? for Feb surgery

I had my surgery in april and i've started to RAPIDLY lose hair now, they say it lasts till about 6 months out from surgery, so thought i'd go right to those out about 6 months.... how's the hair loss?? have any of you that had a lot of hair loss notice it slowing down now, or regrowth of hair???? just curious! thanks! ~Kim

just started to slow down over the last week. keeping fingers crossed that it stays that way~! Lisa

Hi Kim I think the GENERAL rule is about 6-8 weeks, not months. My hair was thick to begin with, and now is considerably thinner. I was lucky to have a lot to start with. I am also taking a pre-natal (sp?) vit. and it seems to help. Good luck to you!! Sarah G 2-16-04 -133 lbs

I had surgery 2/12/04. Mine started falling out at about 3 months; slowed a bit last month, but seems to be picking up again (Boo!). My hair was very fine to begin with, and it's noticably thin, so I've been wearing a hair piece for about 2 months and may switch to a wig. I've seen NO regrowth so far at all and it's getting scary. BUT...my mother also has the same problem (without having surgery) and I knew that I may be at a higher risk than many others going into it. Many others here have had minimal or no loss, so please automatically expect to be where I am. Hang in there (I am!) Julie

I meant to say "please DON'T automatically expect to be where I am" Geez...my brain must be leaking out with the hair! Julie

I started losing hair at about 3 1/2 months out. It is still coming out (I am 6 months out next week) but it has definately slowed down and I can see a little bit of regrowth now! At one point it was coming out in double handfuls every day! I take Biotin every day and my multivitamins and eat as much protein as I can to encourage healthy hair. Hang in there - it does slow down and I have spoken with some women who are 1+ years out and they have no problem with hair loss now. Liz

Hi Kim I started having hair loss @ about 3 1/2 - to 4 months out. It started slow then increased & is now slowing some. I still have to clean my brush a lot, so I know it is still happening, but it does seem to be getting better. I am seeing hair regrowth ( a lot of thin new hairs sticking up in different areas - really tough to style ). Anyway, my surgeon said it will affect different people in different ways & degrees. I have been taking Nioxin's Recharging Complex which is supposed to be good for hair, skin & nails. I BELIEVE it has helped some and if not with the hair loss it has with my skin & nails. I hope that helps some. Good luck & God Bless. Angel 110 lb since surgery / 160 since preparing for surgery

Kim - From my f/t/f support group (real life - face/to/face), they experienced hair loss anywhere from 2 months out to as much as 9 months. My wife, who had surgery a year ago 8/1, had hair loss that whole time - it finally stopped falling out at 8 1/2 mos, and grew back by 9 1/2 mos. I'd like to be able to say my pic is a result of the surgery, but mine's all genetic lol. You can try some supplements like Biotin or others to help, but it's probably going to happen anyways - it's the body reacting to the changed nutrition and stress of surgery. Good luck - Nick

Hi Kim, Boy, did I panic when I first saw it all falling out. I went to my stylist and he tried to give me a flattering cut, but I had BALD patches! I especially had them behind the ears for some reason on both sides. This started at about 3-3½ months out. I started taking the biotin and extra zinc because that was the suggestion at my support group. My stylist also had me try Nioxin products. They have a full line of hair care and styling aids. One thing many people do not know about Nioxin though, is that if you use their shampoos, you cannot use any other brand of products on your hair- even hairspray. Nioxin is organic and you defeat what it's trying to do when you pile on items with waxes and things. Anyway, I'm a few days shy of 6 months out now and while I don't see much new growth, I have stopped losing the hair in handfulls. A few still come out, but nothing like it was when it first started - thank goodness! I just took the stand that I could get a wig if I had to. I'm down 120 pounds and I feel fabulous- I'd go completely bald and wear a wig if that's what it meant to feel this good! Good luck and if you want more info on the nioxin, just e-mail me. [email protected] Gloria

at about 4 months out, I began to shed. My thick hair fell out in big clumps and it seemed as though I was always brushing myself off. I was happy to see it pretty much stop 1 1/2 months later. No amount of vitamins/supplements seemed to help me. Good luck.