Jump to content

Sun exposure


Recommended Posts

  • Senior Member

Hey guys

1 week post FUE I basically returned to a normal lifestyle which included walking around outside.

i didn’t go for epic strolls or anything but I didn’t wear a hat (didn’t want to damage my grafts) and some days were inevitably sunnier than others. 

I assumed the warnings against sun exposure were limited to standing in the baking sun for 2+ hrs. But now I’m not so sure.

 

 

Edited by HarryHonolulu
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

I avoid the sun at all cost..  I hate hats, so I stay out of the sun and I live in Florida.  6 day post transplant.

"Imagination frames events unknown in wild fantastic shapes of hideous ruin, and what it fears, creates." Hannah More

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

My instructions are to not go over 30 minutes of bright sunlight, but I err on the side of caution, and wear a loose hat anytime I am in the sun, and that is not for very long, usually just in and out of a store..  The only other thing it says you can begin wearing sunscreen after 2 weeks.  This is my 2nd transplant, and I am being even more cautious this time than I was the first.  I will probably wear this hat in the sun for 4-6 months until the grafts start growing.  I hate hats and never wear them.  The choice is yours.  If you want to chance toasting your expensive grafts that is up to you.

"Imagination frames events unknown in wild fantastic shapes of hideous ruin, and what it fears, creates." Hannah More

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

Just don't even risk it.....sunburn, etc. on the recipient is one of the rare things that can possibly harm growth after you are out of that initial 10 day danger zone of grafts coming loose. If you didn't get sunburn, you are fine......but don't risk it in the future. So easy to just put a hat on.

 

Edited by matt3480
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

my room doesnt have curtains and I wake up with sun shining on me sometimes, i'm wondering if that could potentially harm them? I'm deffs not getting burned but the sun could theoretically be shining on me the whole morning without me knowing it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member
2 hours ago, literalno said:

my room doesnt have curtains and I wake up with sun shining on me sometimes, i'm wondering if that could potentially harm them? I'm deffs not getting burned but the sun could theoretically be shining on me the whole morning without me knowing it

I swear I am part vampire - a direct descendant of Vlad Dracule, and my grandfather did come from Translyvania.  I keep dark curtains on every window.  Why not just drape a blanket over that window for the time being.

"Imagination frames events unknown in wild fantastic shapes of hideous ruin, and what it fears, creates." Hannah More

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member
4 hours ago, Dazed said:

I swear I am part vampire - a direct descendant of Vlad Dracule, and my grandfather did come from Translyvania.  I keep dark curtains on every window.  Why not just drape a blanket over that window for the time being.

yes I will definitely do that for now, I'm just wondering any damage may have been done hence forth. Would someone with experience in hair transplants mind chiming in about how diligent or not diligent they were about avoiding any and all sun, and how they believe it affected or did not affect their results? I am pleading! Thank you 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member
4 minutes ago, literalno said:

yes I will definitely do that for now, I'm just wondering any damage may have been done hence forth. Would someone with experience in hair transplants mind chiming in about how diligent or not diligent they were about avoiding any and all sun, and how they believe it affected or did not affect their results? I am pleading! Thank you 

You are really asking the people who were not diligent if that impacted their grafts, because I already gave you the answer to the diligent side.  You should rephrase your question, and ask what you are really concerned about.  Did you get a sunburn or feel that you had too much exposure to the sun?  I only post on here during the transplant and recovery process, but this is my 2nd transplant and I had great success with the first. 

"Imagination frames events unknown in wild fantastic shapes of hideous ruin, and what it fears, creates." Hannah More

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member
2 minutes ago, Dazed said:

You are really asking the people who were not diligent if that impacted their grafts, because I already gave you the answer to the diligent side.  You should rephrase your question, and ask what you are really concerned about.  Did you get a sunburn or feel that you had too much exposure to the sun?  I only post on here during the transplant and recovery process, but this is my 2nd transplant and I had great success with the first. 

no i mean how lenient were they in exposing it to the sun. As I mentioned. No sunburn whatsoever, just bright light shining through my window onto my face every morning for god knows how long that im concerned about.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

Good, I was afraid you had done damage.  The angle of the sun should help you, but I would still cover that window.  Understand that I go a little overboard on the recovery process, and never expose the grafts to sunlight.

"Imagination frames events unknown in wild fantastic shapes of hideous ruin, and what it fears, creates." Hannah More

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

but what im wondering is could I have already done damage even without getting significantly burned, since UVA radiation gets through windows, is way more powerful than UVB (about 40 to 1 times more present in the rays that reach us) but however cannot pigment our skin and burn us.

]

So ur saying last hair transplant u didn't expose it to the sun whatsoever?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

I am a little fanatical about protecting the grafts.  You are probably overly concerned.  You didn't say how long it has been since your transplants.  Here is an article on sun exposure, and it is what I am doing.

https://www.chicagohairinstitute.com/blog/2017/02/20/avoiding-sun-exposure-after-hair-179641

"Imagination frames events unknown in wild fantastic shapes of hideous ruin, and what it fears, creates." Hannah More

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

@literalno you should try to let this go. Your grafts are probably just fine, but there is no way to be 100% certain. You’ll need to wait it out, so come to terms with that. Nearly everybody in the waiting period worries at some point that they have done something to damage their grafts. Its understandable. Just fix the window situation going forward, think positively, and move on. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member
1 hour ago, Spaceman said:

@literalno you should try to let this go. Your grafts are probably just fine, but there is no way to be 100% certain. You’ll need to wait it out, so come to terms with that. Nearly everybody in the waiting period worries at some point that they have done something to damage their grafts. Its understandable. Just fix the window situation going forward, think positively, and move on. 

thank i understand that sentiment, but it would still be insanely helpful to hear form at least some of the large amount of members who have gone through the journey multiple times and how much they actually avoided the sun. That's all, just wanna hear how big of a deal it actually is so i can ascertain whether i messed something up or not. shouldn't be hard since there are so many. literally anyone?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

If it helps put your mind at ease, I got 15 minutes of direct sun exposure on many days walking my dogs during the first few months, and a near sunburn during the 4th month from spending half a day at the beach without a hat. I’m not advocating that behavior, but it happened. It doesn’t seem to have made a difference in my case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member

I’m 3 weeks post op. 

First 5 days post op I was at the hotel by the clinic and pretty much lived like a recluse. 

Days 5-14 I was in downtown Chicago and given that I was told I could walk around I definitely did exactly that - I walked around. Definitely not in the scorching sun - but there were a couple of 20-30 min walks in which I was exposed to sun. I would break the walks up by going inside and stuff if it helps. Nowhere NEAR sun burn territory. Just your average city strolls. luckily we had many rainy and cloudy days so I’m only talking 3-4 days total.  

Now ? I  wear a hat outside and I do wonder if I misunderstood “sun exposure”. To me “sun exposure” meant tanning or playing tennis in direct sunlight for 2 hrs straight. It did not mean wearing  a hat every single time I stepped foot outside , elephant man style. 

But im curious to know if I totally erred on this one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member
28 minutes ago, literalno said:

damnn okay that does help. and how far along are you now

I’m six and a half months post-op, on the way to a good result.  I have a thread with pictures if you check my posts.

17 minutes ago, HarryHonolulu said:

I’m 3 weeks post op. 

First 5 days post op I was at the hotel by the clinic and pretty much lived like a recluse. 

Days 5-14 I was in downtown Chicago and given that I was told I could walk around I definitely did exactly that - I walked around. Definitely not in the scorching sun - but there were a couple of 20-30 min walks in which I was exposed to sun. I would break the walks up by going inside and stuff if it helps. Nowhere NEAR sun burn territory. Just your average city strolls. luckily we had many rainy and cloudy days so I’m only talking 3-4 days total.  

Now ? I  wear a hat outside and I do wonder if I misunderstood “sun exposure”. To me “sun exposure” meant tanning or playing tennis in direct sunlight for 2 hrs straight. It did not mean wearing  a hat every single time I stepped foot outside , elephant man style. 

But im curious to know if I totally erred on this one.

I don’t think you erred. I think you’re spot on. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Senior Member
2 hours ago, Spaceman said:

I’m six and a half months post-op, on the way to a good result.  I have a thread with pictures if you check my posts.

I don’t think you erred. I think you’re spot on. 

just checked ur result, amazing so far! Okay yeah i do not think ive really damaged my grafts if that is allowed. Harry u said you went with konior? Im curious to see what he says since his website is super strict about sunlight. the article he wrote on it is kinda what got me tripping about it in the first place, so if you could maybe reach out and let everyone know in regards to the amount you walked around?

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...