Oxygen is vital to life. Oxygen helps boost the health of every cell and helps the healing process. After any cosmetic surgery procedure there is tissue that has undergone some trauma. Often enough oxygen can not reach these damaged areas and this slows down the healing time.

But what is Hyperbaric oxygen? It is simply oxygen under pressure. It was originally used 10 years ago for treating scuba divers with decompression illness – the bends. This led to further developments and it was found to be beneficial for a series of infections such as bone infections, tissue damage and circulatory problems. Currently data is being collected on a broader application base of treatment for such problems as migraines, cerebral palsy and stroke.

Surgery such as facelift, liposuction, abdominoplasty, mastopexy, reduction mammoplasty and augmentation mammoplasty can all benefit from Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) treatment. Medical Director of the Beverly Hills Center for Hyperbaric Medicine, Dr Ralph Potkin explains: “The Hyperbaric Oxygen treatment is the same for all cosmetic surgery but we have different protocols. We do a pre-treatment one day before the surgery and then up to four treatments after the surgery.”

Pre-treatment alters the inflammatory process and reduces it substantially. “It starts the healing process,” says Dr Potkin. “It also sets in motion a variety of deleterious events including the release of all sorts of enzymes that can actually damage normal tissues and affect the healing tissues.”

Altering the inflammatory process before surgery has been found to be beneficial. “If you were to take an anti-inflammatory agent for a muscle sprain or sports injury, you would ideally want to take it just before you got injured to minimize the body’s inflammatory response,” explains Dr Potkin. But unfortunately accidents, sprains and injuries aren’t expected so can’t be pre-treated. With elective surgery, pre-treatment is possible and puts the body in good stead for during and after the procedure.

Many cosmetic surgeons use alot of anti-inflammatory medicines and anti-bacterials. HBOT is aholistic and mainstream medicine that has asignificant effect on the body’s healing processes. However it is a medication and therefore needs to be appropriately applied.

To administer the HBOT, the patient is placed in a chamber filled with 100% oxygen and the pressure is raised to a point higher than sea level. As the patient is completely enclosed, it permeates every cell in the body. The massive dose of oxygen allows the white blood cells to kill bacteria and reduce local swelling. It also helps the formation of new blood vessels and collagen. ‘’We insist on patient comfort and safety:’ says Dr Potkin. “This is a medical facility, and we work with the patient’s surgeon to ensure there are no contraindications. We treat before and either immediately after surgery or on the following day.”

The treatment entails examination of the patient by a doctor. The patient changes into special clothing and lies on a bed in a semirecumbent position before being put into the clear Hyperbaric Chamber for 1-2 hours where they can drift to sleep or watch a video or listen to music. Dr Potkin says: “It is a positive experience in contrast to the surgery. The most enjoyable parts of the cosmetic surgery experience are the final results obtained and the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy adds such a level of comfort that it has a very positive impact on the patient.”

During the healing process it is important the patient maintains a positive attitude and feels in control of the healing. HBOT not only helps physical healing but seems to have an effect on the patient’s psychological aspect as well.

Differing from other oxygen treatments, Hyperbaric Oxygen encompasses the whole body. “This is not a process where the oxygen is just going through the skin - this is a process that affects the whole body; it’s an internal process,” explains Dr Potkin.

As every individual’s healing process differs, it is impossible to gather conclusive scientific data to determine the rate which HBOT reduces healing time by. However, it is thought the compression tank cuts down the healing process by at least a third.

“Typically patients have five treatments, sometimes they only need three, sometimes more,” says Dr Potkin. “It depends on the individual. Are they a smoker? Do they have existing medical conditions or medications that affect healing? And also how do they respond to the treatment itself?”

Dr Potkin believes a broad section of the population can benefit from HBOT by optimizing their healing speed, recuperation time and cutting down pain and swelling.