“Open Heart Surgery And Hair Loss?” Asks Tim

Hair loss definately accelerated after surgery.

Thanks Cliff…

Perhaps there is some kind of trend here…

Open Heart Surgery = Male pattern baldness?

Regardless, I’d rather be bald than dead.

coumadin/ warfarin lists its side effects as hair loss and mum definitely had clumps of hair coming out whilst on this

I had aortic valve replacement and mitral valve and tricuspid valve repair at Cleveland Clinic in February. After I returned home, I noticed that I was losing a lot of hair. My comb would be full of it. At that rate, I thought I might go bald! But it has lessened now, thank goodness.

I don’t wish hair loss on anyone but am relieved to know that it might be related to my heart surgery.

James Ford

At my 1st hair appointment in Mar. after Feb. MVP repair my stylist called my husband over as she lifted some hair on the back right side. I could see in the mirror that they were looking at something … I asked if I hand a mole that was new. I could see her mouthing “I’ve never seen this before.” She’s a little “dramatic” anyway. Not a mole … I just dropped it at that. Got home & was looking in the area … a round patch the size of a golf ball completely bald!! I just figured it was something to do with the surgery, the the drugs during surgery or after. It has all started growing back in.

Good point Nendie!

To James… Glad to hear!

To Cindy… Yikes! Glad to hear the golf ball bald spot is filling back in!

Keep on tickin!

Adam

I have to agree that there is some culprit associated with hair loss that comes as a result of OHS. I had a pacemake implanted on March 20th of this year and aortic valve replacement on April 20th. I am 62 and had been very happy with the amount of hair I had managed to keep. However, a few months after the OHS I find myself losing quite a lot of hair. Maybe extreme stress is the culprit.

It might be useful to remember that things that happen about the same time often do not have a cause-and-effect relationship. For all I know there may be a connection, but there have been a lot of items on this blog that try to draw causal relationships for things that happen to us after our surgery. Well, most of us are at an age when our bodies are going to be changing, whether we replace heart valves or not.

I had OHS to repair my tri-cuspid valve in September ’08. My kids pointed out that my hair looked very thin in the front a few months back. I brushed it off thinking due to my hair being light, it just looked thin in certain light. Well, it really is thin…no way to disguise it! Several friends have commented on it recently, too. I thought maybe it was from the Metoprolol I was taking? I have been off that now for about a month and a half and am hoping for it to thicken up again. I honestly never thought about the stress as a possibility…intresting.

Holy cow! (I have a bovine valve.) I think Jeanie may be onto something. Hair loss is actually listed as a side effect of Metoprolol. See the Side Effects section of the WikiPedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metoprolol
Man, my barber is going to be thrilled!

Sean -

Thanks for the “Holy Cow” pun… That one never gets old. You and Robin Williams should get together for some stand-up. But seriously, thanks for finding the information about Metoprolol and hair loss. Very helpful for all of us reading these comments – especially for those patients on the drug.
Keep on tickin!

Adam

On Jan 5 of this year, at the age of 39, I had a mechanical valve implanted to relieve the severe aortic stenosis that was caused by a bicuspid aortic valve. After surgery it seemed I was losing a lot of hair in the “part” and in the front along my hairline. I had experienced similar hair loss after the c-section to deliver my son 5 years ago and started using a hair product called Nioxin. I started using this again and I’m not sure but I think the rate of hair loss has decreased and is hopefully reversing. I am grateful to still be “ticking” but I really am not ready to be going bald. I hope this product helps others, too.

hi my name is Rozella…
I am a female 28yrs old. I had open heart surgery in 2007. I had work done to my aorta. I had we’ll call it a bubble in my aorta. it was removed and covered with a graft. Anyway everything went very well.
however less than a month after my surgery. the left side of my hair started to fall out… i didn’t know what to do… I just wash it and kept it condition. It grew back fully in sometime this spring 2009. My hair isn’t the same its not full and as long as it use to be. It also takes forever to grow back.

i had open heart surgery in april; i am a 56 year old female and losing my hair rapidly. i heard its common, 2 – 3 moths after a major stressful incident or surgery,

I am a 48 year old female. I had a pulmonary valve replaced and an atrial septal defect (hole) repaired in May, 2009. It’s late August and my hair is coming out in fistfuls. I also read that a stressful event such as surgery can trigger hair loss. I hope the rate of the hair loss diminishes over time and is only temporary. Does anyone have a comment about whether the hair loss subsides. I am not on any medication except aspirin.

I am a 44 year old female who had aortic and mitral valve replaced as well as bypass in May. Like Hallie, in mid August my hair started to come out at an alarming rate. I am losing handfuls a day, about 4 to five times normal rate. I am worried about how long this will last!

I’m a 62 y.o. female. I had an aortic valve, triple bypass and ablation done in April. I’m losing my hair, my hair is thin already so this really has me worried. I would love to know what I can do. One person told me to take a Zinc supplement, however I have not tried that yet.

Hi
I am 67 and had a full head of curly hair until I had an aortic valve replacement as well as a mitral valve replacement in early May of this year. Mid September I noticed my hair was thinning and it is now at the stage where I am considering a wig. Thyroid levels were checked and found to be fine so I am thinking it is because of the open heart surgery. However, none of my doctors seem to share my concern about this hair loss and have very cavalier attitudes and make remarks like “Don’t worry – it’ll probably grow back!” At this point, words like “probably” are not what I want to hear.

I had my mitral vavle repaired in Sept 2009. My hair is falling out and now it is noticabally thinner. I have been told that it is from all the anethesia. What can I do to make it grow back?

Aortic valve replacement done Jan. 7th with many. many post op complications. Now , starting 2 weeks ago I’m experiencing MARKED and RAPID hair loss. What, if anything can be done about it? Any follow-up showing regrowth?

Hi: I had the mitral and aortic valve replaced, the tricuspid valve repaired
and a single bypass, plus a procedure to eliminate arrithymia on Jan
19, 2010.

I too have lost a lot of hair, just falling like snow. Most people say its
the stress from the operation, or maybe the medication. Some men look
great with little hair, but not so for a woman. I’m still struggling with this
and don’t like it but I’m hoping in time it will pass. I am taking pill
from the health store, called bio-regrow. It definitely is helping.
Good Luck Barb

Hi. I had 2 anomalous pulmonary veins and 1 ASD repaired in 2005. My hair fell out like crazy at first. Now, it continues to thin slowly.

I had beautiful thick hair all my life until OHS.

Replying to hair loss after surgery. June 2010 had 2 bypass heart surgery. Getting a perm Several weeks later and my Daughter in Law noticed a Bald spot (golf ball size right side). Lots of dry scalp, and hair loss more than usual. Hopefully it grows back but at least now I see it is probably related to the heart condition. Thanks everyone for your comments and information. Female patient so not a male gender problem. Yea!!

I am 69 years old. I had a robotic mitral valve repair in May of 2010. This fall my hair started falling out – around four months after surgery. I was very concerned. However, in January it started growing back. I don’t mind the short hairs sticking up: it is a relief to see regrowth. I have heard this is a common occurance following prolonged anesthesia, although I have not read any scientific study to back that up.
Glad to be well,
Mary Ann

My 82 year old mother recently had double bi-pass surgery. She had hair during her extended 9 days at the hospital. However, when I saw her the day after she arrived at the rehab facility (11 days afer surgery), she had a 4″ bald spot in the back of her head. It has now been 9 weeks since surgery and no sign of regrowth. Her doctors say they don’t know why she lost her hair and her surgeon suggested rogaine. My mother has not tried anything yet and still hopeing for some regrowth. I’ve noticed that her remaining hair is thinner than before surgery.
After telling my hairdresser about my mother’s post-surgery baldness, she said that the body will do whatever it can to heal itself and that the body deems hair as unnecessary for survival and will stop giving the hair the nutrients it needs. Sometimes the hair grows back and sometimes it doesn’t.

I am 60, and underwent OHS with 5 bypasses and a maze procedure for afib in December of 2010. Around the middle of March, I noticed my hair coming out rather rapidly. I attributed it to medication, and have checked with two of my doctors, who cannot tell me what could be happening. One says it may be the hydralazine (for high bp), which can cause lupus-like symptoms, and the other says it could be the coumadin. I saw that metropolol also lists hair loss as a side effect, and I am on that, as well. I hope that this is a very temporary thing. Please, someone reassure me that I am not going to go bald! Today my dr. said to use rogaine, and to see a dermatologist. Thanks for any tips.

I’m a 33 year old female. I had a double bypass due to damage sustained during a heart cath. I was otherwise healthy and had no heart problems (it would have been a clean cath had the doc not torn two arteries) My hair seems to be falling out everywhere. I find my pillows covered in hair, I am pulling fist-fulls out each time I wash it. I am too young for this. What do I do? Will it eventually stop? Will I have any hair left when it does?

natalie Jone im responding to your comment:

Kelly Roberts
I am a 42 year old had triple bypass in jan. 2011 and i got a perm three weeks ago and my hair is falling out so fast. Ive always had very thick hair and it just falls out in clumps in the shower. I just touch my hair and hair falls out. Ive called my dr. and beautician and no one knows why-im going to dermitolgist this week-someone better be able to help me-this is more stressful than open heart surgery.. I thought that was bad. Im way to young for this-Will it stop? Help!! I hope you got some answers if so let me know!!!

Dear Kelly, I just asked the same question!!!!!!I had my open heart surgery in Feb, 2011 and started noticing a large amount of hair in my hairbrush and now am finding clumps of hair on my clothing. I was thinking that maybe I wasn’t eating enough protein so I asked my doctor if there is a blood test for checking protein levels…..I don’t know the answer yet because I had to leave a message. I have long hair and it has always been thick. I’ve kept my hair long because my hubby likes it this length but I am thinking that if this keeps up then I can foresee a haircut coming into my future Let me know if you find any information on this problem and I’ll do the same. Thanks and have a blessed weekend…… Oh,one of my favorite quotes says: “any day above ground is a good day” so even without our abundance of hair, we made it through ‘heart surgery’
Thanks for listening,
Jan Glover, Libby Montana or my AKA;Janny from Montanny….lol

Hey, you men are the lucky ones: bald heads on men are still the rage but bald heads on women just don’t have the same effect-lol-but yes, better bald than dead…..AMEN to that

I had rapid and alarming hair loss starting about four months after surgery. Now at one year post op I think it has all grown back. It took a while and I was worried.

Mary Ann, Thanks for sharing! Good to know that your hair grew back. This brings encouragement to the rest of us, for sure. My heart doctor told me that I was on two beta blockers, and that this was the reason my hair was coming out. So….dermatologist says trauma of surgery, heart dr. says beta blockers, PCP says coumadin….I say, “Lord just let it come back!” I don’t think anyone is certain why, do you? I’ve had my hair cut short, and that seems to help with me feeling like it is thicker.

HI, I HAD OPEN HEART SURGERY 8 WEEKS AGO AND MY HAIR IS GETTING THINNER. I ALREADY HAVE THIN HAIR SO I DON’T NEED THIS. IF IT GETS WORSE I WILL NEED A WIG.

My mother had two blocked valves in her heart and had open heart surgery in March 2011. She was taking upto eight prescribed tablets in the morning and about five in the evening. She has now come off most of them, but the one she found had a bad effect was the Metoprolol, she was taking 50mg in the morning, and 50mg in the evening. It was causing insomnia, breathlessness, cold feet, cold hands, runny nose, no energy, and her hair to start falling out. She has now been off it for one week and has so much more energy, is sleeping not feeling any other effects. This has been replaced by fluid tablets (twice a day) and a lower blood pressure tablet of 5mg (taken once a day).

I’m 33 yrs old, and had an OHS last June 15, 2011. I noticed after my surgey that my hair starts to get thinner…Tried to comb it, then there will be some hair left on the comb…I’m a bit worried about it…I want to cut it really short almost bald type, but I’m worried that it will not grow back again…I have appointment tomorrow with my surgeon and I will definitely ask him about hair loss…but it is nice to read that some of you guys got their hair back after few months…

I had open heart surgery (mitral valve repair and cabg)on September 19, 2011 and just about 2 weeks ago my hair started to fall out. My hair was thin to begin with, so I resorted to buying a wig. It is heartening to hear that it will come back eventually. I also got different responses – medication vs post operative stress. It’s just one more thing……