To recover from surgery, your body must divert its resources to the important process of healing. This can result in the sacrifice of certain processes that are of secondary importance, such as growing hair. Some surgeries, such as vertical gastroplasties, can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies that cause severe alopecia, or hair loss. This has lead researchers to focus on the problem of regrowing hair after surgery. In a 1996 study, H.J. Neve and colleagues from the United Kingdom's Gaskell House studied post-surgical patients suffering from alopecia and found that a daily zinc sulfate supplement, added to a multivitamin, dramatically increased hair regrowth.
Take three 200mg zinc sulfate pills per day. Your total zinc sulfate intake should total 600mg daily.
Take a daily multivitamin supplement that includes B-complex vitamins, such as biotin. B-complex vitamins promote healthy hair, skin, eyes and liver because they help your body metabolize and build new proteins, such as the keratin found in hair, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Consume as balanced a diet as possible after your surgery. If you can eat at least 50g of protein daily, do so. The recommended daily allowance of protein is 50g, according to the United States Institute of Medicine. The proteins you eat serve as the raw materials your body uses to build new proteins, such as keratin.
Warning
While recovering from surgery, it is important that you follow your doctor's orders. Consult your doctor before altering your diet or taking supplements as you recover.
References
Writer Bio
Timothy Banas has a master's degree in biophysics and was a high school science teacher in Chicago for seven years. He has since been working as a trading systems analyst, standardized test item developer, and freelance writer. As a freelancer, he has written articles on everything from personal finances to computer technology.