Question:
How bad is the hair loss you talk about? Will I need a scarf or wig?

I haven't had the surgery yet, but I keep reading about the hair loss. I recently had a perm and lost more hair than I usually do, so now I wonder if I will need a wig after the surgery.    — Delores M. (posted on July 29, 2003)

July 29, 2003
Delores, Nope you shouldn't need a scarf or a wig, just depending on how much hair or you and how much hair you'll loose, I semi thick hair pre-op, I started loosing mine I think it was 4 months post op, lost it for about 3 months... it thined, and yes I got scared any contemplated buying one of thoes hair clips with hair on them, (Pony tail kind) how-ever thank God I didn't, it stopped .... and started growing back....... How-ever I'm now on round 2 of hair loss, at 14 months post op I've started loosing it again, it's thin already no spots though, hair spray helps allot, and also a good hair cut with allot of layers....... I look at it this way, .... take the hair.... I want the health... it'll grow back, ......... hopefully more lushish then before. Best of luck
   — tannedtigress

July 29, 2003
I've never heard it get so bad that a wig or turban was required (and I hope I'm not the first!). I had thin hair to begin with, and have been losing it for about a month and a half now. I notice it, but no one else seems to (my sister and friends assure me it's not noticeable; other people have commented that they like the "new" color (just bleached by the sun), or the new style (I've been pulling it back to keep it from looking scraggly, so I think if they had noticed it getting thinner they just wouldn't have said anything). I'm going to get a good, very short cut in the next couple of days, hoping that that will camouflage the thinness. My surgeon told me not to worry--it will stop and the hair will grow back.
   — Vespa R.

July 29, 2003
I know some people that have had to get wigs. I truly believe protein is the key. I never had any hair loss and I am 14 months post op. There is details in my profile.
   — Linda A.

July 29, 2003
I think the key to the hair loss is to resolve to get your protein in each and every day once you're out of the hospital. I've had little or no noticeable hair loss and I'm almost 1 year post-op. Most of the people I know of who have had this have only had some thinning. Nobody I've heard of had to get a wig or scarf to hide hair loss.
   — Cathy S.

July 29, 2003
I have seen someone get bad enough to have a wig or a scarf. Her hair came out in clumps & she looked worse than our other friend who had just finished chemo for breast cancer. They both cut the remaining hair they had short. Luckily, they both laughed about it & now (12 mos later) they both have very thick curly long hair. My RNY friend did everything right - vitamins, protein, increased zinc, she even tried to use rogaine shampoo - nothing worked. My hair is thick, I am 4 mos post op, I have done everything right - and my hair is starting to fall out a little. I have learned from this site that we are all different & some lose none, some a little and some a lot.
   — M B.

July 29, 2003
The great majority do not lose enough hair to require a wig. I had a perm too when I had surgery and after a few months of hair loss and thinning hair, my hairdresser gave me a cute short doo. It was only until the hair started growing back in, but I got so many compliments, that I have kept it..go figure...hairdressers can help immensely!
   — Cindy R.

July 29, 2003
Well, I have to disagree with protein being the "key", only because I've been great about getting my protein in, averaging 100 grams a day, and I started losing hair about 4 weeks ago. It's still coming out...like many have said, it's not as noticeable to the people around you, but I notice it alot. I was told to shorten my hair before surgery as the weight of the hair will have alot to do with the amount of hair loss. Well, I shortened it 6 inches 3 weeks before surgery. Hairspray & gel help me keep my thinning areas covered, but it takes me longer now to do my hair than it used to. My husband calls it "strategic combing". I'm at the point now where I'm just accepting it. I use wide tooth combs and extra conditioner to prevent pulling. I also brush carefully and slowly. I'm not at the point where I'd even consider a wig, however, I've heard of some post-ops who've done the wig thing because their hair was thin to begin with. I dunno...........right now, it seems like a small price to pay/a temporary inconvenience. It will grow back. Everyone seems to agree on that...don't fret!
   — Amy A.

July 29, 2003
In my case, protein deficiency also had nothing to do with my temporary, no-big-deal hair loss. I've lost hair, temporarily (for about four weeks or so), about three months after having *any* type of surgery (including WLS), every time. I used protein shakes after my WLS and still do, and I certainly believe people can easily become protein deficient, especially in the early months after this surgery. I don't know if that causes some hair loss (probably), but it doesn't cause all of it. Some theorize that it's a reaction to anesthesia; I really don't know, except that I clearly had no protein deficiency issues after every surgery I've had, yet I lose hair every time. ('Course, I'm not a protein shake salesman ;-))
   — Suzy C.

July 30, 2003
In 1998 I had Chemotherapy to try and slow down my Rhuematoid Arthritis. My hair came out, but not completely. It got very thin and I cut it very short in a natural style. It did not start to grow back until I read an artical about a lady who takes Methotrexate for her Rhuematoid Arthritis. Methotrexate thins out your hair. Cancer patients take it also. She stated in the artical that her doctor prescribed for her Biotin 3000mg a day. A supplement for hair and skin. I take Methotrexate also. So I looked Biotin up on the internet and found out it is taken for hairloss. You can get a prescription from your doctor, but I found out you also can buy it over the counter at Walmart, Target, or Walgreens. I got 100 tablets at Target for $3.49 in the pharmacy dept. My hair in the last month has grown 3 inches and gotten thicker. I take 3000mgs. a day and I have no side effects at all. I have not had WLS yet.
   — mspisces

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