5 Tips to Prevent Hair Loss After Gastric Sleeve or Bariatric Surgery

You get a gastric sleeve thinking it will let you start over, but you're frustrated when you start losing hair. Similar to being overweight, fast or quick weight loss and restrictive diets can cause physical changes in your body.

Hair loss is one of the most frequent adverse changes of bariatric surgery. Indeed, it’s common to witness hair loss three to six months after the surgery.

Most people who have bariatric surgery could experience a form of hair loss following the procedure. It appears unsettling and may make you feel a little stressed out and insecure. Is there anything you can do to address this?

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The Reality of Hair Loss After Gastric Sleeve

Telogen effluvium is the most prevalent kind of hair loss following bariatric surgery. Both dietary and non-nutritional factors may be at play here. Telogen effluvium takes time to manifest. It often begins three months after the body experiences a stressful phase. Because of this, hair loss may not become apparent for a few weeks or months following surgery.

According to a study, hair loss is common after bariatric procedures, particularly in younger women and those with low blood levels of certain nutrients such as folic acid and zinc.

Your body may face stress after the surgery. The body must withstand significant nutritional changes, reduced calorie intake, inadequate nourishment, and deficiencies in protein, iron, and other supplements, in addition to the actual procedure.

Stress on the body might cause a higher percentage of hair to fall out by causing more hair to enter the dormant phase. Numerous conditions, including fever, infections, surgeries, weight loss, and malnutrition can put more stress on the body.

If hair loss persists after surgery for more than a year, nutritional inadequacies may be the cause. Following bariatric surgery, you must show up for routine blood tests to track your nutritional condition.

Some less frequent causes of hair loss following weight reduction surgery include excess vitamin A, chronic iron insufficiency, hormone abnormalities, and certain drugs.

Fortunately, nutritional deficiencies can be addressed with a healthy diet and vitamin and mineral supplements to treat hair issues. A person might be more wary of a dietary explanation for hair loss following bariatric surgery if:

• They have lost weight more quickly than anticipated
• Hair loss persisted for almost a year following surgery
• More than six months after surgery, hair loss began
• They didn’t take their supplements as prescribed
• They have trouble eating normally after the procedure
• The levels of ferritin, zinc, or protein are low in the body

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How to Stop Hair Fall After Bariatric Surgery?

The majority of bariatric patients report normal hair growth eventually. During this period, however, you should concentrate on following your surgeon's recommendations about nutrition and supplementation. Comparative studies looking at the improvements in hair health in obese people after anti-obesity treatment are lacking, according to a recent study.

You can reduce your chance of developing Telogen Effluvium by taking easy precautions if you are having hair loss following weight reduction surgery or if you are experiencing hair loss:

Focus on Protein

Maintaining a balanced diet plan might be all you need to enhance your weight loss results and prevent hair loss. This is particularly true when it comes to eating enough protein. If entire meals aren't providing you with the right amount of this important nutrient, you should use protein powders as a supplement.

Make Follow-Up Visits

Hair loss is associated with other underlying medical conditions such as thyroid disorders, vitamin deficiencies, and other illnesses. To reveal these issues and treat them, you certainly need to visit your doctor.

Take Supplements Seriously

Being deficient in any vitamins can negatively affect the health of your hair. However, this can be resolved by using supplements like biotin, zinc, iron, B12, and omega-3 fatty.

Sometimes, it could be necessary for you to have intravenous copper supplementation. Additional substances that promote hair development may also be suggested by a physician. Refrain from using excessive amounts of supplements as this might cause hair loss, such as vitamins A and E.

Follow the Right Lifestyles

First, you should stop considering haircuts that strain your scalp further. Also, you should prevent washing away sebum, which is a natural hair conditioner. In other words, it is not advised to wash your hair every day.

The sebaceous glands, which are found in the middle layers of the skin, secrete sebum, which is an oily, sticky secretion that protects and hydrates the skin.

Another thing to consider is to massage your scalp to promote hair growth and blood circulation.
Using your fingertips, you can gently massage your scalp in little circles throughout. Spend 5–6 minutes doing this 1-2 times each day.

Remain Calm

Many people who experience stress or anxiety might develop hair loss and blame it on the shoulder of the gastric sleeve. Although hair loss might be concerning, it usually regrows after six months following the surgery.

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