Why Gastric Bypass Surgery Causes Hair Loss
For many people who have gastric bypass surgery they are concerned about hair loss. They wonder, how much hair will I really lose? How quickly will it grow back? A few, like myself, are taken completely by surprise the first time they see handfuls of hair coming out a few months after their bypass.
The most important question we all ask is, “is there anything I can do about it?”
To answer that question, we need to understand why gastric bypass surgery leads to some hair loss in the first place.
We all lose a certain amount of hair every day as part of the natural growth cycle. But after gastric bypass surgery, the body is forced to live on a drastically reduced amount of nutrients.
It compensates by conserving. The limited resources that do come in are diverted to where they’re needed most – major organs like your heart and lungs. So suddenly, your hair is forced to do without the nutrients it needs to grow and be healthy.
More follicles than normal enter “resting” phase (which is when an old strand of hair falls out, making room for a new strand to grow in it’s place). But it doesn’t produce new strands. This leads to thinner hair.
Can You Minimize Hair Loss After Gastric Bypass?
It doesn’t seem that there’s any way to completely avoid losing some hair after gastric bypass surgery. The drastic reduction in nutrients is too big of a shock to the system – not to mention the damage that comes from the anesthesia.
But it stands to reason that you can minimize hair loss by getting as many nutrients as possible to the roots of your hair.
- Proteins are essential building blocks of hair. After gastric bypass surgery, most doctors recommend you get at least 60 grams of protein in every day. Naturally, this is difficult when your stomach is the size of an egg. Fortunately, there are hundreds of different kinds of protein shakes and supplements to choose from. Find one you like and get as much of or more than the protein your doc recommends.
- Biotin is a B-vitamin that is said to encourage healthy hair growth. Take it daily, in addition to your other supplements.
- You can also try a supplement called Silica, available in most Health Food shops or via your GP. It contains calcium, magnesium, zinc, boron, and horsetail extract. I don’t know which of these ingredients is responsible (or perhaps it’s the combination) but these vitamins not only help my hair look thicker and healthier, they made my fingernails grow for the first time ever
Making sure your body is getting all the nutrients it possibly can will help minimize hair loss after gastric bypass surgery. It is essential for your well-being to have a varied diet using foods from all groups, and an assorted colour of fruit and vegetables everyday.
Stimulate Regrowth With Scalp Massage
Hair loss after gastric bypass surgery usually lasts about 3 to 6 months. Hopefully, during that time you’ve been getting in as much nutrients as possible and the amount of hair you’ve lost is minimal.
But you still want to start growing your hair back as soon as possible.
For most gastric bypass surgery patients, regrowth starts by the end of the first year. But you can speed up the process somewhat, as well as minimize the loss, by making sure the nutrients you consume actually reach the roots of your hair, where they’re needed.
You can do this by massaging your scalp. Scalp massage increases blood flow to your scalp, and therefore the roots of your hair. If that blood is rich in the nutrients we discussed above, they’ll be there to nourish your hair.
How I coped with my hair loss
During my hair loss episode, which started at around month 5 following surgery, I did a few things which seemed to help or make it less noticeable.
1. I stopped highlighting my hair and went for an all over colour making sure it was peroxide free.
2. Discontinued relaxing / harsh straightening treatments.
3. Stopped using my GHD’s every day! This was the hardest choice as my hair is naturally unruly and needs straightening, especially as I had discontinued relaxing it!
4. Splashed out on a Brazilian Keratin Blow-dry treatment. This made an immediate difference to not just the condition and texture but also to the amount of hair loss. It seemed to just stop after this treatment!
5. I resorted to wearing clip-in hair extensions to bulk up the whole upper area of my head. As they were clip-in I was able to protect my hair by not using harmful glues to keep extensions in place. I was also able to move them around to bulk up the parts that I needed. I found that as my hair started to regrow I no longer needed the extensions at the back and gradually was able to put less in at the front. Two years after my bypass I now only use the extensions when going out on special occasions when I want to bulk out my fringe area. I had great fun using long and short extensions, it’s important to get the extensions colour matched to your hair, choose a good supplier who will take time to go through the shades with you. I opted for real hair so I could dye to match my own hair as I’m obsessed with eliminating grey hairs!
6. Took a daily multi-vitamin supplement (I opted for Arbonne Essentials Daily Power Packs for Women).
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