Question:
How do I stop hair loss from happening?

I had my surgery at the end of December 2004 and now three months later my hair is falling out. I want to know is there anything I can do about it?    — Kellie P. (posted on April 3, 2005)

April 3, 2005
Kellie, I am still newly post op but my understanding of the process is you will lose some hair, make sure your getting at least 50gm of protein and drinking your water and it will pass and grow back. I hope this helps, Denise
   — dlryanoates

April 3, 2005
I also had surgery in December and I have been taking GNC's vitamin-hair skin and nails for women twice a day and I have lost very little hair. They are very inexpensive.
   — jorene1675

April 3, 2005
My surgeon claims that everyone is different, and that there are trends and fads of things that people try. His experience is that some are luckier than others, and it is the luck of the draw as to how much you will lose. He says nothing really helps, and it is what it is. It does grow back though!!!
   — Fixnmyself

April 4, 2005
Hi, My doctor said that Biotin can help - 5mg a day. Also he said we are supposed to get in 60-80 gms of protein a day. Since it's hard to get that much from solid food, I drink protein drinks and protein bars. I've ordered quite a few things from bariatriceating.com. I think it's featured on this website. Hope this helps. Take care, Lisa
   — LisaCopeland

April 4, 2005
Kellie: Here is some info I found on an internet medical site, concerning hair loss (telogen effluvium). I honestly don't think there's much you can do to stop it or even prevent it (and I tried a bunch of stuff). Hang in there - it usually stops after about 3 months, and you'll see your hair starting to grow back in. Good luck. Telogen effluvium is the name for temporary hair loss that follows some shock to the system. Cause In a normal healthy person's scalp about 85% of the hair follicles are actively growing hair and 15% are resting. A hair follicle usually grows hair for 4 years then rests for 4 months. The old hair then falls out and a new hair begins to grow. When the hair rests it changes into a club hair. When the new hair starts it forms under the resting club hair and pushes it out. Thus, it is normal to lose up to about 100 hairs a day on one's comb, brush, in the basin or on the pillow, as a result of the normal scalp hair cycle. If there is some shock to the system, as many as 70% of the scalp hairs can be precipitated into a resting state, thus reversing the usual ratio. Typical precipitants include: Illness Operation Accident Childbirth Nervous shock Weight loss or unusual diet Discontinuing the contraceptive pill Overseas travel resulting in jetlag. The resting scalp hairs, now in the form of club hairs, remain firmly attached to the hair follicles at first. It is only about 2 months after the shock that the new hairs coming up through the scalp push out the "dead" club hairs and increased hair fall is noticed. Thus, paradoxically, with this type of hair loss, hair fall is a sign of hair regrowth. As the new hair first comes up through the scalp and pushes out the dead hair a fine fringe of new hair is often evident along the forehead hairline. At first the fall of club hairs is profuse and a general thinning of the scalp hair may become evident but after several months a peak is reached and hair fall begins to lessen, gradually tapering back to normal over 6-9 months. As the hair fall tapers off the scalp thickens back up to normal, but recovery may be incomplete in some cases. Because nail and hair growth are under the same influences, an arrest in hair growth is often mirrored in the nails by a groove across them coinciding with the time of the shock to the system. The time of the shock can be estimated from the fact that a finger nail takes 5 months to grow from the posterior nail fold to the free edge. So if the groove in the nail is half way down the nail then the shock must have been 2 1/2 months ago. Treatment Telogen effluvium is self-correcting. It is really not influenced by any treatment that can be given. However, gentle handling of the hair, avoiding over-vigorous combing, brushing and any type of scalp massage are important. You should also ensure a nutritious diet, with plenty of protein, fruit and vegetables. The doctor may check your levels of iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid, as any deficiency in these can slow hair growth. Related information On DermNet: Hair loss Alopecia areata Other web sites: Telogen effluvium - from emedicine dermatology, the on-line textbook.
   — Carlita

April 4, 2005
I lost a lot of hair too and the only thing that made it look fuller and better was to lop a few inches off. However, once that was over (almost at exactly 6 months) it started to grow in really fast with all the protein and healthy habits I had started. I also grew back with very curly hair, something I am still getting used to! So in a way, the hair loss was an advantage, as I had always wanted to have curly hair. :-)
   — missmollyk

April 5, 2005
I had the same problem. It is common to have some hair loss after anesthesia for any surgery. When you take in to account that we are losing alot of weight and have malabsorption problems we all have a problem. My surgeon told me to make sure I was getting enough protein and to take a prenatal vitamin in addition to my other vitamin supplements. It worked for me, within a week my hair stopped falling out and it has grown back in. hope this helps.
   — Shannon M.

April 5, 2005
Kellie, We had WLS the same month! I had mine Dec 16, 2004. My hair has not fallen out so far. I was told by the bariatric center that protein is the key. For the first 6 weeks, 75 grams of protein per day is the recommended amount. From 6 weeks to 3 mths, it's 65 grams, from 3 to 5 mths, I think it's 60 grams per day. As long as you don't take in 100 grams or more per day, you are fine. If you don't take in enough protein, your hair, skin and nails are really affected. I'm sure that it causes problems in other areas as well. I usually get my protein by drinking ISOPURE (the zero carbs) or by following a recipe recommended by the bariatric center, which is mix together in a blender---4 cups of skim milk, 1 cup carnation dry milk and 1 packet of carnation instant breakfast for the carb conscious (chocolate or vanilla). This provides 60 grams of protein and 32 oz of fluid. The other 16 to 32 oz of fluid can come from water or other sugar free, carbonation-free drinks. I also eat a low carb high protein bar for breakfast, which provides 17 to 25 grams of protein. My hair is full and shiny and yours will be too if you take in enough protein. Good luck to you!
   — csanchez1111