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Hair Loss after weight loss surgery can be a big issue for some people. Most of my patients would rather not deal with any hair loss, whatsoever! There is a ton of information available about what is the best thing to do to prevent this, but unfortunately a lot of the literature is poor on scientific facts and liberal on anecdotal marketing! Here’s the facts:

• Hair loss is a response to the stress on the body from a surgical procedure and significant weight loss
• Hair loss is temporary, and usually is most prominent at 6 months after surgery
• If hair loss is still present after one year, this is rare and can be associated with a nutritional deficiency
• Supplements may help, but your body needs to go through its normal response to stress

If you want to take something to try and minimize hair loss, be aware that results are not proven with any product out there. We do know that Iron and Zinc and protein stores should be at their normal levels to minimize hair loss. Taking a multivitamin (and iron if you’ve had a Bypass) should be adequate. Biotin has been a popular supplement, but there is no proof of efficacy.