Female Hair Loss After Gastric Bypass

(female) I had gastric bypass surgery. It will be 4 years in December. I was told that the hair loss was temporary. In my case, apparently not. My hair is less than half as thick as it used to be. You can see my scalp every where. I take the vitamins including extra biotin. I lost 110 lbs. and probably saved my life. I’m even at the point where if I don’t watch myself, I can gain weight. But still, my hair is very unhealthy. Is there anything I can do? Will I eventually be bald? It is not coming back at all.

Thank you. Regards

I’m glad to hear that the surgery helped save your life! You are right in that hair loss can be temporary, especially after things such as major surgery or childbirth. The concerning aspect is that you have continued hair loss even four years after the procedure. Many underlying, reversible, and treatable medical conditions can cause hair loss in women and in your case, it may very well be dietary. Nutritional defects or poor diets are a major cause of hair loss and with gastric bypass, this is a highly probable connection with your hair loss. Best to speak with your nutritionist for an analysis of your total daily intake of foods. Other things to look for would include hypo- or hyperthyroidism, anemia, lupus, and a miniaturization study should be done to assess what pattern of hair loss you are having and any genetic contribution you are having to cause hair loss. In your case, despite taking supplemental vitamins and minerals, a malnourished state is the most likely culprit but going through everything that you have experienced, could have precipitated an underlying genetic process as well.