(even men go crazy over hair loss!) Pic credit: here.

But who is man enough to tell a lady that her hair loss is not serious?

Though it is not possible to discuss the physiology of hair loss in any kind of detail in this platform, we should have a working knowledge of how and why this happens.

Hair follicles are the living part of hair, the latter being keratin strands without inherent blood and nerve supply. When hair follicles get less nutrition or blood supply, the hair falls off. The important things to understand here are that:

1. The hair follicle itself is capable of recovering fully and regenerating hairs, and

2. The hair loss that the patient notices is a reflection of the insult suffered by the hair follicle several weeks beforehand.

So, in practice, what happens is that a patient notices clumps of hair coming off in the bathroom or during sleep, three or more months after the gastric bypass. A panic appointment is made, and we take time to assuage the panic. Usually, women being women (please forgive the unintended sexism), the reassurance wears thin, as the hair loss continues. In the meantime, the visible scalp areas elicit comments in the patient’s family and circle (“OMG! What is wrong with you? My aunt had something like this, and they later said it was cancer!!” is one of the comments you may hear), and the panic washes up once too often (“But, doctor, you never told me about this!”).

True, as surgeons, while we dwell at length about leaks, thromboembolism, weight loss plateaus and other such major issues, we may not harp much on the hair loss thing. One of the reasons is that this is a reversible phenomenon. Once the weight loss is achieved and the patient’s nutritional intake comes to near normal, the hair loss stops and the regrowth is established.

Anecdotal reports of benefits exist for various supplements, including biotin, primrose oil and flaxseed oil and horsetail extract, among others. It is all up to you to experiment and find out which one would work magically for you!

One thing we do strongly advise is not to go for hair transplants and other major interventions like this. After all, there is such a thing called common sense: why over-think something that is self-correcting?

For a nice overview of nutritional and metabolic complications after bariatric surgery, read this article in Diabetes Care.

We have all heard of this saying, and all of us agree. A skilled laparoscopic surgeon plots to take out huge tumors and cysts through the keyhole method, while the dinosaur surgeon tends to think of employing his hands to remove organs (like the appendix) that may have been better left alone.

Let me tell you a small story about myself. Not too long ago, at a Bariatric Surgery conference three or some years back, I had a chat with a renowned endocrinologist who was known for his work in obesity and diabetes. At that time, I was 86 kgs heavy, and most of it was fat. A hard-working surgeon, I was in the peak of physical un-fitness and a heart attack waiting to happen. My resting heart rate was always around 100 and my blood glucose was similarly poised over the century mark. I asked this gentleman how I could improve my markers and lose my fat. I also didn’t want to become a diabetic, I said.

He told me what anyone in his position would have: take a metformin pill, and do some walking. If your sugar levels go up, we will add another drug, he said.

I thought long and hard over what he said. I embarked on a new journey in life: a life of health and fitness. I trained hard and started IF (Intermittent Fasting). After an year of blundering along, I found my groove and results came in: resting heart rate down to 6o, blood glucose and lipid levels normal, and body fat well down (BW now 75 kgs).

To come back to the point, the doctor I asked hit my problem with the drug hammer he was holding by default. I did the smart thing by trying something different. I now firmly believe that everyone should try healthy eating and exercise in order to improve health and reduce body fat. As bariatric surgeons, we should not use the surgery hammer to hit every obese patient. When there is clear burden of disease (diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, gallstone disease, etc.) and the level of obesity is such that it is statistically unlikely to come off with lifestyle regulation, we recommend bariatric surgery. Not otherwise.

In other words, as specialists dealing with obesity and related diseases, we should have a broad perspective. We are always in danger of using a narrow knife-wielder’s perspective and eyeing every patient as a potential victim. We must be very careful. At BMI, we never stop telling each other this.

In clinical practice, the psyche of the patient is very important. But a more important factor (and an often unrecognized one) is the psyche of the doctor.

Each time, I sigh. It means another ten minute lecture is due on my part. I have to teach an important lesson to the patient (not to mention the family) all over again.

So my lecture goes somewhat like this:

Why are you here? Because eating the way you do has led to a level of obesity that is dangerous to your health and even your very existence. You have suffered endlessly because of your obesity. You have lived through your own self-recrimination, the admonishment of your family, the chiding and teasing of your friends, and countless other miseries unique to the severely obese individual.

Eating the kind of foods the way you have been eating has caused you so many life-threatening diseases like diabetes, sleep apnea and hypertension. Eating sugars and junk has brought you to surgery as a last resort.

So why are you not looking further ahead to being leaner and healthier? Why are you looking back to eating the same kind of way that has made you what you are today? Look at this thing in perspective. You have a whole new life ahead. Plan on how you can make the most of this with your new-found health and look. Liberate yourself from guilt and misery. Focus! The goal is health and leanness, not food. Focus! Look, you are several trouser sizes down! Look, you look great in that new slim-fit T-shirt! Look, people are wide-eyed at your transformation. Look, your husband thinks you are beautiful again!

Don’t miss these achievements. None of this is possible if you think surgery is your destination. It is not. Surgery is your vehicle. It will take you where you would never have dreamed of reaching. But you will do so only if you keep sight of your goals. That is what is called FOCUS.

Halfway through my practice, a couple of trucks bearing sand and soil, came to the ground and started dumping them near me. I had to escape the dust and fumes, and abandoned the training.

(An Indian truck looks like this; pic source- from here)
But the disquiet of an incomplete session did not leave me as I proceeded home.

I live on the sixth floor of a building in Kolkata. As a routine, I never use the elevator, as part of my NEAT principle (check out the link).
Today, I decided to make a workout of my return home from the ground floor.
I walked to the floor above with one kettlebell (Kali- the 25 kg bell), ran down and brought back the other one (Sita- the 17 kg). Then I ran all the way down to the ground floor and back up. Now I had to carry one bell to the next floor, run down to two floors below, bring the other bell back, and then run down all the way to the ground floor and back. In other words, whenever both bells were on one floor, I had to run down to the ground floor and back up.
So, to put both bells up from, say the 3rd to the 4th floor, I carried one bell up straight from the 3rd to the 4th, ran back to the 2nd floor, sprinted up (two stairs at a time) to the bell at the 3rd floor, and carried it up to its partner in the the 4th floor. For the next round, I would start by going down to the ground floor and sprinting up all over again.
I calculated the floors and steps run in the few minutes of this workout:
1st- 2
2nd- 3
3rd- 6
4th- 7
5th- 8
6th- 9
TOTAL—35 floors
18 steps per floor—630 total steps up.
I am not calculating the steps run down.
At the end of it, my legs were saying, “PLEASE!!”
I was happy. No excuses training. That is what I want. So, the next time I take 3 kettlebells out, I know I would love the return of the kettlebells home.