Hair Loss post-op

[youknowit 11]

Both times I had weightloss surgery, first to have my band placed, second to have it taken out, I did eventually lose a lot of hair. This is often attributed to a few things: anesthesia, vitamin/mineral loss, chemical changes due to weightloss, etc. First surgery, it started at about 3-4 months out. Second surgery, it started about 2-3 months out. I can attribute a lot of the loss in my second round of surgery, to the severe anemia I had, due to the band. Recently, an article was published about Iron deficiency and weight loss surgery. You can find it here, published in October.

Weight-loss surgery brings risk of Iron deficiency: MedlinePlus

As far as my experience and research tells me, nothing can be done about the hairloss. Usually, it grows back, but it will take time... When you start seeing less and less hair in the drain, you've turned a corner. Hope this helps!

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

We should be absorbing nutrients from our food because we haven't changed our anatomy like gastric bypass patients. Are intestines are as normal as someone who has not had WLS.

I did notice in my chart notes when I had my recent gall bladder surgery that I was slightly anemic. I am going to ask my pcp about it when I see him. I have also read that anemia does cause hair loss. Did you know prunes are high in Iron?

[youknowit 11]

In terms of "gastric bypass"... I truly believe, based on my very expensive trips to the gastroenterologist and his comments on my situation, that my Iron deficiency was due to the band. My hemoglobin was so low (6), they thought I must have leukemia or something really serious. After the band was removed, taking 3 Iron pills a day, six months later, I'm finally at a "normal" level.

It's not just about absorbing nutrients through our food, just because we don't have "bypass". We are eating LESS food. Period. Thus, less Vitamins, minerals, nutrients... It isn't a huge leap to believe that less food equals less nutrients, thus, possible issues, like anemia. (This could especially be a problem if we aren't always very careful about the nutrition in our food). "Malabsorption" isn't really the concern, per se, with the sleeve. However, just because there isn't a "bypass" mechanism, or an intended malabsorption, like bypass, doesn't mean "everything works the same" in our bodies. Clearly, that's not the case, which is the reason we get procedures like the band, sleeve, because our bodies working "the same/normally" isn't working for us.

Just my $.33 :001_tongue::smile1::smile1:

We should be absorbing nutrients from our food because we haven't changed our anatomy like gastric bypass patients. Are intestines are as normal as someone who has not had WLS.

I did notice in my chart notes when I had my recent gall bladder surgery that I was slightly anemic. I am going to ask my pcp about it when I see him. I have also read that anemia does cause hair loss. Did you know prunes are high in iron?

[youknowit 11]

PS - Prunes are delish! :001_tongue: Unfortunately, I am an expert on the "high iron" foods and food combos after all of this madness... :smile1:

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Oh I know our bodies are working differently. I am amazed at how sometimes I can eat something just fine, and sometimes when I eat that same food, I get light headed, dizzy, nauseous, and diarrhea, just like the dumping syndrome. It's weird. The last time was when I ate cranberry sauce.

Unfortunately, it's a catch 22 situation. Beef is high in Iron, and also bad for the cholesterol. I need to look up online which foods are Iron rich, because I am not going to eat a lot of beef. I am not going to take iron pills either. I remember being pregnant and I had to take them,and they made me sick and constipated. Also with my liver being the way it is, I was told not to take iron.

[youknowit 11]

There are a few different kinds of Iron that are over the counter, and quite a few that you can get from the doc as a scripts that are quick absorb, etc. Taking too much Iron isn't good, but not having enough can kill you. I learned of this possibility the hard way. Ugh. If you ever need it, here are some different kinds and strengths over-the-counter:

Over-the-Counter Iron supplements Contain Varying Amounts of Iron

Iron Supplement Tablet Size Elemental Iron

Ferrous fumarate 325 mg 108 mg

Ferrous sulfate 325 mg 65 mg

Ferrous gluconate 325 mg 35 mg

A Physician?s Guide to Oral Iron supplements | Feature Articles | NAAC National Anemia Action Council

[youknowit 11]

Oops, I forgot... of course if you have problems with your liver, that's no good... Here are some foods high in iron:

What treatments are available to help me?

Sometimes Iron deficiency anemia can be corrected by eating more iron-rich foods, such as meat, eggs, fish, poultry, greenleafy vegetables, and dried fruits. If your Iron level is too low to be treated by increasing the intake of iron-rich foods, your doctor may recommend iron pills.

Anemia and Nutrition: The Importance of Iron | Feature Articles | NAAC National Anemia Action Council

Iron Deficiency Anemia | Information Handouts | NAAC National Anemia Action Council

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Thanks so much for posting those links. They were very interesting to read.

[youknowit 11]

I've become a mini-expert on the anemia stuff, being that I was in such a bad state early this year. All is going better now, but not perfect. I do the best I can, and yes, taking all those Iron supps each day for those months did cause me tummy problems. Once I was cut down to one per day, all calmed down, and all is well. :thumbup1:

Glad you enjoyed the links... that website is very helpful. :wink0:

[thinoneday 445]

I've not had my surgery yet but I have always had Hair loss, I have really long hair (to my butt) and with each brushing out comes a big wad, not just a few hairs. . . so for me this is normal. . . watch my hair do the opposite at 3 months! Wouldn't that be weird!

[rcarter76 0]

The following is a research article that might help with your understanding...

A common fear and complaint of bariatric surgery patients is postoperative hair loss. While for most of us as people, our hair is important as part of our self-image and body image, it is not very important to our bodies. For this reason, nutrition can have a great impact on hair health because when forced to make a choice, the body will shift nutritional stores to vital organs like the brain and heart and away from hair.

Hair loss has many causes. The most common type of hair loss after weight loss surgery is a diffuse loss known medically as telogen effluvium, which can have both nutritional and non-nutritional causes.

Whether you are aware of it or not, for most of your life you are always in the process of both growing and losing hair. Human hair follicles have two states: anagen, a growth phase, and telogen, a dormant or resting stage. All hairs begin their life in the anagen phase, grow for some period of time, and then shift into the telogen phase,which lasts for approximately 100 to 120 days. Following this, the hair will fall out. Typically, about 90 percent of hairs are anagen and 10 percent are telogen at any give time—meaning that we are usually losing a lot less hair than we are growing, so the hair loss is not noticeable. But sometimes this can change.

Specific types of stress can result in a shift of a much greater percentage of hairs into the telogen phase. The stressors known to result in this shift, or telogen effluvium, include the following: high fever, severe infection, major surgery, acute physical trauma, chronic debilitating illness (such as cancer or end-stage liver disease), hormonal disruption (such as pregnancy, childbirth, or discontinuation of estrogen therapy), acute weight loss, crash dieting, anorexia, low Protein intake, Iron or zinc deficiency, heavy metal toxicity, and some medications (such as beta-blockers, anticoagulants, retinoids, and immunizations).

Nutritional issues aside, bariatric surgery patients already have two major risks of major surgery and rapid weight loss. These alone are likely to account for much of the hair loss seen after surgery. In the absence of a nutritional issue, hair loss will continue until all hairs that have shifted into telogen phase have fallen out. There is no way of switching them back to the anagen phase. Hair loss will rarely last for more than six months in the absence of a dietary cause. Because hair follicles are not damaged in telogen effluvium, hair should then regrow. For this reason, most doctors can assure their weight loss surgery patients that with time and patience, and keeping up good nutritional intake, their hair will grow back.