Hair loss - Help?

[FlabbyNat 72]

Help? I had my sleeve surgery a year ago, and I have lost over 50% of my hair. Anyone else have this problem, and what helps? Will it get better? I am taking daily Multivitamins, Biotin, & even trying Rogaine, but not seeing results yet. I used to have really thick hair, and now it's so thin and has no body at all. I am so depressed about it.

Thanks ~Natalie

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

Rogain causes hair loss when you first use it. I would discontinue use of Rogain as it is not meant for hair shedding from weight loss.

Hair shedding is temporary. It is caused by hormones and stress from losing weight. When your body weight stabilizes the hair will begin to regrow. Make sure you are getting enough Protein daily.

[JamieLogical 8,710]

Have you had blood work done to see if you have any deficiencies? How much Protein are you getting daily? How much weight have you lost and are you still losing rapidly?

[glitter eyes 1,398]

@FlabbyNat. I am almost two years post op and I have lost about 50% of my hair too. My hair was really thick before so thankfully it could be worse. However, my hair also got very dry and brittle and would break off in addition to the Hair loss. I would lose huge clumps when I washed my hair.

What really helped me was I started taking a powdered collagen supplement that I added to a bottle of flavored water. After about a month my hair loss slowed way down, now it's probably a tiny bit more than normal, but not what it was.

Then I started drinking bamboo tea which is very high in silica which helps skin, hair and nails. That has helped the dryness and the brittleness. I have very little breakage now and my hair is soft and shiny again.

For the record, I think all this hair loss is just the luck of the draw. I have always gotten in my Protein everyday (I track my food religiously), I take Vitamins, I have tried Biotin (no luck with that), and my lab work has always been perfect. Also, my weight loss has been stable for a year now.

I also have tried multiple types of Shampoo, scalp massages, coconut oil, emu oil, essential oils, hair masks... The list can go on.

I think the key is experiment and find what helps you.

Good luck.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@@FlabbyNat

Prior to having surgery, when I wanted to make my hair grow rapidly I would up my Protein intake. I currently eat between 100-120g of Protein a day. My hair is growing back very rapidly.

@@glitter eyes Has some great suggestions. collagen and bamboo tea are cheap, and easily absorbed by the body and don't have the side effects of things like Biotin and they will help you with hair and skin. Collagen will also help you boost your protein intake.

Make sure your Iron and zinc levels are good. If you are low on Iron, you are going to have a tough time growing hair.

[cindyw41 761]

Call your PcP or surgeon for them to order the Vitamin work up. I am losing a lot of hair as well and my PCP said it could be my Iron levels. I see my surgeon tomorrow to go over my test results so I am curious to see what they are.

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[FlabbyNat 72]

Thank you all!! This makes me feel better. I was kinda in panic mode! lol

I don't do well with Protein intake, so I am sure I could try to increase that. I need to go get my labs drawn again. I have a low thyroid, and low Iron, so I will focus on that too.

I have lost 60 lbs and have hit a wall with that for the past few months. I just started doing roller derby, so I am working out a lot, and hopefully will start to lose again. I just hope the hair loss is over! I need my hair! lol

[Marisa1972 3]

Thanks for posting this question because I was about to post a similar one. I am about 13 months post-op and, like many of you, I had nice thick hair before surgery. I too feel like I have lost 50% of my hair...and I'm still losing it. I notice that I have a lot of shorter hair, which, I assume is hair that was lost and grew back...but, again, it is still very thin and I feel like I look sickly at times because of it. I do get my Protein in most days, as I still drink (and actually enjoy) one Protein shake a day to ensure that I'm getting what I need. I also take Biotin...and now I have gone over to using the Biotin & collagen Shampoo a few times a week because I figured it couldn't hurt. I'm not a tea drinker, so that suggestion is out for me. Anything else anyone is doing that might help?

[cindyw41 761]

I saw my Nut today and she said there isn't anything we can do to prevent hair loss. It is a side effect from the rapid weight loss. She said that we should be getting 90 grams of Protein a day to promote regrowth.

My Iron was 1 pt away from being low so she did put me on a supplement. This should help me with being cold and tired as well

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Edited April 27, 2016 by cindyw41