Hair loss, or alopecia, can sometimes occur as a side effect of a major surgery. While it’s not a life-threatening issue, it can affect patients’ mental health, confidence and quality of life. In this article, we will explore how it happens, the leading causes, and how you can prevent it. Let’s get into it.
When Does It Occur?
Hair loss usually occurs a few weeks or even a month after surgery. To understand this delay, we must first understand the natural hair growth cycle.
Healthy hair goes through four cycles – growth, resting, shedding, and regrowth. High stress or significant changes to the body after a surgical procedure can cause the hair to enter the resting phase prematurely. This phase is also called telogen effluvium, and it happens when a significant number of hair follicles enter the telogen phase prematurely. It can cause thinning hair or even lead to hair loss.
In most cases, it’s a temporary hair loss, and your hair will enter the growth phase (anagen phase) again and grow back in just a few months.
In rare cases, especially during lengthy surgical procedures where surgeons need to immobilize the head, some patients experience positional alopecia. This form of hair loss is very rare, and it occurs due to the pressure on hair follicles, restricting the blood flow. If recognized early, it can be reversible or even preventable, so consult your doctor if it happens.
What Are the Main Causes
Studies have shown there are many causes for post surgical hair loss. Some studies connect it to stress during surgery, while others connect it to iron and zinc deficiency.
Major surgeries are highly physically taxing on your body. While anesthesia by itself is highly unlikely to cause hair loss, it puts tremendous stress on your body, which can sometimes lead to telogen effluvium. Your body perceives it as a shock, which can result in sudden hair loss.
It’s important to note that some underlying medical conditions can cause hairs shed. If you were having issues with your thyroid or if you were experiencing hormonal changes before the surgery, you should closely monitor your hormones after the surgery. Being highly demanding on your body, surgery can worsen your previous medical condition.
Nutrition also plays a massive role in your recovery process. Surgery can sometimes cause dietary issues, which can lead to malnutrition. You should consult with your doctor and follow their dietary recommendations.
Some medications that are often prescribed after the surgery also have nasty side effects, some of which include hair loss.
What Can You Do To Prevent It?
Post-surgery hair loss can usually be reversed or even prevented. Here are some tips on what you can do about it:
- Focus on your diet: To support good hair, eat a well-rounded post-op diet high in biotin, zinc, and iron.
- Make sure you let your body rest after the surgery: The last thing you need is more stress. With good rest and hydration, a healthy body may rebuild and grow fresh hair.
- Consult your doctor if you notice any hair loss: Not all types of hair loss are the same, so you should always update your doctor and closely monitor any changes. Getting the right medical treatment on time is crucial in preventing hair loss.
- Do whatever makes you feel relaxed: Some people do yoga or meditation. It will help you lower both mental and physical tension.
- Use mild hair care products: It will speed up the healing process of your hair and stop more damage.
As long as you do these things and are diligent, you should be able to prevent hair loss.
Conclusion
Although hair loss after surgery is unpleasant, if you know what causes it and how to prevent it, it could be controllable. Most often, hair grows back following this brief period of thinning.
If the issue persists or worsens, schedule a follow-up visit with your doctor and discuss an individualized treatment plan. If you keep proactive and conscious, this post-operative state could be controllable.
You could always consider getting a hair transplant if the hair damage is irreversible. Dr. Serkan Aygın Clinic offers a professional hair transplant in Turkey with extensive aftercare and follow-up visits until one year shows results. Dr. Serkan Aygın is always available for every patient’s questions and concerns, providing support throughout the process.
Schedule your free consultation to discuss your expectations and see if Dr. Serkan Aygın Clinic is your perfect fit.
