Question:
When does the hairloss stop?

I am 3 1/2 months post op and started losing my hair about 2 or 3 weeks ago. I am losing it by the handfuls. How longs does this go on? I started taking 1200mg of Biotin about a week ago and see no difference. Also, I have a hard time getting all my protein in cause I hate the supps and there isn't many foods that I like anymore. I basically live on Wendy's chili and yogurt. And another question.......does anyone know how many grams of protein are in Wendy's chili? Thanks!    — Kim B. (posted on April 26, 2002)

April 26, 2002
I checked Wendys website, their chili has 15g of protein in a small portion and 23g in the large (if you are finishing the entire portion!). I am pre-op so I don't have any answers about the hair loss. Good Luck
   — Lisa S.

April 26, 2002
Buy veggie fuel from the web or GNC mix it with ff sf yourgut (light and lively) and a little water. Add 1 scoop to a container and try to eat 2 or 3 a day. You will get plenty of protein and hopefully it will stop your hair loss-- Good Luck
   — Robert L.

April 26, 2002
Kim-I have yet to experience the hair loss, but have you tried the Isopure liquid drink from GNC. I gag at the mere thought of protein shakes, but I actually can tolerate the drink. It has 40g of protein and I drink one a day. My MD told me I only needed 50g a day. I thought I was doomed before I found it. That might help. The apple is my fav. ir tastes like a Jolly Rancher.
   — Amy M.

April 26, 2002
Hi Kim. I am almost 4 months post op and have noticed my hair thinning a bit lately. I've been taking biotin and zinc daily since about 2 weeks after surgery. The hair I'm losing is NOT enough for me to worry about so I'm assuming the biotin & zinc are doing what I intended them to do, which is keep my hair on my head instead of the floor! I don't think a week of taking them will show you any difference but a month of taking them might. Can't hurt to keep trying. Good Luck.
   — Pam S.

April 26, 2002
Kim, I'm almost 11 months post op and my hair is just now starting to come back in. I started losing it at about 3 months out. I tried it all, every kind of shampoo and pill that was supposed to help with hair loss, nothing worked. My hairdresser told me it would stop on it's own and that I was getting new "baby" hair at about 9 months out. So I guess, for me anyway, the hair loss lasted form month 3 until month 9. But you won't go bald :)
   — Gail M.

April 26, 2002
Try Nature's Bounty "Vitamins for the Hair." It literally stopped my hair loss in its tracks. Within one week of being on this supplement, all loss stopped. Now, at 13.5 months post-op, my hair is thicker/shinier than it has ever been.
   — Terissa R.

April 26, 2002
I used Nioxin shampoo and conditioner. I understand clairol has a good one called 5X? or something like that. I hated my protein but took it anyway , I believe Michelle Curran said to try the 4 gulp rule.Anyway it worked for me , I mixed small batches and drank it in 4 gulps(SMALL GULPS). Make sure to get your vitamins in. Maybe cottage cheese if you can tolerate it is a better choice than yogurt , protein wise.
   — Rose A.

April 26, 2002
Just wanted to share something that I learned about hair loss. My hair's been falling out by the handful , and I was so confused by all of the different answers I'd been getting from my dietitian, surgeon, this site, and others. So I made an appointment with a dermatologist to get the straight story. Here's what he said: Our hair basically has two "states" -- anagen and telogen. At any given time, about 90-95% of our hairs are in the anagen (growing) stage, which lasts anywhere from 3-8 years. The remaining 5-10% are in telogen (resting) stage, which lasts 3-6 months. It's the telogen hairs that are the concern here, because hairs in this stage fall out as new anagen hairs push them out of the follicle. He said that major shocks to the body (surgery of any type, delivery of a baby, rapid weight loss, emotional upset) can cause those perfectly happy, growing anagen hairs to switch prematurely into a telogen cycle. He went on to say that there isn't anything at all that can be done about it. Not more protein, vitamins, special shampoo, nada! Those hairs that have gotten "confused" 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. But I guess the good news is that the new hairs are right behind 'em. He showed me under a magnifying glass how he could tell if the hairs that were coming out were telogen -- these hairs have the "bulb" on the scalp end. (If there is no bulb, that means that the hair was in anagen phase when it fell out... basically it broke off in the follicle, rather than coming out cleanly with its bulb. When anagen hairs fall out, that's a bad thing.) So now you can bet that I'm checking every one of my falling hairs for a bulb! (just kidding.) FYI -- the name of this condition is telogen effluvium. There's plenty on the 'net about it. Anyway, thought this info might be comforting to those of us who are dealing with this awful hair loss.
   — Joya K.