non-air-pressurized flight 3 weeks after hair transplant

[logo77]

hope you can answer a question, that is worrying me a lot a the moment:

 

i have had a hair transplant 1 month ago. last week, 3 weeks after the transplant, i joined a flight with a relative who is a hobby-pilote. we flew with a small airplane (only 2 seats), that has no pressurized cabin, we also had no extra-oxygen. we were flying at an altitude of around 8500 - 9500 feet, going up to 10000 feet for a few minutes. the whole flight lasted around 40 minutes. during the descent, i experienced some very strong pain in my face above the eyebrowns. this was probably caused by the change of air pressure (although i never had this pain when flying on "normal" commercial airplanes with in-cabin-pressure-systems). this made we wonder whether this flight was a very bad idea regarding my hair transplant 3 weeks ago.

my 2 worries are: is it possible that the lower aeration (oxygen) in my blood at around 9500-10000 feet could have caused a critical shortage of oxygen to my transplanted grafts and damaged or even "killed" them? is it possible that the fast change in air pressure that caused my headache also could have brought disadvantage to my grafts? i am very very worried about this issue.

thank you very much for answers

ps: of course i asked my physician about this, too: he thinks it is fine, but who knows as it is a very "special situation".

 

best wishes logo77

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Good luck with that one! Its over my head! I didn't even know you could fly that high non pressurized! Contact your doctor..Im sure he can give you an answer.

[bonkerstonker]

Mate i think it's more likely you're suffering from what we all do after a ht...it's called paranoia! After a ht you worry about everything it's just natural because we care so much. At the end of the day they're part of your scalp after 2 weeks so i'm sure they'll be fine you'll be surprised how well locked in to your scalp they are.

[logo77]

thanks for the answers so far. yes, i am paranoid, i know. but i think this issue could really be a problem, beyond paranioa.

 

i am talking about feet, not meters. 10000 feet is around 3000 meters.

as far as i know, the air pressure in commercial airplanes (with in-cabin pressure) is regulated at a level equalent to 8500 feet. so I was 1000-1500 feet beyond this level. there are skiing mountains at 10000 feet, too. people ski there, of course without air-pressurized cabins. but the go up there slowly with mountain train, not airplane.

google told me that you should use oxygen when flying more than 10000 feet. we have been at that level only a few minutes, than back to 8000-9000 feet.

hmmm, i would feel much more comfortable if a specialist or doctor or someone with experience in flying could tell me that my flight is absolutely nor problem and i should be less paranoid and relax.

best wishes logo77

Edited November 25, 2011 by logo77

[Jotronic]

The pain you experienced was in your sinus cavities. During ascent and descent the air pressure inside your sinus cavities tries to equalize with the atmospheric pressure and when this is done too fast some "pockets" of air get trapped and exert pressure on the sinus membranes causing headaches or sinus pain. There is no issue with oxygen getting to your grafts as this would require a blood flow blockage and even then it wouldn't cause an issue, except maybe death:) Why? Because your grafts, before they were placed but after they were extracted most likely sat in a saline or similar storage solution for a couple of hours. The worst thing that happens from that is a temporary shed until the new hairs start to grow back three to five months post-op.

 

Keep in mind also that when you are in a commercial airliner the cabin pressure is not set to sea level. The lowest air pressure in a commercial airliner is set to about 5000 ft but most run pressure at about 7 to 8000 ft. Since many patients fly home in a commercial jet the day after surgery they are being exposed to the roughly the same pressure you experienced in your non-pressurized cabin. In other words, you're fine. Don't worry about it.

[logo77]

hi jotronic,

 

your words are very calming for me, thanks a lot. your explanation sounds logical to me, i can chill out now.

this hair transplant is my 2nd, the first turned out not that good in terms of growth rate and design(appearance, so i am little bit "paranoid" that something could go wrong with this one.

 

btw, i saw the teaser pics of your 3rd (i think you wrote 3rd) transplant with dr wong on another forum. unbelievable and outstanding are the only words to say when comparing where you started from. for me, your case is a milestone in hair transplant history.

 

best wishes,

logo77

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

The pain you experienced was in your sinus cavities. During ascent and descent the air pressure inside your sinus cavities tries to equalize with the atmospheric pressure and when this is done too fast some "pockets" of air get trapped and exert pressure on the sinus membranes causing headaches or sinus pain. There is no issue with oxygen getting to your grafts as this would require a blood flow blockage and even then it wouldn't cause an issue, except maybe death:) Why? Because your grafts, before they were placed but after they were extracted most likely sat in a saline or similar storage solution for a couple of hours. The worst thing that happens from that is a temporary shed until the new hairs start to grow back three to five months post-op.

 

Keep in mind also that when you are in a commercial airliner the cabin pressure is not set to sea level. The lowest air pressure in a commercial airliner is set to about 5000 ft but most run pressure at about 7 to 8000 ft. Since many patients fly home in a commercial jet the day after surgery they are being exposed to the roughly the same pressure you experienced in your non-pressurized cabin. In other words, you're fine. Don't worry about it.

 

Sounds Good Joe!

[bonkerstonker]

Joe now that's what I call a answer!

[chrisdav]

Great answer Jotronic, was that a google cut and paste job or are you really that inteligent?

[Jotronic]

Haha, thanks guys. I knew all of it except what the actual pressure numbers were. I know about atmospheric pressures and how they apply to our sinuses because of when I was training for advanced scuba certifications years ago. You can't learn too much when you're studying about how NOT to die 100ft underwater, LOL!