thin hair

I had thin hair before I had the sleeve done on August of 12 and I still have very thin hair what can I do help don't know who to see or what to do

This is common due to lack of protein. You need to make sure you are getting enough some people also take I believe it is called biotin as well. Just use the search feature and look for thinning hair or hair falling out.

OK, Butterfly...I'm going to give you the hard-to-hear facts.   If you had thin hair before the surgery, fasten your seatbelt and get ready for a very bumpy ride.  At 4-6 months the hair loss for most people reaches its peak.  I can tell you for me it started falling out right after surgery and then a LOT at 5 months and it's just slowing down now...a little bit.  But it's still coming out.   At this point my hair guy estimates I've lost 1/3 to 1/2 of all my hair...and I didn't have much to start with.  

What can you do?  Maybe nothing, that's the honest truth.   I always got my 80-100 grams of protein every single day, even right after surgery.  I made sure of it because of the hair thing.  I took biotin for months before and continue to take it.  It doesn't prevent hair loss but helps with new growth...supposedly.  I take extra Vit D3 and zinc because my hair guy says hair is all hormonal and those supplements help...supposedly.  I use a special hair loss shampoo that helps...supposedly.   I do scalp massage with tea tree oil because that helps...supposedly.  I say "supposedly" because I'm firmly of the opinion now that this loss would have happened regardless of what I did or didn't do.  

My doctor and most people on here will tell you "don't worry, it grows back".  However, that's not the case for everyone if you do some careful research.  And I'm betting it's not the case for post-menopausal women like me who had fine, thinning hair to start with.  So, if you are younger I would hold out a lot of hope that any loss will grow back.   I'm told that it starts coming back at 9 months and should be back to normal at 12 months...supposedly.  Get back to me in another 4 months and I"ll let you know if that golden promise worked out . 

There will be other people on here who will tell you stories about how they didn't lose any hair, how their hair came back better than ever, blah, blah, blah.   I'm just giving you the other, not-so-pretty side of the story.  I still wouldn't trade the 100 lbs. I lost for a full head of hair.  It was worth it! :-)   

OK, and now I see that your surgery was in 2012, not 2013.  So...if your hair hasn't come back to it's former glory by now at 18 months out, it's probably something you'll have to live with.  

I've always had thin hair.My mom and sister have female pattern baldness, so I'm very concerned. I had parathyroid surgery I November and my hair is already falling out. If it gets too bad ill just have to wear scarves or even consider getting a wig.

If you had your sleeve August 2012, and you're noticing thinning more than your usual expectation, I would be suspecting malnutrition.  It's nothing to play with.  Get some bloodwork done to see what you have to work with.

I too have never regrown all my hair and it's been since Feb 2010.  Strangest thing is that my hair went from barely wavy to very curly now!  For my own peace of mind I use a product I buy on QVC called Great Hair Day by Joan Rivers.  This is the best product I have found to camouflage my scalp in the most thin areas around my forehead and crown.  It works and I cannot live without it now!  Look it up and give it a try.  I bet you'll be happy too!

Hi Pyee

I use Joan Rivers Great Hair Day also and I love it.  I do have a question, I notice at night when I lie down and when I wake up my pillow will show the color on it or if I scratch my head it rubs off on my hand.  Do you have any tricks that you may use with this product so that doesn't occur?   Thanks - debbie

I am just at 4.5 months and mine is shedding badly. I have a ton of hair to start with, but today was a reality check when I was able to straighten my very wavy hair in 30 minutes and it usually takes me over an hour.  I heard Biotin causes facial hair growth too so I have been afraid to try it. My sister is a hairdresser and recommended it to me. I don't think I do labs on my appointment tomorrow but I hope to find out where I stand soon.

I've read on here that the hair loss has to do with the anesthesia and that's why it happens to everyone that has WLS. Malnutrition and low protein my exacerbate it, but it happens to us all because of the surgery itself.