Jump to content

So why is sunburn bad?


Recommended Posts

  • Regular Member

Been wondering about this.

 

So I made the cardinal mistake of going out in the sun 10 days after surgery and getting a mild burn. 4 months out now and I don't know if I've fudged things up, but it got me thinking... why is sunburn bad?

 

If the grafts are all secured, why should they be burned to death? Surely this would then mean it could happen to any hair folicles, even old ones?

My Hairloss Website

 

HT#1 - Dr Pathomvanich - 2900 Grafts

HT#2 - Dr Pathomvanich - 1500 Grafts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Regular Member

TBH I don't know. I had evil shockloss after surgery, so the new growth I can feel could just be the shocked hair growing back.

 

I guess I won't know until 8 months or so .... it's so annoying though, it was cloudy when I went out, so didn't take the hat - then once I'm out in the open, clouds clear and we're in 42 degrees sunshine :( Must have had 3 or so x 20 minute exposures ...

My Hairloss Website

 

HT#1 - Dr Pathomvanich - 2900 Grafts

HT#2 - Dr Pathomvanich - 1500 Grafts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

Well, I wish you the best and hope you did no harm. IMO the immediate post-op period is likely the most crucial period that determines whether or not the grafts will survive. Some people have thicker, tougher grafts than others and so maybe for them it doesn't matter as much.

 

I see so many guys getting the surgery and then flying in 3 different jet planes 3000-5000 miles the next day. To me this is just plain crazy! The grafts are still settling and have just been exposed to trauma, and now you are exposing them to the force of a jet airplane traveling at speeds the human body was never meant to endure. Not to mention the stress factor that you're putting your entire body thru doing this, instead of just resting up a few more nights in a hotel at the least.

 

I spent 10 days post-op within driving distance to the clinic, just sleeping alot and eating very good, meditating, etc. I kept the hat on religiously when outside, pulling it up a little every now and then to get fresh air in there. I still keep it on religiously, and I'll be doing that for at least the next 4-5 months.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

flying makes absolutly no difference to the grafts, your hardly experiencing any g-force at all, I have way more g-force when I accerate in my car than in a plane.

 

I do keep my hat on when its sunny though and always have it with me just in case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Regular Member

Hopefully being at the 10 day mark, I was at a "safer" point than if it had been earlier.

 

It would suck so much if I did kill them all though - this is my second surgery. The first one was too sparse, so this was to "top it up" - if I come out looking exactly the same, but 1500 grafts down .... damn ....

 

The only thing I have in my favour here is obviously it was within a previously transplanted area, so there was some other hair to give protection. It also wasn't a bad burn, obviously I couldn't feel my head, but my arms were a little "tight" rather than massively red and blistered.

 

I would still like to know though why it's so important the first X weeks / months - what changes after this?

My Hairloss Website

 

HT#1 - Dr Pathomvanich - 2900 Grafts

HT#2 - Dr Pathomvanich - 1500 Grafts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are most likely safe so long as you did not severly burn the scalp in the transplanted areas. Did the area that you burned retun to its normal color shortly after the exposure to the sun? Often the negetive effects of the sun have more to do with skin color and permanant redness than the transplanted follicles not growing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Regular Member

Hi Dr Charles,

 

Well my arms went back to normal colour a day later. My head I couldn't tell you, as it was still red from the surgery (that took about 3 months to clear!)

 

I had found load of "I was burned but it seemed oks" ont he forum, but then one chap who said he did the same thing at 10 days and had zero growth! eek!

My Hairloss Website

 

HT#1 - Dr Pathomvanich - 2900 Grafts

HT#2 - Dr Pathomvanich - 1500 Grafts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

At 4 months, your hair follicles are likely OK. Dr Simmons cautions patients about being in the sun for the first few months post op. A bad burn in the first few days could damage the grafts but we haven't ever seen this happen. Your recipient area may be more sensitive to the sun now than it was prior to your hair transplant. Sun exposure of a healing area can rarely cause permanent darkening of the skin but you would already be able to see this if it happened to you. If you are concerned it is best to ask your hair transplant doctor directly.

 

Hope this helps.

Louise

 

Lead Hair Transplant Technician for Dr. Cam Simmons at the Seager Medical Group

 

Dr. Cam Simmons is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Regular Member

Yeah, it was a case of "ahah, 10 days are up now, I can go out - and it's not sunny, hurrah"

 

Doh!

 

Surgery on Tuesday out on the following Saturday (I guess technically 10 and a half or 11 days)

My Hairloss Website

 

HT#1 - Dr Pathomvanich - 2900 Grafts

HT#2 - Dr Pathomvanich - 1500 Grafts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Regular Member

Ok, had word back from my Dr who says if it was just a mild (up to 1st degree) sunburn then there's no need to worry.

 

Looking at HT1 photos, it seemed not much happened until month 5 anyway - so I guess the hair coming in now is just the shocked hair, and the real growth hasn't started yet.

 

It's gonna be a nervy few months though.

 

However, still doesn't answer the original question .. what is it about sunburn (and only in the early stages) that causes issues?

My Hairloss Website

 

HT#1 - Dr Pathomvanich - 2900 Grafts

HT#2 - Dr Pathomvanich - 1500 Grafts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

i think its the risk to healing process not the grafts once there secured as they are deep under the skin but most people know that sun is not good for skin when it is trying to heal

Dr A. Armani 2500 Fue

Dec 2008

 

Proscar X1 Day

Monixodil X2 Day

Msm Daily

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

I've just asked this question of my surgeon (Transmed) and they've advised not to go out in it for three months.

 

I'm at five weeks post op, and I've been suffering from a few pimples in the recipient area in the last couple of weeks. I did wonder if a bit of mild exposure to the sun - just 5 or 10 minutes late in the afternoon, might help get rid of the pimples.

 

But hey ho, I guess it's best not to risk anything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

A mild sunburn probably didn't hurt anything. You didn't get burned deep enough to hurt the actual follicles. A 3rd degree burn on the other hand could cause trouble but that would mean you would have had blistering, peeling skin, etc.

Finasteride 1.25 mg. daily

Avodart 0.5 mg. daily

Spironolactone 50 mg twice daily

5 mg. oral Minoxidil twice daily

Biotin 1000 mcg daily

Multi Vitamin daily

 

Damn, with all the stuff you put in your hair are you like a negative NW1? :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Regular Member
I've just asked this question of my surgeon (Transmed) and they've advised not to go out in it for three months.

 

I'm at five weeks post op, and I've been suffering from a few pimples in the recipient area in the last couple of weeks. I did wonder if a bit of mild exposure to the sun - just 5 or 10 minutes late in the afternoon, might help get rid of the pimples.

 

But hey ho, I guess it's best not to risk anything.

Well living in Thailand means it's impossible not to go out in the sun.

 

The problem with wearing a hat all the time is, once you've put it on, gone out and got really sweaty - you can't take it off without looking ridiculous (hair all matted together and looks super super thin).

 

Since the sunburn episode of 10 days, I wore a hat for the next month or so whenever I went out - but after this, I did stop. Of course I keep sun exposure to a minimum, but even the local supermarket is a 15 minute walk (in 40 degrees, lol).

 

Saying that though, my HT this time was inside existing hair, so I guess I have a lot more protection from the current hair over someone who is doing it to totally bald scalp.

 

Hopefully at 6-8 months I can come back to this thread and tell everyone I'm totally fine - so ppl in the future won't need to worry so much :)

My Hairloss Website

 

HT#1 - Dr Pathomvanich - 2900 Grafts

HT#2 - Dr Pathomvanich - 1500 Grafts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

While u may not have done any damage to the 10 day old grafts it is still not recommended to let your scalp get burned. The scalp is sensitive to the sun & skin cancer of the scalp is fairly common especially in fair skinned people with thinning hair.

I know it looks good to tan your scalp because it really cuts down the contrast betwwen hair & scalp. But you really should cover up & protect your scalp from the sun in the future.

 

I think you will be fine otherwise.

 

Good luck!

 

Atomic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Regular Member

Well slightly worrying now - at 4 and a half months, and whilst I was positive before as I could feel growth, now I'm not sure...

 

I checked earlier for the "hole" that was one of the reasons I had gone for HT2, and it's still there with no growth at all. This leads me to believe that the growth I have been feeling could just be the shockloss hair returning, rather than the new hair growing.

 

Nuts....

Edited by monkey

My Hairloss Website

 

HT#1 - Dr Pathomvanich - 2900 Grafts

HT#2 - Dr Pathomvanich - 1500 Grafts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Regular Member

Went to see Dr P today who said "No problem, unless you got a third degree burn you will be fine" - I pushed the point that it was only 10 days (well technically 11) after surgery that it happened and he said "Yes, still, no problem! Don't worry... 15 or so minutes in the sun won't do anything, the follicles are well below inside the skin."

 

He then did a check of the hairs as I said I couldn't feel much and again was told "Don't worry, 4 months is very early - you will only just be starting to sprout." and that he could see some baby hairs.

 

As I'm sure we all would be, I'm still sceptical - but as there is nothing else I can do, and he did seem very positive - I'm just going to have to wait it out.

 

Looking at HT1 photos, a lot had happened at the 6 month mark - so I reckon I'll just wait it out until then before I start to panic :)

 

I'll get the HT2 photos in the next few days and start updating my site for that one too :)

My Hairloss Website

 

HT#1 - Dr Pathomvanich - 2900 Grafts

HT#2 - Dr Pathomvanich - 1500 Grafts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Regular Member

I guess I should really be writing this in my blog, but as the thread is here....

 

In the name of sanity (or perhaps INsanity) - I decided today to go and retrace my steps and time exactly how long everything took , lol, a little crazy I know, but I was there anyway, so it wasn't so big a deal :)

 

It went like this:

 

From shade to sun to shade > 5 minutes

15 minute rest

From shade to sun to shade > 3 minutes

5-10 minute rest

From shade to sun to shade > 2 minutes

20 minute rest

From shade to sun to shade > 3-5 minutes

 

For some reason I thought it was a lot more, but it seems my mind was playing tricks on me. So overall, never more than 5 minutes in the sun - I guess I am worrying over nothing ....

My Hairloss Website

 

HT#1 - Dr Pathomvanich - 2900 Grafts

HT#2 - Dr Pathomvanich - 1500 Grafts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...
  • Regular Member

I see so many guys getting the surgery and then flying in 3 different jet planes 3000-5000 miles the next day. To me this is just plain crazy! The grafts are still settling and have just been exposed to trauma, and now you are exposing them to the force of a jet airplane traveling at speeds the human body was never meant to endure.

 

it's not like he's hanging his head out the window or flying an old biplane head out in the open :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...