Sun Exposure after Hair Transplant

[gillenator]

There are other good threads here on this subject

[CIT]

UVB and transplanted grafts...

Hey TennisPlayer,

You should probably do nothing at all. The only way to determine how severe the sun's effects on you would be to evaluate the fully matured results at a later time in the future. A sunburn could easily kill the grafts, so you can only hope that the UVB rays didn't adversely affect your scalp. Keep a white hat and a thick sunblock on stand-by so you don't find yourself in a not-so-good situation. Keep'em covered until they grow because they are your investment and a trophy to show someone's hard work.






This advice is not medical advice

[thejack]

I experienced a thermal burn on my head a year ago. The skin was red, oozing puss, and irritable for a couple months. I used bio oil and still do occasionally which has healed it. The pigment has returned but from time to time it feels slightly itchy and a bit dry. Do you think this would affect the results if I were to have a hair transplant? The hair around seems to be in good order..

[nt2008]

New hat to protect your head

I have discovered a new hat after hair loss and found it to be great and want to recommend it all who need to cover their head or provide protection from sun.
The hat is made of organic cotton so it is super soft and comfortable. It is also antibacterial and hypoallergenic. It is also stylish with embroidery and comes is adjustable sizes. It is called recovercap and you can find it on line at recovercap.com.

[gallovolador]

And what about the exposure to very low temperatures?, typically found in non tropical latitudes during winter.
There is a lot of advice about avoiding sun exposure after surgery for several months from all doctors but i still didnt find a single recomendation about being exposed to freezeing temperatures (below OºC) during postop. And i write and ask about this because these tempertures also burn the skin, and the recipient skin is even much more sensible and unprotected which probably means that could be burnt with a lower time of exposure and not so low temperature than the rest of skin will need to be burnt. Correct me please if im wrong.
I had the situation that 25 days after my transplant i had a walk of about 10 minutes from my office to my car (without hat because i always try to avoid it unless there is sun), the outside temperature was -2ºC, was windy and i could realised that i had some light disconfort in my recepient area and that inmidiatly after my skin seems to be lightly more red, all this was gone after a couple of hours so i thought that because the symptons were very temporary and light most probably nothing wrong had happened, and decided not to search for medical advise. Am i right with my considerations?, any suggestions?. It would be useful for all of us to have some clear advice also about exposure to low temperatures which are not exclusive from North Pole.
Thanks a lot before hand for your attention and best regrowth to all!.

[Dexter]

Sunlight exposure in the morning

Hi, I am in the UK and the sunlight here in the mornings like about 9am -10am is very mild. I walk about 30 mins everyday to my work and most of the time its rainy and cold but sometimes sunny but I never feel any heat of sun on my head.
So, do i still need to cover my head from sun?
This is my 4th week of surgery and i have some redness on my head, i am so much worried if its due to this sunlight. I researched on internet a week ago, about this redness after surgery, and people discussed it as a normal thing. What would u guys say? please guide me i am so worried.

Thanks

[Dexter]

Sun Exposure in the morning

Hi, I am in the UK and the sunlight here in the mornings like about 9am -10am is very mild. I walk about 30 mins everyday to my work and most of the time its rainy and cold but sometimes sunny but I never feel any heat of sun on my head.
So, do i still need to cover my head from sun?
This is my 4th week of surgery and i have some redness on my head, i am so much worried if its due to this sunlight. I researched on internet a week ago, about this redness after surgery, and people discussed it as a normal thing. What would u guys say? please guide me i am so worried.

Thanks

[gillenator]

Dexter,

Even though you may not feel the heat on your scalp, exposing it to ultra-viiolet rays that soon post-op can potentially damage your grafts. Any exposure to the sun's rays for more than say 10 minutes is not good. This is true even if there is a cloud cover.

There are some good posts on this subject in this thread.

[Dexter]

Symtoms of damage cuz of sunlight

Hi,

After almost more than 10 days of exposure to mild sunlight i started wearing cap from today, I am so much worried and wonder how much area i might have damaged. Please can anyone tell me the symptoms of follicle damage due to sunlight ?

I have some redness on my transplanted area as well as on the donar area, and i've lost 90% of transplanted hair already in 4 weeks of my surgery.
There are two strange white hair kind of skin, which i can feel like a peeled tiny thin skin (like hair) that i can feel with touch of my finger.

Please tell me any cure to restore my my hair follicles If possible.

[gillenator]

Can you post any pics of the areas you are concerned with? It is really difficult to give you any feedback without seeing the area. It would also be best for you to be examined by a reputable HT doctor as well.

[steinomight2]

Self Tanner

How soon after the HT would it be safe to use self tanner on the recipient areas? I have small areas of grafting, but didn't want to "clog" or "poison" the grafts in way. Do you recommend not using that? What about hair gel also? Can a substance stunt it's growth? Thanks!

[gillenator]

How soon after the HT would it be safe to use self tanner on the recipient areas? I have small areas of grafting, but didn't want to "clog" or "poison" the grafts in way. Do you recommend not using that? What about hair gel also? Can a substance stunt it's growth? Thanks!

You can apply these products when the epidermis is completely healed. The products you mentioned do not however protect your scalp from the harmful UV rays if they do not have adequate sun block. Even then, it is always best to keep your scalp covered with a cap or scarf whenever in the sun for more than 7-10 minutes.

[hugo]

Hi . I am a bit confused regaring the sunburn issue as it seems to be elephant in room regaring hair follicle yield post op. My crown area received 4100 graths in September. In December I spend one hour in the sun which resulted in a redness which I could see in the evening gettting ready to go out. I wear a hat all the time so no direct sunlight was on my crown since May. Therefore it is natural that the sun will be fairy effective in colouring the skin red. I felt no discomfort. Now is it a fact fact that the follicle dies or is it more a question of the pigmentation of the skin. Why do docters not stress this point more regarding post op. Why do they not prescribe sunblock so you know you need to stay out of the sun. At the moment it seems everybody has there own opinion which of course is futher fuel to the flames of uncertainty burning along this yourney we have all embarked on hoping to get clear guidance from the profesionals - is it one month, is it two months, is it three months that you should be out of the sun. OMG i am so confusioned

[gillenator]

Hi . I am a bit confused regaring the sunburn issue as it seems to be elephant in room regaring hair follicle yield post op. My crown area received 4100 graths in September. In December I spend one hour in the sun which resulted in a redness which I could see in the evening gettting ready to go out. I wear a hat all the time so no direct sunlight was on my crown since May. Therefore it is natural that the sun will be fairy effective in colouring the skin red. I felt no discomfort. Now is it a fact fact that the follicle dies or is it more a question of the pigmentation of the skin. Why do docters not stress this point more regarding post op. Why do they not prescribe sunblock so you know you need to stay out of the sun. At the moment it seems everybody has there own opinion which of course is futher fuel to the flames of uncertainty burning along this yourney we have all embarked on hoping to get clear guidance from the profesionals - is it one month, is it two months, is it three months that you should be out of the sun. OMG i am so confusioned

It does not sound like you were sunburned although your scalp did get red from what you said. Yes it can be confusing because as with anything else, everyone has their own opinion regarding potential damage from ultra-violet rays. I think after reading all of the available esearch on this topic, most will concur that potential damage can occur to both the epidermis as well as the transplanted grafts depending on the degree of burn sustained. Why not simply take the safest approach to protect one's investment and keep the epidermis protected for no less than three months.

[eurobenz867]

great info.

What about regular lights in your house/office. Does that have any adverse effect on the scalp?