Ask Tiny Tank: Did You Have Hair Loss?
If you’ve had weight loss surgery than you’ve thought about or experienced hair loss. Most of us think about it pre surgery, but it’s 3 months after weight loss surgery that people really start to realize this is a REAL thing. ”OMG.” ”Is it going to stop?” ”How can I prevent it?” ”When will it stop?” ”Dear Tiny Tank, Did you experience hair loss?”
The answer is, Yes.
I lost weight steadily for 2 years which was longer then my surgeon expected me to.
I had long full hair when I had surgery. And it thinned out considerable during those 2 years.
I did not take anything to try to counteract it.
I kept up with my vitamins, but no special things for hair specifically.
My hair, when it was thinner became a bit more curly and had a wave to it.
My hair did fill back in once my weight stabilized and I started maintaining my weight.
I will say that even since my surgery, I had a pregnancy and a few other surgery’s and I experienced hair loss with those surgical events too.
I’m not a medical professional but I have read many things about hair loss. There is proof that anesthesia can cause hair loss in many people. But I believe that most weight loss surgery post ops lose hair because of the significantly reduced food intake and rapid weight loss over an extended period of time. This reduces the nutrients absorbing into our bodies.
As I said, once my body got back into sync with what it needed in terms of vitamins and nutrients, my hair began to grow back naturally.
So with that said I think the most important thing you can do is TAKE YOUR VITAMINS!!
Work very closely with your nutritionist and make sure you are on top of your daily vitamins!
Please consider leaving me a comment. Did you lose hair after your weight loss? Did you take anything special to try and stop the loss? When did you find it stopped shedding?
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Comments (25)
Marney
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I still lose my hair after 11 years, nearly all year.
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Teresa
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Oh boy is my hair falling !!! I’m 6 months out and keep it up all the time because nobody wants to eat hair ! Yuck !!! God willing when it does stop that in will grow back curly !! Lol.
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my tiny tank
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Hi Teresa, while mine was growing back it was wavy!!!
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my tiny tank
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Hi Marney, I have long hair and it falls out every time I wash it. But I don’t feel like it is thin like it use to be. Vitamins, Vitamins, Vitamins!!
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Marney
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I take heaps of vitamins , in Australia Biotin is hard to find, I’ll post the name of what they recommend for us Aussies later today
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Audra
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My hair was thin to begin with. It is not as bad as I imagined it to be. I do take biotin everyday. Not sure it helps but it can’t hurt. I am waiting for it to start to get thicker but it probably won’t bc it was t when I started. It is a bit too thin on top. Crossing my fingers!!! I am 11 months out, lost 96# and am basically at goal. We shall see….
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my tiny tank
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Audra! Great job almost at goal that is awesome. The hair will resume growth once you are out of the losing stage. thanks for commenting.
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Tracy
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My hair was fine and thin. I lost about 75% of it. My Mom thankfully talked me into starting to wear wigs. I have gotten so many compliments on them. My hair is growing back a little bit curlier and coarser than before. It looks like it will be about a year before I could NOT wear a wig in public. But I am at peace with it.
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my tiny tank
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HI Tracy, I would never have known you were wearing a wig. I am SO GLAD you shared this. It will help others and give them options!!! thanks for commenting as always!!!
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Robin
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Oh boy did my hair fall out. It got really thin. I’m 19 months out and finally its growing back in and looking better every day. But I do take 10,000 mcg of Biotin daily. I do notice it falls out more if I’m not taking my vitamins. So take those vitamins!!!
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my tiny tank
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Hi Robin, I’ve never used the biotin. Perhaps I should when I am in losing mode!!! I too noticed when I’ve had subsequent surgeries or my pregnancy I lost hair too. thanks for sharing.
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Diana Heise
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Oh yes. The drain has evidence, the hairbrushes have evidence, the sink, my hands, oh yes it is coming out. I am 4 mo out. I know it will stop but in the mean time the most of it is still there and I have hopes the strands that went astray will grow back.
I use volumizer shampoo, conditioner, mousse and hairspray. Give that head some body.
Vitamins help!
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my tiny tank
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HI Diana, the vitamins are critical!! And when you stop losing the hair will come back. thanks for commenting!
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Julie
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I started lsing my hair at about 4 months post-op. by about 6-7 months post-op, my hair stopped falling out and began growing back. I purchased Nioxin products and Biotin. I have no idea if those products helped or not, but with already having baby fine thin hair, I wanted to keep as much hair as I could.
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my tiny tank
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Hi Julie, thanks for your comment. I think others have found benefits from biotin. thanks for sharing your experiences.
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julia
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I was lucky with hair. Going in to surgery I had a really full head of hair. So when the losing started around 4 months post-op, I was really the only one who ever noticed. Even my hairdresser commented that I did really well compared to the other post-ops she’s encountered. My hair loss also only lasted about 6 weeks before it started to taper back off. I never got around to trying Biotin or anything for it, just took my vitamins and kept my protein levels high and it stopped and started filling back in. I’d read that for a lot of people it doesn’t start growing back until the weight loss stops, and since I’m still losing weight at 14 months out, I’m pretty glad that wasn’t the case for me or I’d be bald by now!
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my tiny tank
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HI Julia, I never tried biotin either. You sound like me I kept losing way past my 1 year point. I lost for almost 2 years then leveled off. Once my body stopped my hair began to grow in. wispy and curly wavy. I think my hairdresser was layering my hair too which made it more curly. I liked it. thanks for telling is about your experience.
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Carmen Tucker
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Tracy thanks for posting this one. Some days its rough enough trying to familiarize yourself with the person staring back in the mirror. Then the hair loss hit. Darn near bald for 8 months. I tell friends… in the same week I had to buy a wig and double strength Drano since it all when at once.
Elated that it has started to come back. But now I find myself staring in the mirror wondering whose hair this is, since I have always had straight hair. I am so happy to hear others have the curly hair.
I have had these curls now for a few weeks and starting to love them. Now I fear they wont stay. Oh the life of WLS patient…..just as you get use to the new you, things change again.
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my tiny tank
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Carmen I had the curlies too!! But after a few years my hair is about the same as it was. I do still lose hair but I don’t think it is any different than normal for some one with long hair. thanks for your comments.
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Cathy
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I started losing my hair around month 5. It really fell out at a pretty good rate every day in the shower. I actually had to clean out the shower drain twice every day! It was difficult for me to process that mentally even though I knew I would have hair loss, it was hard to prepare for. After 2 months it slowed considerably but I still have pretty thin hair right now and I am almost 9 months post op. I use Nioxin shampoo which helps fluff my limp strands nicely but has not changed the condition of my hair in any way. I guess it just makes me feel better. I use a root lifter product to style it and loads and loads of hairspray!
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my tiny tank
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Hi Cathy. Thanks for sharing your approaches to fluff your hair. Time will bring hair when you are in maintenance.
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Libby
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I’m almost to 3 months. I am not looking forward to this stage at all! My hair is thin to begin with so I can’t afford to lose any!
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my tiny tank
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Hi Libby. The key is to take your vitamins. Thanks for commenting. Also some good ideas here as you enter the shedding months.
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Marney
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Silicea liquid is what’s recommended in Australia. I take this and bucket loads of vitamins for my Fibromyalgia, my hair still comes out alot just running my hands through it. It always gets thin around my fringe all year round , so I don’t believe vitamins fix it, 11 yrs on , they don’t work for me so there must be more to it.
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my tiny tank
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Hi Marney. Thanks for sharing this information. I am sure it will help others!!!
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