Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Yollo Wellness –
The wound-healing properties of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) have been well documented. For example, HBOT has successfully been used to treat burn victims and patients with life threatening infections. HBOT has been consistently used to treat diabetic patients and patients with circulatory problems. In some cases, patients were spared amputations. Major advances in healing following surgery have occurred from applying the knowledge gained from treating these and other conditions. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is now available to patients undergoing surgery to reduce pain and swelling, improve circulation, speed up the recovery process, and even improve results.
An unavoidable part of any surgery procedure is trauma to the body. Tissues and cartilage at the surgery site are subjected to damage of the blood vessels that carry vital oxygen. Swelling and edema (accumulation of excess fluid in connective tissue) are the body’s natural reaction to trauma, and they too can impede the delivery of oxygen to damaged tissues. Mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy speeds healing by delivering oxygen to cells that might otherwise be deprived of this vital element. Patients who undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy before and after a surgical procedure heal up to 80 percent more quickly than those who do not use oxygen therapy, and they have greatly reduced scarring because the body has all the oxygen it needs to repair the surgical site.
Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Helps the Body Heal
The surgical cutting of skin and cartilage severs tiny blood vessels and causes natural swelling and edema in the tissues surrounding the surgical site. Until the body can repair the damaged blood vessels, blood flow to the tissues and cells they feed is disrupted. Swelling and edema compress healthy blood vessels, further restricting the flow of blood and oxygen. Cells deprived of sufficient life-sustaining oxygen are slow to heal and may die, further hindering the healing process.
The pressurized environment of the hyperbaric chamber allows up to a tenfold increase in the oxygen level of the blood plasma. Hyperoxygenated plasma and red blood cells travel to compromised tissues so that cells and tissues receive the oxygen they need to regenerate and heal. Oxygen saturation also greatly increases the ability of blood cells to modify their shape so that they can pass through restricted blood vessels and swollen tissues to deliver healing oxygen to the surgical site. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps minimize unexpected complications post-surgery and dramatically reduces post-surgical bruising, swelling, and inflammation. As a result, healing is faster and more thorough.
Pre- and Post-operative Benefits
Mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy prior to surgery increases the body’s ability to respond to the trauma of surgery and fight off the infection-causing agents that can quickly proliferate in a wound. Smokers who plan to have cosmetic surgery are advised to quit at least four weeks prior to undergoing a procedure because the toxic qualities of tobacco smoke impede the healing process. Mild hyperbaric therapy before surgery floods the body with oxygen to help the body eliminate carbon monoxide and other harmful gases introduced by tobacco smoke.
Hyperbaric therapy after surgery increases the availability of oxygen to damaged tissues and cells, speeding healing times, and greatly reducing the chance of inflammation, swelling and infection. Enhanced delivery of oxygen to the surgical site allows the body to regenerate cells quickly, which reduces scarring and improves the appearance of a cosmetic procedure’s final result.
Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Can Help You Before and After Surgery
Hyperbaric oxygen is a safe way to alter the inflammatory process to help wound healing. It cuts down pain and swelling, inflammation in tissues, and it has an anti-bacterial effect. Patients who have this therapy in conjunction with their surgery seem to have a shorter recuperation period. And scars have been shown to heal better with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
More and more surgeons are recommending hyperbaric oxygen particularly for patients who have problems with healing. The bruising goes away faster, swelling decreases faster, and the patients actually feel better overall.
If you are planning to undergo cosmetic surgery or a surgical procedure of any kind, we urge you to consider mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This outstanding treatment enhances the body’s ability to tolerate surgery and recover after the procedure is complete. Contact Yollo Wellness at (239) 275.0039 today to learn more about the benefits of having mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy as part of any surgical procedure.
