Question:
Ouestion for people with thin hair

Hi I'm worried about losing hair because my hair is already thin. Anyone out there with my stat's bmi 40/5'7/254 age 37 with already thin hair that lost hair or that did'nt lose hair and if you did lose hair was it bad    — Tanya W. (posted on October 22, 2003)

October 22, 2003
Tanya, we are close in stats I am 37 years old, 5'8" with a starting weight of 273 (BMI of 42). Right around 3 months out I started noticing my hair loss had increased. (I had thick hair in the back and thinner hair one top of my head prior to surgery) When I noticed an increase in the lose of hair (instead of just cleaning out the drain everyday after my shower I had to clean the bathroom floor everyday as well) I decide to cut my hair short. If figured I needed a sassy new cut for my sassy new body :) Having shorter hair helped. No one ever could tell I was losing a lot of hair because of my hairstyle. I am now just over 5 months and my hair loss has dramatically slowed. The way I look at it is I would much rather have the surgery even if it come with some hair loss then not having the surgery at all. Janine
   — jmusser

October 22, 2003
my stats are not near yours but it really has nothing to do with hair loss. I am 5'1" and started at 228. I now weigh 140 and my hair was fine and thin to start with. it started coming out at four months and then slowed down last month. Now falling out bad again. I have got a real short cut but I have noticeable bald spots . It is awful. I am considering getting a short wig for awhile. I had another surgery years ago unrelated to wls and the same thing happened. I wore a wig for about one year. I have tried up protein, vits and all that stuff and nothing helps. Some people lose because of the anesthesia and I am one of them. Good luck!!!!1
   — Delores S.

October 22, 2003
Hi- I don't have the same stats as you but that doesn't really matter for hair loss. <br><br> I have always baby-fine hair, stick-straight, and it is very thin (I call it 3 year old boy hair). At least, it was! I was critically ill three years ago, and when I got out of hospital nearly all of my hair fell out. My hair dresser friend encouraged me to try folic acid and B12 supplements right away. My hair came back, and it is much thicker than it ever was. After my WLS (I am 18 month post-op) I didn't lose a single bit of hair, and I color and bleach mine a lot. For the first 9 months or so I never got in my protein because I was ill a lot - I was getting maybe 30 grams/day and about 400 calories for months straight. I thought for sure I would be totally bald from that. We think my hair was in such great shape that there was nothing that would make it fall out!<br><br> Hope this helps! <br> -shelli
   — kultgirl

October 22, 2003
I was 5'7", 248 and 45 years old. My hair has always been thin and kinda frizzy and fine. I have lost some hair, mostly i my hairbrush, but I certainly am not bald. My scalp does not show through. I cut my hair shorter though, and this definitely makes my hair appear thicker than it is. Hope this helps!
   — Fixnmyself

October 22, 2003
Ok, I am different. I am 39 (almost...gulp...40) with VERY VERY thin fine hair that has always been brittle as well. I could never grow my hair out more than 4 or 5" without it breaking off. I used to think it was pretty cool that I have NEVER had a gray hair (not even one) at 39. That is until I realized what would have turned gray had fallen out instead! I had surgery on June 23, 2003 (BMI was 63)and my hair has FILLED IN!! I was going very bald on the top prior to surgery so resigned myself to expect to have to wear a cap. So far it's the opposite. I also loose better if I keep some carbs in my diet. Everyone is different. Good luck
   — Kathy J.

October 22, 2003
Hi, I have very thin hair and am expecting it to begin falling out anyday now. I had lost a lot of weight on Optifast several years ago and my hair fell out then. I will be 3 months out 11/12/03. So far, no hair loss but again I have'nt hit 3 months yet. I have been looking at getting a wig. They make some really cute ones now that don't even look like wigs. I have warned my friends at work that I don't want any comments when I show up with a wig on. They don't believe me when I tell them that my hair will most likely start falling out. We'll see. Good luck. Jane.
   — peanutpatty

October 22, 2003
I have very thick hair, but I have lost a great deal of hair. I have a friend who had thin hair and who lost a great deal of it as well. Trust me, when you start dropping the weight, although hair loss may be somewhat of a concern, you won't care as much as you think you would. Neither my friend nor I care. I cut and layered my hair, so it wasn't stringy, and she just wears it in a braid - scalp ahowing and all. As long as we can buy hair all will be fine.
   — Girl from B.

October 22, 2003
Age 34, 5'6" 245 to 145, almost 2 years post-op. I have always had very baby fine hair, and somewhat thin. Months 3-6 I lost tons of hair. I cut it really short and it made it worse, it was so thin that you could see through to the scalp. I did grow back in, and thicken up, but I have been through several short periods of hair loss since. Its not enough for anyone to notice, but I do. Its OK with me though, I feel great and wouldn't change a thing!
   — Cheri M.

October 23, 2003
Tanya, I started out much heavier that you but my hair has always been very thin and baby fine. Before surgery I cut my hair really short to take some of the stress off of it. At about 4 months outs I started losing hair. I really don't think anyone even noticed. (Except for me!)It grew back in no time. I've been using Dove shampoo and conditioner and it seems to give it a bit more body. I also lost some hair after I had reconstructive surgery this year. It must be how I react to anesthesia.
   — Pamela B.

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