Conan O'Brien attributes flat hair to scalp sunburn

Comedian Conan O'Brien revealed on his podcast this week that his iconic pompadour hairstyle was temporarily flattened by an unexpected culprit: a severe scalp sunburn. The 63-year-old television personality explained the change, which had prompted a wave of online speculation, during a recent episode of "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend."

The incident stemmed from his attendance at the outdoor grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on June 18. While O'Brien remembered to apply sunscreen to his face, he did not protect his scalp. In the days following the event, he said his head felt like it was "on fire" and became intensely itchy. He described flakes of skin falling like "freckled confetti" or snow globe glitter from his head.

To treat the burn, someone advised him to rub oil into his scalp. He did so without considering that he was about to film his podcast, resulting in his hair being slicked flat. He joked that he walked into the taping looking like a member of the 1950s doo-wop group Sha Na Na or singer Frankie Valli. He humorously embraced the "greaser" aesthetic, saying the look made him feel like fighting someone in a parking lot with a chain in 1952 or...