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How to Protect Your Newly Treated Scalp from Sun Exposure

With the onset of global warming, experts always remind us to be careful when going out under the sun. The strong rays of the sun have the capacity to affect our health the longer we stay exposed. Some of the problems we can experience due to long sun exposure include skin cancer, heat exhaustion, and ageing.

To combat the effects of extreme sun exposure on our skin, many companies have released various products with sun protection qualities. Cosmetics companies, in particular, developed products with SPF ingredients that can reduce the sun’s impacts on our skin. Some of these products cater to certain types of people who require extra protection for their skin such as people who have undergone scalp micro-pigmentation or anti-hair loss treatments.

If you are a person who just undergone these types of treatments, here are the things you need to know about sun exposure and how it can impact your new look:

How Can Sun Exposure Affect Your Treated Scalp?

Usually, after these treatments, you are expected to avoid any sun exposure for 21 days or more to help your scalp recover. Treated scalps are more sensitive than usual, especially because these treatments dig into your skin. For micro-pigmentation, for instance, your scalp will get pricked thousands of times to ensure there is hair-like pigment visible in the skin similar to getting a tattoo.

But, if you get exposed under the sun, your scalp will be in danger, especially if it has not recovered yet from the treatment. For micro-pigmentation patients, smp sun exposure to your sensitive scalp may cause severe scalp burn.

Another impact sun exposure can do to your scalp is to reduce the effectiveness of your treatment. For micro-pigmentation, the tattoo can fade faster and make it look like you did not take the treatment in the first place. If you took hair loss treatments, the proteins injected to your scalp will diminish in every exposure and reduce the chance for hair growth. If you had hair surgery done, the new hair won’t have time to get the proteins necessary for them to grow and stay strong.

People do have the option to undergo new treatments to get rid of the effects of sun exposure. But, this can cost a lot of money if you have to keep doing it every year. It will also affect your scalp health since it won’t have the chance to recover from constant treatments.

How to Protect Your Newly Treated Scalp?

Considering the effects of UV rays on your scalp treatments, it is important that you take precautions to protect it from damage.

Here are some tips you can follow to protect your newly treated scalp:

  • Follow the prescribed healing time for your scalp treatment which is often provided by practitioners to their clients. For micro-pigmentation patients, for example, you will be required to stay away from the sun for 21 days to help your scalp recover from the treatment. To know if you are ready to go back under the sun, you can wait for the scabs to heal your skin.
  • Use SPF-coated headwear to protect your scalp. This can be a scarf, bandana, hat or a beanie. Don’t use a hat or scarf that is thin because UV rays can still penetrate the material.
  • Moisturize your scalp regularly to keep the skin hydrated and elastic. Drink a lot of water and use skin moisturizers that can be used on your scalp. If you don’t know what moisturizers to use, you can ask practitioners who treated your scalp for their recommendations.
  • Use sunblocks or sun creams that can be used on your scalp whenever you need to go out. Pick sunblocks that won’t cause your scalp to shine due to its oil content, which can cook your scalp when you are under the sun for a long period of time. Oil-based sunblocks can also be heavy for some people to use.
  • If there are any peeling or burning sensations in your scalp, treat them with anti-dandruff shampoos or cooling shampoos. You should also avoid the sun for the meantime until these sensations disappear.
  • Constantly check your scalp to check if it is still in order. If you see any problems, go to a dermatologist immediately to check what is going on.

As the saying goes, our hair and scalp are our crowning glory. Any damages it may get can affect our confidence with our looks and get scars that can last a lifetime. If you have undergone treatments to keep your crowning glory looking great even when exposed to the sun, you should always take the right measures to protect it. Remember, treatments will only work for a short period of time if they are not supported by protective measures to keep it in check. These protective measures will also help protect your skin from other complications caused by sun exposure.