Sun Exposure after Hair Transplant

[gillenator]

I was referring to the Nov 29th post by DoctorTalks...

[djcluv]

yah of course...it's not good when exposing to sunlight...hunting games unblocked

[gillenator]

Relevance?...

[ChinaExpat]

Snorkeling in Thailand 3 weeks post op

Hey everyone!
First time posting here.

This thread is really helpful and kudos for every person who contributed to it and to the senior members who answer every question, so much useful information!

3 weeks ago I've had a PSE procedure in a reputable clinic in Shanghai (basically it's an FUE/DHI procedure as they use implanter pens with a very small diameter to implant the grafts, but for some reason they patented it in China under the name PSE - Precision micro incision Hair Transplant Technology)
I'm happy with the result so far and the hairline looks great.

I'm currently in Thailand on a vacation where I spent most of the time on the beach and snorkeling.
As you can probably imagine, the sun is very strong here so in order to protect my precious grafts from the sunlight, I wear a bandana + hat on top at all times when I'm outside the water and just the bandana when I'm snorkeling in the water. I'm also applying a Nivea SPF 50 sunscreen which (supposedly) protects against UVA1/UVA2/UVB rays.
This is the bandana I'm using, it's not very thick:


After 3 days of snorkeling in the seawater, I woke up in the morning to find a few areas on my crown have a little bit of dry blood, please see the attached pictures:




As you can see in the photos my crown is not particularly red, it's kinda the same redness level I've had since the op, and I don't feel any discomfort or any pain in that area when I touch it, so I don't think I got sunburned.

But I'm very worried because of these few random spots that suddenly had dry blood in the morning - can it be that I lost grafts while sleeping 3 weeks post op? Did the sun rays go through the bandana and had some kind of negative effect on the transplanted grafts in my crown??

I'm also sweating a lot and I take the bandana off only in the evening - is it ok that my scalp doesn't breath all day and it is covered in a sweaty/wet piece of cloth 8 hours a day?
Is there a risk of poisoning the transplanted grafts by applying sunscreen directly on them?

Not sure if it's related but worth mentioning that although I'm 3 weeks post op I haven't started shedding too much yet, I only find a few hairs here and there on my pillow when I wake up in the morning.

Please advise regarding the dry blood as I'm really worried I lost some grafts or caused some irreversible damage to the transplanted hair.

[gillenator]

There is almost always considerable bleeding when a graft dislodges or pops out...so unless you experienced that, chances are you did not lose any.

A couple of things though, the water from swimming/snorkeling can reduce the effectiveness of the sunscreen even though it's 50 strength...so you have to re-apply often.

The bandana is not as effective as a loosely fitted ball cap...yet your photos look fine...no apparent sunburn.

Congrats on your recent procedure...your grafts should be shedding soon.

[John P. Cole, MD]

Please advise regarding the dry blood as I'm really worried I lost some grafts or caused some irreversible damage to the transplanted hair.

I don't see any signs that you sunburned your scalp. It is impossible to lose a graft after 3 weeks. In fact, grafts are impossible to remove after seven days. The dried blood is probably your bodies reaction to the grafted follicles in the skin. Following transplantation, the dermal sheath collapses around the hair follicles and closer to the surface of the skin. The sheath is the live cells that will produce new hair beginning about 3 months following the transplant. Because these cells are closer to the skin surface, they are more sensitive to the effects of UV light. Thus, you must be cautious and avoid sunburn. The follicles, on the other hand, are dead. They are foreign bodies in the skin at this point. Your body will want to get rid of them. At three months, you are likely to see a lot of this if you do not get rid of these follicles. Go ahead and scrub the area with soap and a washcloth. Try to get these follicles to dislodge. If you don't, you will have many pimples begin to form at three months. For the most part, everything looks good at this point.

[gillenator]

Sometimes patients are worried to get more aggressive at this point post-op yet I wholeheartedly agree that it is important to clean the scalp and remove all crusting.

This will provide a good clean environment for the new grafts to emerge and thrive.

Patience, patience, patience...

[gillenator]

I think most doctors will want their patients to stay out of direct sunlight much longer...possibly Dr. Cole can shed some light on this.

[sayian]

Dear friends, I just had a hair transpant *** technique and I am baffled because my doctors mentioned nothing about sun.

I suspected this but at the same time it sounds odd that one should protect the head 12 months against the sun. How is that possible ?! You get UV rays even with clouds outside, so how can one cover the head for 1 year ? I mean, even in the house you mostly get near the windows and the UV rays are striking your head. So should one cover the head for 1 year for optimal hair transplant results ? Waiting for a doctor opinion on this question !

I thought that covering the scalp with some sort of cap after HT would do damage to the follicles, so don't know exactly what to do, even if I implemented the best diet and lifestyle I could to increase my HT chance :

- no dairy
- no sugar
- no alcohol
- no smoking
- no sweating
- vegetables, vitamins, antioxidants orally
- etc

Bit worried about that I did light exercise (cardio) without sweating today on day 5 after HT, could I have damaged the hair transplant ? No sweating but really heart pumping exercise that could have sent blood to the hair.

Please please answer to all my questions... I don't know what to do, I am worried and contemplating staying in darkness for the next year, lol !

Mathew

[gillenator]

You need to read all of the postop instructions from your doctor/clinic.

[Bald74]

I am trying to schedule a hair transplant during my vacation time toward the end of the year and I was wondering how long after the hair transplant do I have to wait to go out in the sun without my head being covered? Would it be more than two weeks?

[gillenator]

Oh yes, it would be much longer than 2 weeks...more like 8-10 months!

Talk with your surgeon about this when you arrive at the clinic and follow the post-op instructions they provide you.

[Blanco89]

Thin hat

Ive been using a baseball hat after my hair transplant surgery
Ive been using it from day 10 Post up
One day i discovered that the hat slightly pass the sun rays
The hat made 100% from nylon
Does this effect the result of the surgery

[Blanco89]

Oh yes, it would be much longer than 2 weeks...more like 8-10 months!

Talk with your surgeon about this when you arrive at the clinic and follow the post-op instructions they provide you.

Dear doctor would you please help me with. This issues.

Ive been using a baseball hat after my hair transplant surgery
Ive been using it from day 10 Post up
One day i discovered that the hat slightly pass the sun rays
The hat made 100% from nylon
Does this effect the result of the surgery

[gillenator]

The hat must have a nylon mesh that allows light to pass through it?...if so, most nylon hats should not be interfering with your grafts causing any sunburn...it is however always best to wear a cap that does not allow sunlight to penetrate onto your grafts.

As long as your recipient area is well protected, you should be fine.

If you had FUHT, you must make sure there is not tension on the strip scar from the band on the cap....if you had FUE, there is no strip scar to stretch.