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Hair loss after tkr but still losing nearly 5 mo. out

Posted , 12 users are following.

shannon86703
shannon86703

First noticed when I brushed my hair a few days after getting home from knee replacement. I'm 71 and have fine but fairly thick hair which I don't dye. I have asked the ortho who did the surgery, my pain management doctor who is an anesthesiologist and my dermatologist and they all dismissed it without saying might be from stress of surgery or anesthesia - pain dr. even saying he never heard of that. I googled about 6 weeks out when I was feeling better and found it can happen but usually stops after a few weeks. I am nearly at 5 months and it's still happening. I take biotin, use hair products without chemicals and although my hair isn't terribly thin, it still comes out on my brush every time I brush my hair. Anyone else have this going on........?

1 like, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • arizonaone
    arizonaone shannon86703

    Posted

    Hi Shannon.

    Never had this issue. But maybe there is an underlying medical problem causing this which is totally unrelated to your knee surgery?

    For example I know thyroid conditions can cause hairloss.

    Maybe call your primary care doctor?

  • pat99452
    pat99452 shannon86703

    Posted

    I’m 70 and 4 months out from my TKR and didn’t have that issue. It can also be hormonal. At our age perhaps not but you might ask your primary doctor. Sorry....
  • Oldfatguy1
    Oldfatguy1 shannon86703

    Posted

    Sometimes stress can cause hair loss. My single brother and mother died 6 months apart from cancer and they had both been diagnosed 1 year prior to their death. I was having to handle both of their business affairs plus making medical decisions. Then it took another 6 months to close things out. My hair started coming out by the brush full. Being a male going into my late 50's I was already a little thin. After things settled down the hair loss stopped and at 81 I still have what I was left with at that time. A number of barbers and Drs have told me stress was the issue.

  • barb31990
    barb31990 shannon86703

    Edited

    I have the same issue caused by anesthesia. You should see new hair growth coming in by now. As long as it isn’t coming out in clumps you are fine. This is the second time this has happened to me and I know this worry and concern. I just make sure that I don’t overprocess using heat and washing too frequently.
  • debz13
    debz13 shannon86703

    Posted

    I will concur about stress causing hair loss. The year before my tkr I lost a lot of hair. I had been hospitalized with pneumonia and sepsis, almost died, and had an extremely stressful job. I had waist long hair, which I had for most of my life, and had to cut it to just above my shoulders. I was devastated. The hairdresser suggested I try nioxin, and it has worked wonders. That was in 2013-2014. I had my tkr in 2015 and there were no effects on my hair.

    As others have suggested, please see your primary doctor in case there are other issues. I also ended up having thyroid problems and am on medication for that.

    Good luck!

  • janet59360
    janet59360 shannon86703

    Posted

    sorry to hear about your problem Shannon, but we lose around 100 hairs a day, when certain folicles on the scalp go into rest for around 3 months, then start growing again.   All my life I have had hairs coming out on the brush which I consider quite normal.  I also have fine hair which in my case and many others has thinned with age due to hormones (some manage to hang on to a thatch of hair like my two neighbours around 70) but the thickness of each strand on me has thinned, but I still have a good head coverage.  I think it is probably stress in your case, and it will grow back.  Lots of luck.
  • pamela22917
    pamela22917 shannon86703

    Posted

    i am also 5 months out from double knee replacements, I am 52 years old and i also have been losing hair like crazy.. i have been reading up on it also searching through Google and posts. I see this post is a couple years old but i wondered if you are still having the problem?

  • barb31990
    barb31990 shannon86703

    Posted

    i had the same issue and after months I spoke with my primary care doctor as it was so alarming, she ran blood work and found i had hypothyroidism. went on medication and my hair is growing back and hair loss is the normal shedding

  • Blueness
    Blueness shannon86703

    Posted

    hi my hair has been falling out as well and i am 4 months out from having a TKR. I am also on a low carb diet so wondering if thats it too... are you taking anything for it? i take a multi vitmin

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