Does sun exposure affect my recovery negatively?

What procedure are you getting?  The main impact of the sun will be on your incisions.  Healing skin tends to absorb more sunlight than the surrounding skin, and give you a tan line, which looks like a worse scar.  As long as your incisions are not exposed, and you are just resting, you should be fine.Good luck.Mark K Markarian, MD, MSPH

Hello Lynn,  Thanks for your question.  There is nothing wrong with sun exposure provided your incision is fully covered.  Healing incisions absorb more of the sun and are very prone to sunburn and can create hypertrophic scarring if not covered.  You don't say what procedure you had performed, and some incisions are much easier to cover than others.  Check with your plastic surgeon and follow their recommendation.  Best of luck to you. 

It is very important to protect your incision from the sun, you may end up with hypertrophic scars. I like my patients to keep their incisions protected from the sun for at least 6 months and then sunblock is recommended. Good luck!

Dear Lynn,   I would like you to reconsider going to Miami for what ever surgery you desire, because , Washington metropolitan area has excellent  experienced board certified plastic surgeons surgeons who can satisfy all your needs. It is much better for your after care, to do it locally, especially if you have any wound problems or complications.  If you are doing it for cost reasons, you have to realize that even though cost of surgery is important, quality of surgeon is more so, because , if you will require corrective surgery, the cost and recovery time will more than double up !    There is nothing in Miami, from the surgery stand point, that can not be done in the Washington metropolitan area. Buyer beware !   As far as sun exposure after surgery, you have to understand that the skin reaction to sun damage is not normal for 2-3 months and you can get severe burn if you are not careful. So, avoid direct sun exposure in the surgery areas and cover it well.                                Best of luck,                                                 Dr Widder

I am unsure what procedure you are having, but in general terms it is not a good idea to get sun on any fresh scars.  In addition, if you are sitting around sweating in the sun you increase the chances of infection at the surgery site(s).  If you can rest in a cool place with the incisions well covered that would be fine.   If this is a tummy tuck you also need to be careful about damaging the healing "flap" that would normally be created as part of the procedure as it is frail and susceptible to damage from the heat of the sun.  Best of luck to you.

Hello! Tummy tuck? You need to hide all scars under a very good suntan lotion, high SPF, to avoid darkening your fresh scars. Make sure you hydrate well and get up and walk around. Talk to your surgeon about getting into the pool and physical limitations.

Thank you for your question. It’s wise to avoid direct sun exposure for at least several weeks after surgery, as sun damage can affect the healing of your scar. If you’re intent on sunbathing, keep your abdomen out of the sun, and the incisions in particular. Check with your plastic surgeon if you have additional concerns.

 

Sun exposure is well known to cause poor scarring.  New studies also show and increase in infections in warmer weather.  Best to avoid sun bathing altogether, but especially after surgery.  Scars are not mature until 6 - 48 months after a surgery.  Avoid heat and sweating for a month - or longer if you have an open wound.

Sun exposure is not good for the skin and can cause hyper pigmentation to the incisions.  You are best to put sunblock or cover up the incisions.

Thank you for your question.  You need to stay out of the sun while your recovering because this could negatively affect your incisions from healing.