it is great I always get comments on my hair. How you wash your hair is also important. I know we have all heard not to put conditioner on your roots and it is actually for a good reason. Conditioner is not needed on your roots as your body produces oils that already do that and when you condition your scalp all the time it stops making it which affects the developing hair. So condition your roots and any left over wipe over your scalp but thats it.

Also do not wash your hair all the time and get into a routine. For those that wash your hair everyday try to only wash every second. Like I said it washes away natural oils you can train your head to produce oil as you need it by sticking to a routine. I have done this for years and I now only wash it once a week every Tuesday night without fail. I have long hair and everyone including hairdressers say I have amazing hair and in great condition. Also helps with dandruff.

Be Careful Brushing
It is not actually your hair falling out it is breaking when it is one the outside of your scalp. (this is why the vitamins and massage are important) So you need to look after the hair that you already have. When you brush your hair brush it in small sections if the brush does not pass straight through don't yank in it use some detangling solution (or make your own with water and a small amount of conditioner) spray this on your hair and gently brush out each section. If you wank at it and it is not in great condition you will snap it.

I know I have put in a mountain of information but the more information we are armed with the better the chances of winning the war on hair loss. lol. :o)

Liesel, don't panic just yet. I spoke to my hairdresser and I pre warned her that it may happen to me when I have my surgery as I'm having our church ceremony at the end of the year and don't want to be bald for it! I asked her about a hair piece and she said that's the way to go if it happens. She showed me her wedding pics as she had super short hair when she got married but you would never have known it looking at her pics.
Let us know how you go.

My hair loss is terrible atm :(

I have read this many times over . . .but I am now trying to only brush my hair twice a day and I am trying to only washing it when I absolutely have to, which is about every 2-3days, as I would normally wash it everyday.

My hair is so thin right now and I feel awful about it ! I know it is only a stage but I am getting married in May and I really really REALLY don't want to have to cut my hair short !!! To me that would be an absolute disaster !! I did cut my hair short after a horrible hair cut and just before my surgery it had finally grown to the length I wanted it and it looks like I am going to have to cut it because it is just getting terribly thin !!

I am supposed to be having a trial for my wedding hair in a few weeks and I think I will have to ring the hairdresser and tell her that I just can't do it because of my terrible hairloss . . not happy :(

OK now to suck it up and get on with things !!!

I always pay heaps for my shampoo and conditioner with my daughter being a hairdresser she wont let me use rubbish,so hopefully it will help my hair not fall out as much,lol

Thanks so much for your advise :))))))

Thanks Gottarhyme

I always use a good shampoo and conditioner. I just hate losing my hair it probably not that bad but it is too me!

My hair is, as you see by my avatar, all grown back, and shiny. It fell out for the first five or six months, but is back to normal now. All new hair!

I used a really good shampoo and conditioner, and made sure that I always had it cut every 5-6 weeks to keep it thick. Even though I lost a lot of hair, it was barely noticeable.

I am 2 years post op & my hair still falls out in clumps and is dry..I now wear my hair up most of the time..I was told it was to do with lack of protien..:)

Hi



This is vey common with surgery and weight loss - there are heaps of posts about this topic including some very useful info about the cyce of hair loss - it eventually stops or a least slows down and mine is at long last starting to grow back. Use the search button and the hair loss as the search words

G

Thanks everyone for the hair loss info. 3.5 mths post op and I dread washing my hair and even brushing it. All advise taken on board LIVE WITH IT! ok shall do.



mmm

general anesthesia triggers telogen effluvium ( the resting phase of the hair) Even though the anesthesia was administered for only a few hours this may have been enough to shut down hair cell production and send the follicles into their resting (telogen) stage. Anesthetic relaxes every part of the systme and basically shuts it down... forcing this resting phase of the hair to begin.

fall out can occur anywhere from a week to months after the anesthetic.. depending on how much was administered and for how long and your own personal reaction.

The hair grows back once the resting stage is over but depletion can be quite drastic and worrying... however rest assured with proper nutrients (protein, fat and vitamins) the hair will grow back nice and strong. Nothing can be done, so dont waste money on expensive shampoos or special vitamins... it will be done when the resting phase is over and that will depend on depth of anesthetic.

Just relax, invest in a good vacume cleaner. Hoover the shower recess and buy some nice hair clips or a bloody good pair of clippers and ride it out.

In a few months your fluffy stuff will start coming back in and you will be just as excited about it and the weight loss that it will be all worth it.

Embrace the shed

Hi, I had the Keratin hair straightning treatment done on the weekend.. it feels so much more healthy.
You should just google it, but its basically a protien treatment used to straighten hair. I only found out about it when SmileyKylie told me about it as her hair looked fantastic.
Anyway it is only early days but havent really had much hair fall out in the past few days since getting it done... though my hair loss had slowed down heaps lately anyway.. but with my hair feelling stronger from the treatment I feel like it has helped. I kind of wish I had it done sooner.
Anyway the treatment can be quite expensive so i reccomend looking for one of those daily deals, I got mine half price through Spreets.

Thank you so much everyone. I just want to do all my efforts to avoid any regrets.

You are right, it doesn't matter what you do, it still falls out, or mine did, not once but twice.
After my sleeve surgery and after my tummy tuck.

It grows back, mine has stopped falling out now (5 and a half months post tummy tuck) and its thickening up nicely.

I have been taking all my vitimans etc since pre-op; and extra post op. I was told nothing would stop my hair falling out if its going to, it will; no amount of cutting it before or after will make a difference. Well, we can all try and eat our protien and vitimans and be prepared for the the hair loss to eventuate but when it happens... OMG... nothing can mentally prepare you; or not me anyhow.... the rate my hair has been falling out the last week; there will be none left by the end of this month.

MummaCass what is a Keratin treatment? I will try anything whether it helps or not just to feel better about it.

Oh - Also, keratin, biotin and zinc are the three biggies if you want to try them. Check the labels of the multivits etc....
:)

Hi ladies
I forgot I had a reminder in this post, so will now add my comments.
I'm 17 months out.
My hair started falling out like crazy at about 4 1/2 months. And I mean literally by the handful.
I'd wake up in the mornings and my pillow was full of hair, as was the plughole in the shower after I'd washed it.
I tried all sorts of combinations of vitamins/shampoos etc as I was absolutely terrified of potential baldness.
My hair went from well below shoulder length, to short! I had to get it cut so I didn't look like an illness victim!
So, needless to say, despite mega research on the topic, the loss eventually slowed down about the 10 month mark.
It's still growing back now, and I'm still getting more hair, but it's come back curly! I now have ringlets!!
Fascinating stuff.

So... point of the lesson...

Your hair will fall out because of the shock to your system with surgery and the mega change in foods you eat. There's really nothing you can do about it apart from go with the flow, and know that no matter HOW much falls out, and HOW desperate you may feel at the time, it WILL stop eventually and it WILL grow back.

So



to all of you who may now be going through what I went through last year.

Wow, Bellshell.. I wish I had known that prior to my surgery.. that makes total sense.
My hair started falling out at 3 months.. trying to work out if it still is or if it is now back to the normal loss, it certainly isn't as bad as it was.
I'm getting a keratin treatment on the weekend so hope this helps.

Thank you everyone for great help. Just one more question: taking biotin alone is enough or all kinds of vitamin B should be taken. How about omega3?

I am pre op so I am not pretending to know what it will be like for me post op.

What I do know is your hair and nails the parts you see are all ready dead. The parts you see now are at least 3 months old.
Your hair grows in your scalp for 3 months before you can see it. That is when damage or repair is done.

So when you start taking vitamins don't expect any change for about 3 months.

That is why most peoples hair usually starts to fall out about 3 months post op.

I am 8 weeks out from having my op so I am taking hair supplements now as my hair is normally thin. So I am trying to prevent as much loss as I can.

This can happen due to the lack of nutrients and minerals your body is now consuming. your hair is not falling out it is simply snapping off at some point along the hair line. In time your body will adjust to the "lack of" vitamins and minerals u r now concuming and will stop the brakage, A good way to help "prevent" this is to keep taking multivitamins to help support your system. I hope this helps you all
xo

Yes I am in the same boat; nearly four months out (a week after you Mumof4); more like thinning, shredding each time I brush my hair and even more so when I wash it; not a little, it would amount to one/two cupfuls at a time; so not brushing my hair very much at this time. At least my hair is very thick; I really am hoping I don't get bald patches either; though if we progress to this stage; we must remember it is only a stage and for the sake of our health it'll grow back as it was in a couple of months. I say this very easily but to convince my brain of this is another matter.

hi there,

I am 4 months out Now and in the last week my hair is falling out, hopefully I don't get big bald patches....lol

nacnic wrote:

Thank you so much all, Emily,Rowdy, Deb,and Michelle who shared your experiences with me. Being here with you such wonderful members I won't miss anything.

I will ALWAYS be there for you, nicnac! BTW, I always admired how beautiful women were from the Middle East. I lived in Al Ain, UAE for two years. I know that the women there have the most BEAUTIFUL hair under the hajib. I think that you will be lucky, and your good genes will help stop too much of your hair falling out. I hope everything goes well for you. Please PM me if you ever want to chat.

Michelle

xx