Hairloss - what a cliché

[lamb_reader]

I'm 12 weeks post op and last week my hairloss started. It's crazy - after taking one shower the water can't drain due to all the hair that falls out! When I blow dry my hair the entire bathroom floor is covered with hair, too
I have quite a lot of hair so you can't tell yet but I was told by my surgeon that it would last up to 10 weeks and by that time I might have very little hair left... :cry:
My weight loss journey so far has been such a cliché - starting in week 8 I went through my first stall. I figuered out it might have had something to do with getting my period. We'll see what happens next month... And now, only a few weeks later, the hairloss, which I was warned about, has started. But somehow I find it reassuring, knowing that so many people go through the same thing - that's why it's called a cliché

 

[tealovingsleever]

It does stop I promise. I reduced washing to every 3 days as loads came out when I washed it. I now have an inch or so of new hair growth

 

[lyzzyanne]

I haven't had that as of yet and I am 10 months out. Perhaps its luck of the draw??
I wash my hair every morning and I blow dry it every time. I have had the stall though!!

 

[lamb_reader]

It does stop I promise. I reduced washing to every 3 days as loads came out when I washed it. I now have an inch or so of new hair growth

Thanks for the tip! I'm going to try to wash my hair only twice a week.
Good to know that the hairloss does stop and my surgeon is not just trying to keep me from freaking out

 

[lornabatt]

For me, more of a concern than the loss itself was the loss of condition which my hair becoming very dry and brittle. One year on and it has not yet fuly recovered - but it's getting there.

 

[LifesAJourney]

Are any of you ladies taking biotin? I have heard this helps with hair loss.

 

[tealovingsleever]

Nope.

 

[handbag-annie]

I wend from washing my hair every day to as little as possible as it was falling out so much! I am now a huge fan of the dry shampoo spray- as well as saving on washing my hair it adds volume!

It will get better - mine has started to grow back! Xx

 

[emma-louise]

Buy a tangle teezer brush too that helps a lot!

 

[borogirl]

I love batise dry shampoo and my hair hasn't tell out yet! I have gone short in preparation for this. It fell out on lighter life and it will again. But it grows back!

 

[penelope1008]

Mine started falling out a few weeks post-op & only really stopped after about 9-12mths post-op. Whether I washed or brushed it it fell out & looked worse as it was waist length. My scalp & hair were dry so I started using head & shoulders 2 in 1 for dry scalp & now my scalp is much improved. From having been thick & full my hair went thin & pretty bad condition now at 20mths it's back to healthy & growing back thick again. Since my surgery I've tried trims, cuts & various perms finally settling for a short at the back longer at the front fringed bob to suit the new slimmer me rather than the old long straight ageing style I had often scrapped back into a pony tail or plait. My husband bemoans the shorter style but I love it, although it's not quite right yet for the new me but I'm enjoying the gradual transformation as I work out what's right for me as I now am.

 

[shelleymarie]

Mine starting falling out at around 3 months post op - I'm now 11 months post op and it still comes out in handfuls but around a month ago it starting growing back too. So still falling out but I have regrowth. I don't take anything like biotin or sea kelp etc. I did but it made no difference I'm glad the regrowth has started and hopefully it will stop falling out soon. From what I've heard it stops around a year out. I'm lucky I had really thick hair to start with. It's now considered a little thin.

 

[Bookie]

My hairdresser friend who does mine told me from the beginning to give up shampoo altogether!

I know, I know... you're probably all gasping in disgust right now, but hear me out!

Instead of using shampoo, first clean your hair with just water, then use just conditioner, like you would use shampoo, it will clean your hair, just not foam. Rinse well.

The fact is we have been conditioned (ah ah ah) into believing that shampoo is best, but it's not, it just strips your hair of its natural oils, which in turns means more sebum production to replenish it and can lead to more greasy hair than less, the more you shampoo, the more sebum your scalp produces, vicious circle...

Give it a try for a couple of weeks, what's the worst that can happen?

I haven't looked back since I started doing it, and if you could feel my hair! Despite being bleached and coloured, it is soft, manageable, the dandruff has all but disappeared... Yeah, sure, it felt odd to start with, but it was, truly, all in my head, and my hair looks amazing. (sorry for sounding like a Loreal ad!)

I don't know what will happen when the WLS happens, but I know one thing: I won't be going back to oil-stripping shampoos, especially if there's a chance my hair might fall out, that would just be crazy!

I hope this helps some people.

 

[lamb_reader]

Most of the time I use uniq one cleansing balm instead of shampoo.
Uniq One Cleansing Balm

 

[Fading Grace]

The hairloss is very hard to go through, I used to see clumps of my hair all around the house and I used to be so scared to comb my hair because I knew that a load would fall out. Even though we all know this is going to happen to us, it's still hard to take when it does. The only thing that I can suggest is that you keep it short for now and that will make your hair stronger as it grows back and also buy products which strengthen your hair and prevent hairloss. I acutally went to the hair dressers today and spent a whopping £126! (£10 of that was a tip and £52 was on styling products to help with thinning and hairloss that I'm going through)
My hair's definitely a lot better than it was, say 3 months ago.
You will get through this rough patch, just like you'll get through all the other yucky patches that we all have to go through... just know that you're not going through this alone *Hugs*

 

[Ruthiep]

I just asked my hairdresser if she'd noticed any hairloss and she said no, none at all. I guess I'm just lucky eh.

 

[Maphillips]

I have lost loads of hair since my op but I would rather go bald and be happy and fitter than obese and hairy

 

[wannabeyummi]

I've not had my op yet but hair loss is truly worrying me as i'm already thinning on top. I can't tell you how hard it is it makes me feel so low. I've been referred for test by a dermatologist and i'm praying she comes up with something that can help it stop getting worse. I'm not sure when my surgery will be yet I still have some tests to do but hair loss after does scare me. I'm 34 with 2 young daughters and yes while I'd rather be healthy and live longer as a woman in this society its not as acceptable to be bald. Its quite depressing

 

[lamb_reader]

Not everybody has hairloss. I have quite a lot of hair so you can't tell (yet). I was told by my surgeon that the hair loss only lasts for about 10 weeks while your body is adjusting to the decreased calories. After that the hair is supossed to grow back even more healthy. I'll keep you posted.

 

[penelope1008]

The hair loss is similar to the loss we experience after giving birth. The longer & thicker your hair per survey the more drastic it appears post op. I started losing soon after my bypass & lasted until about 9mths post op. but at the same time as losing it new hair was still growing I was also gradually changing my hair style & have gone from waist length to a short backed bob. I tried perms & various styles trying to find a new look for the new me. I think I'm getting there with that now just an odd tweak to satisfy myself. My hair is once again lush & full bodied I use a dry scalp shampoo to ease the dry skin problem & according to my hairdresser my hair & scalp are now back to healthy. I'm now nearly 2yrs out & it's been back to healthy for about the last 9-12mths so don't panic it does resolve itself.