Hair Loss After Bariatric Surgery: What You Can Do

Chances are, if you’ve decided to have bariatric surgery, you’re doing it because you want to be healthier and feel better.

So, it can be really disappointing (not to mention confusing) when, a few months after surgery, you notice hair loss. What gives? Unfortunately, hair loss is a fairly common side effect of weight loss surgery.

There’s good news, though: Hair loss after bariatric surgery is almost always reversible with the right approach.

To fully understand why hair loss (also called alopecia) may happen after bariatric surgery and how to reverse it, keep reading.

Bariatric surgery is the general term for a variety of weight loss surgeries. It’s also sometimes called metabolic surgery. These operations are used as a treatment for obesity.

Once it’s confirmed you’d be a good candidate for bariatric surgery, a doctor will discuss what type of bariatric surgery is best suited for your specific needs. The most common types of bariatric surgery are gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, and adjustable gastric band surgery.

Hair loss after bariatric surgery can be a post-surgical stress response or the result of a nutritional deficiency. Here’s what to know.

Post-Surgical Stress Response

Some bariatric surgery patients experience hair loss about three months after their surgery.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of research found that about 57 percent of people experience some type of hair loss after bariatric surgery. The researchers noted that young women were most likely to lose hair, but anyone can experience this side effect.

This type of hair loss is often what’s called telogen effluvium. The condition occurs when stress causes the hair root to prematurely go into the resting phase (aka the telogen phase) of the hair growth cycle.

Major surgery (such as bariatric surgery) is one of the known causes of telogen effluvium. That’s why many patients worry about gastric bypass hair loss.

Calorie Restriction and Macronutrient Deficiency

Hair loss after bariatric surgery can also sometimes be caused by nutritional deficiencies. This can be due to having to restrict your calorie intake after surgery or not having a high enough intake of macronutrients like protein or fatty acids.

Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies

Deficiencies in micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are also potential causes of hair loss post-surgery. For example, your iron levels (often measured as ferritin) might be too low.

Zinc deficiency can also cause hair loss, as can deficiencies in vitamin D or biotin (vitamin B7). Low levels of folic acid (found in foods as folate) and vitamin B12 may also play a role in telogen effluvium.

Thankfully, hair loss induced by bariatric surgery tends not to be permanent. In some cases, you may need to just wait it out — especially if stress from surgery is what caused your hair loss.

Patience is vital when it comes to regrowing hair after bariatric surgery. That’s because it can take time – up to six months – for new hair growth to start after a bout of telogen effluvium.

Couple that with the fact that healthy hair grows at a rate of half an inch per month, and it may be a hot minute before your hair is back to its typical length.

However, there are a number of things you can do in the meantime to boost hair regrowth and overall hair health:

• Eat a nutritious diet

• Consider taking supplements

• Try minoxidil

• Opt for a hair loss shampoo

Keep scrolling for details.

Eat a Nutritious Diet

Eating after bariatric surgery is complicated. You can’t eat a ton of food, and there are certain things that may not agree with your new stomach. As mentioned above, this can lead to nutritional deficiencies that cause hair loss.

If this is what’s happening, you can help reverse your hair loss by adding all the nutrients you need back into your diet.

Ideally, you want to consume between 60 and 80 grams of protein a day. This can be in liquid form (like a protein shake) or from foods like lean meats, eggs, dairy products, nuts, and seeds.

But before embarking on any major dietary changes, speak with your healthcare provider about the healthiest options for you.

Consider Taking Supplements

You can also talk to your provider about vitamins or supplements containing micronutrients.

For example, iron supplements can help to address iron deficiency, while zinc supplements can increase your zinc levels. If you have multiple nutrient deficiencies, your healthcare provider may recommend a multivitamin.

Hims offers a biotin gummy that also has other vitamins that may prevent hair shedding in it, including vitamin D, folic acid, and vitamin B12.

However, before adding any supplement to your routine, consult a medical professional to ensure it won’t interfere with your bariatric surgery recovery.

Try Minoxidil

FDA-approved topical minoxidil is an over-the-counter treatment available in liquid and foam formulas. Even better, it doesn’t require a prescription. You may recognize minoxidil under its brand name, Rogaine^®.

Experts believe it works by stimulating hair follicles to enter the growth phase (also called the anagen phase) of the hair growth cycle. Minoxidil also boosts blood flow to the scalp, which can stimulate hair growth.

A 2019 review of minoxidil notes that this topical treatment improves hair growth in both men and women experiencing pattern hair loss and other types of severe shedding.

Opt for a Hair Loss Shampoo

Certain shampoos are specifically created with the intention to thicken hair and stimulate growth. Hims has a thickening shampoo that incorporates saw palmetto, a natural ingredient thought to help reduce hair loss.

It’s understandable to wonder how to prevent hair loss after bariatric surgery. Though there’s no tried-and-true way to prevent hair loss after your surgery, there are some things that you can do to reduce your risk of it.

Start on a Nutritious Diet Early

Getting a headstart on a healthy diet before bariatric surgery is always an awesome idea. Not only is a healthy, balanced eating plan great for your overall health, but it can also reduce the risk of nutrient deficiencies that contribute to hair loss.

If you’re unsure where to start, ask your healthcare provider for individualized tips. They can also fill you in on the common nutritional deficiencies that happen with bariatric surgery and the foods you can focus on to help prevent them.

Find Ways to Reduce Stress

Both physical and emotional stress are big contributors to telogen effluvium. With that in mind, lowering your stress levels can help decrease your risk of hair loss.

There are many strategies you can try out to reduce stress in your daily life. You may have heard of some of the more common ones — think yoga, meditation, and relaxation techniques — but these aren’t the only ways to lower stress.

For example, you may find that things like listening to calming music, going for a walk outside, or hanging out with friends work wonders for your stress levels.

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is also important, as many people find that their stress levels skyrocket with less shut-eye. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), adults need seven or more hours of sleep each night.

Taking steps to promote good quality sleep can be super beneficial here. A few things to try:

• Aiming to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day

• Ensuring your room is dark, quiet, and a comfortable temperature

• Limiting use of electronic devices shortly before bedtime

• Avoiding caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol later, especially later in the day

These may seem like small changes, but you might be surprised by how big a difference they can make.

Address Other Medical Conditions

Did you know several other medical conditions can also lead to telogen effluvium? It’s true!

These conditions include things like thyroid disease, kidney disease, and liver disease. If you’ve been diagnosed with any of them, making sure that they’re managed may help lower your risk of hair loss after weight loss surgery.

Here’s what to keep in mind about hair loss after bariatric surgery:

• Bariatric surgery patients may experience rapid weight loss. This, along with the stress of surgery and the nutritional deficiencies many face after weight loss surgery, can make noticeable hair loss occur.

• The good news is there are ways to reverse bariatric surgery hair loss.

• Making sure your diet gets you the nutrients you need is the first step. You’ll especially want to focus on protein intake and certain vitamins and minerals, like biotin, iron, and vitamin D.

• From there, you can try hair loss treatments like minoxidil and other hair loss products to encourage hair regrowth.

• Hair loss after bariatric surgery might be preventable if you get ahead of things with a nutritious diet while focusing on healthy stress management and good sleep hygiene.

If you’re living with excessive hair loss or hair thinning after surgery, connect with a licensed medical professional on our telehealth platform to see what treatments are available.

And if you’re considering alternatives to bariatric surgery, explore weight loss medication options from Hims.