To my sleeve sisters (african american)

I was sleeved 2 weeks ago, I got my hair braided for the surgery. I would like to  hear from some African American women on hair loss. I already have really fine hair to begin with. So now I am worried that my hair will fall out when I take my braids down. Should I just keep my hair braided up for a couple of months? Any other sisters out there further along that had any problems? Thanks 

I am not african american but I figured I would respond at least to some of the info. 

If you are going to lose hair it seems to start happening around 3 months out. Some people say taking biotin or iron with vitamin c for better absorption helps to combat hairloss. Some say getting your protein in will keep you from losing your hair.  some say there is no formula to who loses it and who doesnt.

as far as braids go I know when I have them in for a few weeks and take them out I lose alot of hair. The normal human head is supposed to shed about 60 hairs a day..so if you think about keeping braids in for say 21 days x 60 hairs a day, when you take your braids out you probably notice alot of dead hair already.

I have heard many women talk about not "stressing" their hair post op to avoid hairloss so you may want to avoid dyes, perms, relaxers...but again this is all just conjecture and speculation.

i hope that helps some
xo
sassy

Thanks sassy, You know your hair.. go girl. I will probably have to get a braids or sew in a weave. because I am addicted to relaxers. Thanks

I'm a sew in queen and my surgery is next month. I have decided to keep my regimen of doing a sew in once a month for three monto and relax the third month. I then wait two weeks and do another sew in after the relax. I have been using Jane Carter solution to maintain my hair. If/when my hair starts falling out I will up the treatments and trims but just let it fall out in a shorter hairstyle. I think the hair starts to fall out 6-12 weeks after surgery so it may be too early to worry about it

I'm 16 weeks post op and have not experienced any hair loss yet (Keeping my fingers crossed) My hair has always been really thick but i like to wear it short or in a quick weave. I'm totally fine if i experience any hair loss because there are always other alternatives whenit comes to that. I havent heard much form afican americans who experienced hair loss after surgery but i would just keep it conditioned and braids are great, but years ago when i wore braids before wls i experienced damage after taking them down. I would just go with what ever works for you because everyone is different.
Good luck !

Chiming in only because my kids are mixed and (of course) my in-laws are black. A cousin had WLS a few years ago. She didn't have extensions, but kept her hair in short braids (cornrows). She had some hairl loss, but pretty much just what you would expect when taking down braids and rebraiding. She SWEARS that's what made her keep her hair!! LOL... take that for what it's worth... It may or may not have helped. She had really thick, nappy hair to begin with, so maybe hairless wasn't as noticeable on her! Good luck! I haven't lost any hair yet, but I'm just hitting 3 months. A little worried about it myself!

Well.how you call someone hair nappy? Very disrespectful.

I'm 9 weeks out, had my hair relaxed last Thursday and am getting it colored next week.  I have thin hair on top and thicker on the sides and so far have not lost much hair other than the usual. I really think eating so much protein is helping and losing slowly is helping, but who knows.  I don't know about the braids, it's always been my thought that since braids cause pressure on your hair roots that it's easier for your hair to fall out, but please don't listen to me, you know your hair.   Stay healthy and the hair will grow back.

I talked to an african american lady on here who said the surgery and the healthy food she ate and all  the gelatin  made her her thicker and healthier..I would have to go back and look at all my posts to find out her name, but i believe it would be possible.

I haven't have much hair loss. Almost 2 months out but my hair did become very dry. I had went short before the surgery and have cut it even shorter since. Seems I was able to get the moisture in better with the short style.

I believe since I really went for a lot of protein the hair loss has been at a minimum and hope it stays that way.