My hair is falling out!

Can someone please give me the lowdown on what is up with the hair loss?  I can see the visible thinning on the top of my head and it is very disconcerting.

Has anyone else experienced this and if you have..... did it grow back!!! ?

I am so worried!!!!

What did you do to help your hair grow back?

Very nervous!

Marcia

Oh my god, Look what happened to me! I am just kidding. Actually I lost my hair 10 years ago to a condition called Alopecia Areata. Hair loss after WLS is common, as it is for some people after any surgery. The body takes quite a shock during surgery and since the hair on our bodies is always falling out and growing in new, the sudden loss of hair seems dramatic. You are in just the period that this occurs. Yes it will grow back, unless you have other, very rare, unknown hair problems. There are all kinds of supplements that people use to try and accelerate regrowth. I tend to think that no matter what the people have tried, the hair will regrow at it's own rate. Keeping up your protein intake is critical though, since hair is made from protein.
As a side note, with my alopecia, an immune disorder, it is almost unheard of for a patient to ever see their hair return after a year of loss. After ten years of hair loss I knew I would never have hair again. Well, wrong, for no reason any of my doctors can explain, my hair is growing back in. It is coming in slowly, but I have hair again. If WLS caused permanent hair loss, by itself, it doesn't make sense that I would have hair again.
Nick

It's normal, but worrisome just the same!  I've had this reaction to general anethesia before when I had other surgeries, so I knew to expect it, but still I did NOT like it.  My hair started falling out at about 3 months out, and then stopped at about 6 months out.  It wasn't noticeable to anyone other than me, but I definitely noticed seeing more hair in the shower drain, and more left on my hairbrush.  Some people swear that taking biotin helps, but I'm skeptical about that, plus I also heard that taking biotin will make you grow hair everywhere (as in facial hair) so I gave that a big "no thanks!"

Here is what I have read: "Hair loss may be a temporary problem for some patients within the first six to twelve months after the operation. This is largely due to vitamin deficiency. There is no specific remedy other than proper nutrition and multivitamin supplements."  I am nearly 11 mths out and still experiencing more than I would like.

 I had my surgery on May 27, 2008. 13 months ago. My hair started falling out exactly three months after the surgery. It stopped about four to six months later. Now not only has it grown back thick as before, but when I visited my stylist a few days ago, she said  "You've got all these new little hairs growing in!" Which means its still coming back in and its going to be even thicker than before! In other words, although I know its scary when it starts to fall out, but don't worry...It WILL grow back!

I am still presurgery and just notice my hair is falling out. Seems every time I in am in the shower washing my hair there is hair all over my hands and body. I been on the 6 month supervised diet since jan 8, 2009 and lost over 50 lbs. I am taking the baratric advantage multi vitamin and drinking protein drinkns.

Is it common to lose hair before surgery? What I be taken pre surgery to save my hair??

Thanks,

I had my surgery on 1/25/28 - A lot of my hair fell out the first six months, then it came back in curlier than it was before.  When I came out of my first plateau at about 9 months, hair came out again...it seems to ebb and flow depending on the rate of weight loss.  I have lost about 160 lbs so far...

Thanks.

OK here's my 2 cents.
My beautician said that the anesthetic  is what does a lot of hair loss too. It is normal for all of us and yes it is scary...

Thanks everybody! It is very disconcerting but I am feeling better with all your encouragement!

I started drinking a protein powder drink mix made with egg white. My rheumatologist recommended this for of protein because egg white has the protein which is most like humans and is absorbed better and will help the hair loss to slow down and grow back. So now I drink ISOPURE and the egg white powder mix.

I drink the ISOPURE after I go to the gym (1/2 a bottle with an ENTIRE tray of ice cubes) Then I have the egg white mix at some point in the day.... usually for breakfast when I am going to the gym.. I am preloading with protein before the gym... then the ISOPURE is just right when I get out of the gym.

He also recommended that I eat as many egg whites as I can tollerate..... that is a trick sometimes for sure but..... I am working on it.

Thanks again everyone!!!!

When I saw my surgeon on June 30th I brought up about the hair loss I am experience pre surgery. And he said to take biotin and zinc. So I got them and taking them with my other supplements. Also my goal now is to drink at least 2 protein drinks a day.

Well just waiting on approval from the insurance company so the date can be set. Time is ticking!