Hair Loss

Hey Jeff, For some of us, Hair-Loss isn’t just "a given" That goes with being a Man and getting older. Some guys get "Shiny Bald" even without WLS, And there’s nothing wrong with that at all. It’s just "a look," same as Heavy beard, darker complexion, etc… Best way to avoid any of these is to pick Just the right parents before birth. But for Hair Loss associated with Rapid Weight-Loss? Here’s what I’ve gathered. Hope some of it is useful……. ------------------------------------------------------ One of the most common questions That people ask about weight loss surgery Is whether or not they will lose their hair. The answer is difficult to provide because, as usual, It depends upon many factors including genetics and gender. Men typically have less of a problem. First and foremost, yes, you can expect to lose some hair after your surgery. "Some" is the operative word here. Will you go bald? Have bald patches? Most likely not. Some los****s most, But I haven’t seen "Full out Jean Luc Picard" Reported by anyone. (Yet!) But, having a good bit of loss at "4 to 6 months out?" Seems "right on track." I was very lucky, probably genetics, but I didn’t lose any hair Even through all of my complications. Some people swear by keeping vitamin B Complex supplements, Essential Fatty Acids, and Biotin. Others claim that using Nioxin products help a lot. I did use a shampoo called- "Billy Jealousy's Fuzzy Logic" that my wife had given me for Christmas. https://www.billyjealousy.com/itemdetail.cfm?id=97 It supposedly helps block DHT and reduce hair loss in Men. I also had the conditioner called- "Cashmere Coat Hair Strengthening Conditioner." https://www.billyjealousy.com/itemdetail.cfm?id=98 The have a peppermint smell and make your scalp tingle. I have no idea if the claims made by the products are true, But I had no hair loss. Some say the same thing about Fructis Strengthening ‘leave-in’ Conditioner, And Nioxin Products. The Pantine "Daily Strengthening ‘Leave-in’ Spray" is one my wife swears by. Since a lot of the loss associated with WLS is breakage as well as The "Catagen/Teogen phases" of dead roots (more of this to follow) Using a product that adds strength to the existing hair shaft Seems to make sense. A lot of those products do make outlandish claims Such as "10 times stronger…" but in reality do just a tiny bit toward Improving strength. It’s not all about keeping Protein Levels high, But keeping Calories above 1000 as well. Any "starvation" results in the body shutting down systems that are non-essential And focusing on maintaining internal organs. Hair growth is one of the first "luxuries" the body gives up In order to spend it’s diminished resources on keeping the essentials alive. Anorexic patients show huge hair loss, with big patches coming out By the hands full. This is Telogen Effluvium. It happens after major times of stress to the body (i.e. surgery, weight loss, severe fever, emotional stress). It is temporary, however, it can take months to resolve. Supplements and protein can help very little. Essentially, the hair has 3 growth phases, Anagen (growth), Catagen (dead), And Telogen (resting/shedding). Once you are in any of these phases you can’t really do anything about it Because it is a uncontrollable bodily process. Just hang in there and all will be well eventually. How are these all related? Here’s "The Science Poop!" Looking at your hair’s three stages of growth, catagen, telogen, and anagen. Catagen phase is a transitional/death stage And 3% of all hairs are in this phase at any time. This phase lasts for about 2-3 weeks. Telogen phase Is the resting phase and accounts for 10-15% of all hairs. This phase lasts for about 100 days for hairs on the scalp (3 months). If you were to pull a Telogen hair out at the root, You would discover a hair and dry white bulb. At any given time, about 10% of your hair is in the Telogen phase. Anagen phase Is the active (growth) phase of the hair. The cells in the root of the hair are dividing rapidly. A new hair is formed and pushes the "club" (Catagen) hair up the follicle and eventually out. (The hair that is above the root is dead, just being pushed up by life below) During this phase the hair grows Approx. 1 cm every 28 days. (depending on health, genetics, time of year, etc…) At any given time, about 90% of your hair is in the Anagen phase. The longer your hair is in the Anagen stage, The longer your hair grows. If you have discovered that when trying to grow your hair longer But it always seems to "stop" at a certain length, You've found the life cycle of your Anagen stage. This is basically your biology and cannot be changed, not really. Major shocks to the body (surgery of any type, major stress, rapid weight loss, etc…) Can cause those perfectly happy, growing anagen hairs To switch prematurely into a telogen cycle. There isn't a thing you can do once it gets to this stage, Not more protein, Vitamins, Special shampoo, etc. Those hairs that have gotten "confused" (by the stress to the body by rapid loss) And have gone into the telogen phase are destined to come out. The reason that we see the hair start to fall out at the three month mark Is because that's the length of the average telogen phase. When these hairs come out, you can see the aforementioned bulb. If there is no bulb, that means the hair was in Anagen when it came off. In other words, it broke off inside the follicle, which is more damaging. This is frequently called Telogen Effluvium. Periods of growth (anagen) between two and eight years Are followed by a brief period, two to four weeks, In which the follicle is almost totally degraded (catagen). The resting phase (telogen) then begins and lasts two to four months. Shedding of the hair occurs only after the next growth cycle (anagen) begins And a new hair shaft begins to emerge. OK, so there's the biology behind it. There are a lot of other factors that contribute To the quality and quantity of your hair. One thing I think is also pertinent, that I found while researching this topic, Is that your level of testosterone also impacts your hair. The more testosterone you have, The "stronger" your hair is likely to be. What does that mean? Well, it at least in part explains why men seem to have less hair loss than women (in addition to usually having shorter hair to begin with). All in all- The hair loss is fairly normal, and more so for women. It happens to just about everyone and there isn't much you can do. However, you can help it a bit by "strengthening" the dead "Catagen Phase" Hair And try to keep from having it break off more than usual. Here are some of the suggestions from some of the hair dressers on the site Over the last few years- *Be nice to the hair you have. Don't brush your hair when it's wet. You're pulling out hairs by doing these things, weakening the follicles and shafts. *Keep your hair maintained with regular cuts. This will lessen the amount of hair that comes out in your hands and brushes. Think of it like lawn maintenance. When you regularly mow your lawn, You're removing the dead grass and scrub so that new grass can grow. Same goes for the grass on your melon. You're not helping anything by letting it grow wild at this point. You don't have to buzz cut your head but going shorter will help bring it back to life. The longer your hair is, the more weight there is on your follicles And tends to pull them out easier. *If you're losing volume, consider a shorter haircut. This is where paying the extra money for a good hair stylist goes a long way. When you go to an established stylist, They have the training and experience in dealing with this sort of thing. In short, you get what you pay for. A good "cutter" can make thin hair look thicker, etc… Let him or her know that you've had surgery, what your nutrition is like, If you have vitamin deficiencies, and listen to recommendations. Some of the stylists who are great "color" and "perm" folks Have some major chemistry info floating around in their heads When it comes to Hair. Tap into their experience/knowledge. *Consider using a "strengthening" product. (for me it was the Billy Jealousy's Stuff) Even "Scalp Clarifier/Stimulators like Nioxin and such. It won't make your hair literally "grow," but they feel good, And they "claim" to clarify your scalp and feed it nutrients to stimulate healthier hair. *Increase your Protein, Essential Fatty Acids and Vitamin B Complex BEFORE and after your surgery. All of these contribute to stronger hair and nails. You're not going to overdose on it (unless of course you literally overdose.) Make sure you're getting enough general Calories as well as protein. You can expect the shedding phase to peak at three to four months post op And return to normal, or your "new normal" at around six month (my sister was a product designer for Ogilvie ® Hair Products) One other thought…It could be as easy as switching to Head & Shoulders Shampoo… A thread about Demodex. A Hair folicle parasite that flourishes when there are hormone spikes and drops in typical fat useage- Hair,Imunity,and Skin-issues-from-WLS Hope your Head has some more hair soon. I bet it will….. For SOME More HAIR LOSS INFO- http://www.emedicine.com/DERM/topic416.htm

Best Wishes- Dx