Questions: I have heard of peoples hair falling out...why

[Firecallie 2]

Is it a lack of nutrition? Not eating enough? Wouldn't Vitamins help that? I'm somewhat concerned about that. Another question, (though perhaps not tasteful) for some reason during my liquid diet phase my urine has been darker than usual...does anyone have an answer for this?

[HarleyNana 10]

Some say it's due to not enough Protein, others say it's related to being put to sleep, that about 6 months down the road the hair starts to fall out, but only for a short time.

[Jachut 487]

Its not unusual after an anaesthetic to have some hair fall out but really its an extremely short anaesthetic for a lap band. And I dont believe you can put it down solely to Protein either. When you think about it how often do you lose hair when you have just gone on a diet?

I really think you have to be really really careful during the pre op and post op phases, I think lots of people just get severely malnourished during those phases. I've heard of so many surgeons here that advise their patients that its hard enough to stick to liquids without being a stickler for calories, fats etc and what does that lead to? People who live on chocolate milkshakes, ice cream and the like for that mushy period. Combine that with losing weight too fast and you have a pretty poor environment in your body for keeping your hair and your skin healthy.

My surgeon has advised the following: no preop diet - he only advises it when necessary, he's told me to do the following afterwards - follow a nutritionally complete Meal Replacement plan such as Optifast, 3 x per day, plus supplement with lots of V8 juice, some prune juice, another type of fruit juice (apple, orange etc) maybe one glass per day of each and in the mushies stage he says I should be eating a normal diet just blended up - ie. Cereal and fruit for Breakfast, Protein, vegetables and a starchy vegetable for lunch and dinner, some yogurt in there somewhere. Take a multi Vitamin without fail.

Above all, just ingest in small amounts throughout the day but get it all in! Keep the calories high enough to avoid a massive Water loss which makes you feel encouraged but really does you no good.

If I did all that, I would be eating better than I do now. I cant imagine why my hair would fall out.

Geez, I hope he's right!

[flower 2]

About four months post op my hair began falling out in blobs i had to be put out twice so ie port flipped in two month period now 5 months it has slowed down I asked my doctor and he said he has never heard of it find that hard to believe but he has only done 40 bands so it could be I really thought I was going bald it sucked so bad I am still losing hair but not as I did the things we have to go thru

[ReneBean 3]

I heard or read somewhere that the hair loss is caused by that mad release of hormones and other body waste products that get trapped and stored in fat cells. As you lose weight, the cells break down and release all that garbage back into your system. It affects lots of things, including your menstrual cycle and your hair growth/loss patterns.

It should even out and go away eventually.

[MorningHibiscus 0]

I haven't been banded, yet, but have lost hair, so I looked into it...and will share what little I know. I'm female, 62, no hair problems especially, mostly brown hair with speckles of grey.

In my case, I had a patch of hair come off in the shower from the crown of my head...it was quite a shock; I just looked at it. :speechles No pain, no pull, it just came off in a clump. I had been coloring my hair, so I quit that, then and there, and the hair came back in.

I had another clump come off in a different location, and it came back in.

I talked to a Dr. about it, and he said I could see a dermatologist, who had something that would help. (I didn't...I thought it would come back)

From what I read, overall thinning can be a result of shock, and the body does think that surgery is a shock... imagine that.....

Judy

Thinking and researching in Florida

[Jachut 487]

I wonder what it is specific to banding though - I mean you hardly ever hear about people losing a lot of weight just through dieting, and losing hair do you? I suspect people just may eat too little after being banded to keep up complete nourishment.

[youknowit 11]

It's definitely not specific to banding... this can happen from even one severely stressful/traumatic event in your life, and I would say all the planning, plotting, going through all the motions and emotions and changes of getting the band would qualify. There was an article on one of the other threads here a while back about it... I'll see if I can find it for you.

angie

[seehawksimms 0]

It would be just my luck to lose my hair instead of losing my fat butt.

[tomorrowsdream 0]

You may have hypothyroidsm which is one of the leading causes of not being able to diet and stick to it. The thyroid gland is a little thing that plays a big part in your well being. Usually you go grey early, but people are known to lose gobs of hair. Just a little pill you take to put you back on track. Ask your dr. to check your thyroid. You might be surprised.

[patty 0]

I started having hair loss after a couple of months. When my weight loss plateaued (six months out) my hair stopped falling out. Now that I am losing again, it is falling out some....I have really thick hair and I am not worried about it...

My Dr said I probably wasnt getting enough protien, so who knows...

Patty

[Jachut 487]

I leave huge amounts of hair everywhere all the time anyway - really alarming amounts. It blocks the drains, it hangs off the bathroom ceiling, it's all over the sinks, it's revolting. I havent gone bald yet.

its interesting that hypothyroidism causes that. My sister is hypothyroid, had no symptoms other than menstrual irregularities, it was picked up randomly. I display nore of the symptoms, I'm tired a lot, have very dry hair and skin, huge dark circles under my eyes, I've got a lot of grey hair which I take great pains to hide (I'm 38) and I have a weight problem. I've been tested a gazillion times and I'm normal!

Dont they give you a full blood workup before banding? They do here, so you'd find out if you were anaemic, hypothyroid or whatever before your op.

[legallyblonde2 0]

Oh man! I get so angry when I think about his topic. (not at any PT's but at the doctors) Why won't a doctor explain the answer to this horrible problem?? Why are there so many people still asking this question? Why do we bat around these different theories and guesses? It is inexcusable that we don't have a scientific answer to the hair loss question. Like so many others before and after me, my hair fell out at the 6 month mark. I have always been blessed with a huge amount of hair. I can honestly say that I lost half my total volume. What if I wouldn't have had so much to start with? I'd be BALD! Try telling a woman who is bald that this is not a big deal and the answer MAY or MAY NOT be blah blah

blah....and that it will grow back. Not good.

I have had doctors who I work with laugh in my face when presented with the "anesthesia" theory. I know it wasn't a nutritional issue since I monitored my every intake with surgical precession. I have had every blood test know to science and I am perfectly in balance.

A while back, a sweet girl whose name escapes me wrote a really interesting post on what it might be. The whole Hair growth stages thing. It is at least a somewhat logical idea. Flawed only in that it doesn't explain why this happens to lap band people and how there is a connection. ( The doctors laughed at that one too by the way. I work with some of the worlds most brilliant medical minds at UCLA. Not to insult but I trust there opinions a little more than my beloved Mexican surgeon.If you catch my drift.)

So to end my rant....today is my one year anniversary. I have lost 48lbs and feel really good. Would like to loose another 20 tops. I wear a size 10 and can't believe it. People guess me at a size 7. No saggy skin. Boobs are pathetic and deflated!! Scar looks horrible! Hair has stopped falling out and is growing back. Haven't had reflux since I went back for an unfill. Still have a really hard time with solids before 4PM. Tired of Protein shakes. Miss bread and pizza sort of. Cheat with diet coke sometimes. Date often and never wonder if "he didn't like me because I am fat." Life is pretty hard but still good. Would I do it again???? In Mexico with Dr. Lopez???? For me...yes. For anyone I love....I would forbid it! Only a person who has had a similar experience would understand.

I needed to vent and this is the only place where I can do it. Forgive the spelling. In a hurry.

[ladysplenda 1]

I take a powder Ambertose.I have not been banded yet.But I was worried about losing my hair it is very thin or should I say was.I now get comments on haow much healthier my hair has gotten.My nails are growing for the first time in my life I have had to cut my toenails. No kidding. I hope that it will keep me from losing my hair after I am banded.

[piercedqt78 658]

I am starting to lose my hair but that is fine, I was warned that it may happen. I have a ton of very fine hair so it is starting to become noticable. I lost my hair that same way on the Atkins diet and also on Jenny Craig. I have had problems with an underactive thyroid but that resolved itself when my daughter was born. I have just recently had a complete blood work-up and all was fine. I am sure it will grow back and if not, I will start a new trend. I am down almost 50 pounds in just shy of 4 months, I will take thin hair and a thin body anyday.~Mandy