hair falling out....

it has been just about 3 months since my surgery and I'm definitely starting to see a lot of hair coming out when I take my showers.....I have a lot of hair so I'm not overly concerned but I'm just wondering what most of you did when this happened to you.....I'm thinking about getting it cut much shorter with a lot of layers to add volume....I know it's just temporary but it is kind of scary.....

Mine started getting really bad. I can't lie, I cried. So last weekend I went and had my shoulder lenth hair cut down to Charlize Theron/Anne Hathaway lenths! I feel loads better cause the hair loss is not nearly as noticable!

Other than cutting it to keep it looking as full and healthy as possible, there really isn't anything you CAN do. It doesn't necessarily need to be a short cut, just cut in a way that minimizes the visibility of the thinness.  

I cut mine in two stages (most of the length was taken off in the first cut (to just above shoulder length) and then I cut it to just below my ears once it stopped falling out).  I was dreading the hair loss because I didn't have a lot of hair to begin with (and the hair that I do have is baby fine), but never imagined I would lose as much as I did (fully half of my hair).

Lora

There is hope!  Mine starting falling out before surgery and for the 4 months after.  Finally after month 4 not as much was falling out. Now at almost 7 months I actually feel more coming back in.  I was worried about cutting mine to short as I thought it would be worse but it depends on the person.  I did get my hair cut in longer layers and that helped.  I would suggest either having it done by someone that really knows your hair or find someone that has worked with thin hair. 

This side effect really bothered me as I used to hair that had to be thinned out every time I went to the salon so you can imagine how much I lost.  I did try Biotin for a bit.  However, Lora and several other warned me not to take too much every day as hair can also grow on other area.  I currently use Biotin 5000 mcg 1x per day. 

I also noticed 2 weeks ago that all the hair on my lower legs are growing back too! That was about a month after I noticed my hair closest to my head was a lot fuller.  Figures that my hair on my legs come in at the start of springtime! 

Hair with layers also grows out easier too!  Good luck and let us know how it turns out if you do get it cut.  Remember Tammy you can have it cut a bit shorter first and go back for more if you want vs. the other way around. 

Sandra

Mine had thinned dreadfully before surgery, and afterwards, it just gave up and took a hike. Then I used Garnier hair dye, and the few hairs on top fell out. Now, there's a look!

I felt depressed, but the Garnier loss is starting to grow in. There's still more scalp than hair. On the bright side, there's a world of hats, scarves, wigs, and--my latest obsession--headbands to play with.

You can use a scalp concealer powder to get you through the thin times. I used Fill-In Powder from Sally Beauty Supply until the Really Big Fallout. It works great and it's cheap.

Is there a way to prevent hair loss or does it happen to everyone? Mine is the only part of my body that I like, and I'm dreading losing it after surgery.

There is no way to prevent it (it is called telogen effluvium and you can Google it to read more about what it is and why it happens), but it can be made WORSE if you don't get in your vitamins and don't get enough protein.

There are some people who somehow manage to avoid it (or, more likely, they just don't lose enough that they notice it), but almost everyone loses SOME hair.  Some lose a little, some lose a lot.

Lora

I had thick wavy hair pre op, down almost to my waist.  I have lost at least half of it at 6 months post op and it is still falling out.  I had 4 inches cut off a few weeks ago and relayered.  The cut made a huge improvement.  I may go shorter yet, I will wait and see how much more it thins.