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Pos-FUE: Exposure to Sun Light


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  • Senior Member

Hello!

 

I've done 2 FUE sessions in 16 and 17 of April of 2015.

 

How long to I need to wait after FUE to not being obligated to use a cap to protect my head hair from the strong sun light?

 

And during Summer, when Sun light is stronger than ever, sometimes we get here cloudy days but ultraviolet rays still are relatively high. Do I need to protect my hair even during these days?

 

Thanks!

 

:)

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  • Senior Member
Hello!

 

I've done 2 FUE sessions in 16 and 17 of April of 2015.

 

How long to I need to wait after FUE to not being obligated to use a cap to protect my head hair from the strong sun light?

 

And during Summer, when Sun light is stronger than ever, sometimes we get here cloudy days but ultraviolet rays still are relatively high. Do I need to protect my hair even during these days?

 

Thanks!

 

:)

 

Hi Tonrystark83,

 

Our Clinic (Darling Buds India/Dr. Bhatti) recommends to our Patients to keep the procedure area covered with a cap for all outdoor activities for up to 3 weeks post-op to avoid direct exposure to dust, heat and sunlight. That would be applicable even for the cloudy days.

 

Best regards,

California

 

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North America Representative and Patient Advisor for:
Dr. Tejinder Bhatti, Darling Buds Hair Transplant Center, Chandigarh, India.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own.

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  • Senior Member
Hi Tonrystark83,

 

Our Clinic (Darling Buds India/Dr. Bhatti) recommends to our Patients to keep the procedure area covered with a cap for all outdoor activities for up to 3 weeks post-op to avoid direct exposure to dust, heat and sunlight. That would be applicable even for the cloudy days.

 

Best regards,

California

 

Thanks for your answer.

 

Well until 3 weeks post-op I barely left home to not risk anything at all, I'm a lot careful maybe too much.

 

But how about more than 3 weeks post-op? Now it's July and during August I'm gonna go to the beach. Do I still need to be careful as well?

 

And if yes until how much time after the FUE? How many months?

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Yea. I head about a month or so. Better to be safe than sorry. You dont want to burn your scalp when its just been worked on. Wear a hat this summer and let those grafts grow strong.

 

I've got my FUE in 17 April of this year, so basically 2 months and half ago.

 

I guess that even after 4 months we still need to be carful with our scalp when we go to the beach, right?

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Thanks for your answer.

 

Well until 3 weeks post-op I barely left home to not risk anything at all, I'm a lot careful maybe too much.

 

But how about more than 3 weeks post-op? Now it's July and during August I'm gonna go to the beach. Do I still need to be careful as well?

 

And if yes until how much time after the FUE? How many months?

 

Dr. Bhatti recommends not swimming in the pool or the sea for at least a month post-op (FUE).

 

Thanks,

California

 

DarlingBuds FUE's profile photo 
 
North America Representative and Patient Advisor for:
Dr. Tejinder Bhatti, Darling Buds Hair Transplant Center, Chandigarh, India.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own.

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Dr. Bhatti recommends not swimming in the pool or the sea for at least a month post-op (FUE).

 

Thanks,

California

 

Well I don't have problems with that sicne I've already had the precedure 2 months and a half ago. However, I prefer to not go to the pools before 1 entire year.

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Yes. Keep it covered with a thick material for the entire time that you're on the beach. UV rays are still dangerous to your regrowth. A simple sunburn can destroy your results even at your current state.

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Yes. Keep it covered with a thick material for the entire time that you're on the beach. UV rays are still dangerous to your regrowth. A simple sunburn can destroy your results even at your current state.

 

How many months for that caution against UV rays?

 

And how about when I go to the sea diving and swimming? Most of the time I'm not exactly submerged.

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We instruct our patients to avoid direct sun exposure for the first 6 months following the procedure. This can be done by applying SPF of 15 or higher and/or wearing a hat.

 

If you're doing activities in the water, I would personally wear something to cover my scalp.

 

Fortunately, I was in the healing phase during fall/winter so this was much easier for me to do than someone recuperating during the summer.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Check out my hair loss website for photos

FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14
2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56

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There are already a few threads on this topic. While six months is correct, SPF 15 is not. You need a much, much higher SPF that blocks UVA/B and everything else under the "sun."

 

And reapply very, very often - even if the product says it is waterproof. Especially if you are in and out of the water. I am ahead of you in terms of my FUE procedure (three months tomorrow) and my Los Angeles-based Doc told me in no uncertain terms to protect from all sun exposure at this stage of recovery.

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There are already a few threads on this topic. While six months is correct, SPF 15 is not. You need a much, much higher SPF that blocks UVA/B and everything else under the "sun."

 

And reapply very, very often - even if the product says it is waterproof. Especially if you are in and out of the water.

 

Good point regarding the strength of the SPF. Essentially, the lower the SPF just means you have to apply it even that much more frequently. The higher the strength, the less often it needs to be reapplied. Even still, I used 70 SPF and still applied it like crazy when I wasn't wearing a hat - though I think a hat/cover is still your best bet. Always better safe than sorry.

 

On a sidenote, I just got sucked into a rabbit hole of the science behind SPF, the formulas used to calculate how often it should be reapplied, and the amount of coverage they actually provide.... It's an interesting google read for those interested... :cool:

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Check out my hair loss website for photos

FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14
2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56

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Sorry but what's SPF? I have to apply that in my scalp and my hair?

 

SPF refers to the strength of the sunscreen... The higher the SPF, the longer the protection lasts before it has to be reapplied.

 

And yes, this should be applied to your scalp/hair when exposed to the sun (if you're not able to have it covered by a hat) for the first 6 months following your procedure. I used the spray that comes in an aerosol can, as it was very easy to apply and I think is the most practical to use on your scalp/hair.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Check out my hair loss website for photos

FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14
2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56

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SPF refers to the strength of the sunscreen... The higher the SPF, the longer the protection lasts before it has to be reapplied.

 

And yes, this should be applied to your scalp/hair when exposed to the sun (if you're not able to have it covered by a hat) for the first 6 months following your procedure. I used the spray that comes in an aerosol can, as it was very easy to apply and I think is the most practical to use on your scalp/hair.

 

So there's sprays we use to our hair to protect it against the sunlight? I didn't know that...

 

Aerosol cans you say? Doesn't that damages our transplanted hair?

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I think only severe sunburns can damage implanted hairs up to 6 months.

Yes, better be more cautious than have surprises, but i think sun exposure for a short time is no problem, even after operation, the idea is not to stay too much and get burned.

Anyway , sunburns may be bad also for existing , non-implanted follicles also, especially if they're miniaturising.

Edited by dreamermerlin
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I've done 4 sessions before these 2 sessions. However, previous ones were during September and October. So I didn't need to worry that much about exposure to sunlight. This is the first time I do during April.

 

After my second procedure (after the 3rd and the 4th sessions), more than 6 months further (during April), I forgot to use my hat and I was a bit afraid of my scalp getting red. One of my cousins said it was a bit reddish therefore I went to my car and used the cap for the rest of the day.

 

But when I arrived at home, at night, the scalp was just fine and when I went to my doctor he said nothing wrong happened. I guess my cousin confused it a bit because many people during that day were a bit red in the skin and I had the usual red dots (grafts with hair growing).

 

I'm just always a bit confused what's the limit: we can be exposed to sunlight during how much time?

 

And can anyone confirm if there's solar protectors to our scalp? Don't they arm our hair?

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Read the labels on SPF products - most allow for scalp application without harming your hair.

 

The AVERAGE time of sun exposure before burning on an AVERAGE type of skin is surprisingly low - 20-30 minutes of exposure. The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) represents the length of time you can stay out in the sun without burning, multiplied by the corresponding number. So a person who would normally start to burn in 10 minutes, could theoretically have 150 minutes of sun protection with a product that has an SPF of 15.

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Some docs will advise to stay our of the direct UV rays for at least 6 months after a procedure and others feel that 10-12 months would be best or at least until the procedure fully matures.

Gillenator

Independent Patient Advocate

I am not a physician and not employed by any doctor/clinic. My opinions are not medical advice, but are my own views which you read at your own risk.

Supporting Physicians: Dr. Robert Dorin: The Hairloss Doctors in New York, NY

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So there's sprays we use to our hair to protect it against the sunlight? I didn't know that...

 

Aerosol cans you say? Doesn't that damages our transplanted hair?

 

Yep. It's totally safe. Sunscreen usually comes in a lotion/cream form, but they make the spray kinds as well. It's much more practical for your scalp, since applying lotion to your scalp would be quite messy. :)

 

Personally, I wouldn't apply it to the recipient area for the first couple weeks after surgery just to be safe (I'd be keeping completely out of the sun during that time and/or covering it with a hat)... But after that, I think the spray is the way to go.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Check out my hair loss website for photos

FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14
2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56

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How much sun exposure? The idea is to not get burned. And the amount of time of sun exposure to get burned depends from person to person's skin characteristics.

If you're very sensitive to solar burn even 15 minutes may be bad.

 

I remember a case told by a top HT doctor:he had a patient who was a sailor and stood one entire day in the sun, and developed a bad sunburn. It was 3 months post-op and...no graft survived/grew.

 

So the key is-not get burned.

But, if you simply walk 5 minutes in the sun, it is ok.

Anyway, as i read , and even from personal experience, staying too much in the sun in summer may be bad for hair, it "thins" the hair diameter somehow. It may be bro-science, but that's my feeling:sun weakens hair. So it may be good to avoid strong sun exposure(such in mid-days in summer) even if you don't have any HT.

Oh, and from my personal exp after HT, i think staying in the sun worsens the issue with the redness in the recipient area after HT.

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The best thing to do is to keep the scalp covered with a hat or cap that sufficiently blocks UV rays.

 

A good rule of thumb is to cover the scalp if you are going to be exposed directly to UV rays for more than 10 minutes.

Gillenator

Independent Patient Advocate

I am not a physician and not employed by any doctor/clinic. My opinions are not medical advice, but are my own views which you read at your own risk.

Supporting Physicians: Dr. Robert Dorin: The Hairloss Doctors in New York, NY

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