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Hair loss

Ruthie1

New Member
I had my surgery in 2004 and have experienced problems with hairloss especially on the crown of my head.
HELP!
 
I had my RNY on 2/27/12 and my hair started thinning out after about 5 weeks. My nutritionist recommended an OTC supplement called Hair, Skin and Nails. She said there are no guarantees but it worked for me. You can but it at Costco, Sams Club and WalMart. It's very cheap!!!
 
Hi Ruthie, Welcome. It sounds like you have a vitamin deficiency, have you had your vitamin levels checked lately, if not you should call and set up a complete set of labs for all your vitamin levels and start taking the vitamins Pat mentioned, they are approved by most of the different Bariatric Doctors that are seeing all of us here. I think once you get your vitamin levels back to normal your hair should start to thicken up, most of us have experienced hair loss that comes with the malabsorption of WLS, but once we start getting enough protien and vitamins it all goe back to normal, as far as the hair goes. :cool: Tom
 
Ruthie-What Tom said to do is critical, you need to be having regular labs done for the rest of your life due to the malabsorbtion that gastric bypass causes. With us ladies our hormone levels can also cause hair loss. Please let us know how things work out.
 
I had my RNY on 2/27/12 and my hair started thinning out after about 5 weeks. My nutritionist recommended an OTC supplement called Hair, Skin and Nails. She said there are no guarantees but it worked for me. You can but it at Costco, Sams Club and WalMart. It's very cheap!!!


Thank you so much Pat, I will go to Walmart today and get the Hair, Skin and Nails product, do you know which brand I should get, because Ive seen a couple different ones.
 
Thank you so much Pat, I will go to Walmart today and get the Hair, Skin and Nails product, do you know which brand I should get, because Ive seen a couple different ones.

I just got whatever brand was at Costco. They're probably all close to being the same. Maybe compare labels to see which one gives you the most biotin and zinc. Another thing that will help is to make sure to get enough protein as soon as your meal plan allows you to do so.

Here's an update on the Hair, Skin and Nails. The brand I use is Nature's Bounty (Costco). Recommended dose is 3 caplets daily, preferably with meals. Per 3 caplets here are some of the nutrients: Biotin 5 mg, Zinc 7.5 mg, calcium carbonate and dicalcium phosphate 711 mg, selenium 12.5 mcg, niacin 25 mg, sodium 5 mg. It also has vitamins A, C, D, E, B1-2-6 &12 plus other stuff. This brand is gluten free, no preservatives, no sugar, no milk, no lactose, no wheat, no fish and no artifical color or flavor. You can get more information at www.naturesbounty.com
 
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I had my surgery on April 29th and haven't had one blood test since. I haven't heard from my doctors regarding any follow-up. I too have hair loss but just met with a dermatologist and due to my having Scleroderma and 8 other diseases I had a biopsy taken and am awaiting the results to find out if I have either Lupus or another disease where your hair loss is permanent and no new hair is ever grown. Talk about a blow. I am so vain that I'd rather have Lupus than this Lichen Planopilaris. To not have any hair ever again is just too much on top of what I already deal with. I had the gastric bypass as a new solution to horrific acid reflux from the Scleroderma. The disease has destroyed my digestive system and the food stayed in the stomach and turned to bile that backed up as reflux that was horribly painful and was destroying my throat and causing heart and lung issues. So they reconstructed my stomach and now I have this little stomach. Well initially I was only able to eat a very little amount. Well in the last 2 weeks all of a sudden I can eat so much more - 2 slices of pizza instead of 3 bites. I'm so worried on what is going on and that the reflux is going to return. So tomorrow I'm getting on the phone to the doctor's office. But like I intiailly said, I haven't had any follow-up and no blood work, no nothing. I'm on a daily vitamin and a B12 monthy shot and that's it. Interesting on when I read your post on the necessity of watching a person's levels. Makes me worry.
 
Knute-I had my surgery on 2/27/12 and didn't have any follow up blood work done until mid August. Your surgery was late April so it hasn't been all that long. However, you should call the surgeon's office and set up an appointment. They need to send you a lab slip showing which tests need to be done. Then have the blood drawn about 2 weeks before your follow up appointment and you'll be all set for another 6 months. If there are any issues with the results you will probably have to schedule the tests at closer intervals, the surgeon will determine the frequency. My surgeon said that blood tests used to be taken every 3 or 4 months but they are done less frequently now because of the high levels of vitamins and supplements that everyone is taking now.
 
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