After a plastic or cosmetic surgery, almost all patients experience swelling, bruising, and pain. This can take weeks or months to completely heal, even for minor plastic and cosmetic procedures. HBOT has been used for years in treatment of wounds and open sores because of its ability to speed up the healing process, but it has just as much viability as a post-surgical treatment plan.
Plastic or cosmetic surgery and procedures, like all surgeries and nearly all procedures, are invasive. Whether the surgery or procedure involves injection of chemicals, application of chemicals to skin, laser treatment, a surgical incision, reduction of bone, or removal of fatty tissues, the result is trauma and wounding of tissues. Accelerated healing of this wounding can make the benefits of plastic and cosmetic surgery much more appealing and pleasurable for each patient. This is especially true in cases of patients who have prior difficulties healing after surgeries or any underlying conditions that may slow healing. If there are any complications that arise from a plastic surgery, HBOT is generally recommended for faster healing and prevention of serious tissue damage, but it is also extremely beneficial for the typical plastic surgery patient who has no risks for delayed healing. Ideally, HBOT has maximum benefit for plastic surgery patients when delivered both before and then immediately after surgery. Treatment before surgery prevents some of the inflammation that results from the surgical trauma. Immediately after surgery HBOT affects many components of the wound-healing process, chief of which is the reduction of swelling, commonly called edema. Attached to this short monologue is the clinical vignette of a patient who underwent an eyebrow lift. The reduction in her rapidly progressing post-operative edema with HBOT is startling. Her plastic surgeon remarked that this was the most rapid healing of any of his eyebrow life patients in 30 years.
Multiple patients have seen marked improvements in bruising and swelling caused by cosmetic surgery after just a few HBOT treatments. Recovery time has been reduced by several weeks and even months after hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The body needs oxygen to heal itself. Oxygen is reduced in all surgical wounds primarily due to tissue injury and swelling. HBOT after plastic surgeries increases the level of oxygen in the body and surgically wounded tissues, reduces swelling, and thereby increases the delivery of oxygen to the tissue. The net result is faster healing of all wounded tissue. The decrease in swelling and increase in oxygen also allows white blood cells to work better, kill bacteria, and reduce the possibility of wound infection, including necrotizing infections. There is also evidence the timely HBOT can reduce scarring, a high priority in cosmetic surgery.
Not only does hyperbaric oxygen treatment help with overall healing, but there are also some other effects that can improve the general healing process. Faster healing also reduces the need for narcotic pain medications after surgery. HBOT after cosmetic surgery can also help with the after-effects of anesthesia. It is common to experience headaches, nausea, sore throat, muscle aches, and even mental dullness from anesthesia. Post-surgery HBOT can be very helpful in decreasing these symptoms and starting the body on a faster path to healing. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment after plastic and cosmetic surgeries is a safe, effective way to accelerate healing, minimize complications, and get back to everyday activity as quickly as possible.
HBOT, delivered according to Harch Protocols,TM can have dramatic effects on surgical patients, especially plastic surgery patients, and prevent/minimize complications.
This is a 65 year old woman who underwent an eyebrow lift and was told by her surgeon that she would be so swollen and bruised that she wouldn’t want to leave her house for at least two weeks after the surgery. Upon Dr. Harch’s recommendation she received a hyperbaric treatment before surgery and was to continue HBOT after surgery. Eight hours after surgery she broke protocol and received HBOT in a portable chamber. There was no appreciable benefit. The following morning, Wednesday, she experienced significant facial swelling and at noon received another portable chamber treatment. Despite these treatments her face and eyes continued to swell and were nearly swollen shut by 7:00 p.m. that day (picture on the left “Before HBOT”). One hour later she resumed the Harch ProtocolTM for Plastic Surgery in a hardshell chamber and experienced an immediate reduction in swelling (“After 1 HBOT”). Over the next three days she received additional Harch ProtocolTM HBOT before attending a mandatory social function on Saturday night (“Three days later, After Harch ProtocolTM ”), leaving home at least 9 days before her surgeon’s typical patients. Six days after this social function and 10 days after surgery she returned to work.
When complications do occur, however, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can mean the difference between success and failure of the surgery. This is especially true of facial cosmetic surgery and breast surgery. In breast reconstructions, reductions of large breasts, and other procedures where flaps and grafts are involved the top priority is preserving blood supply to the nipples since the nipples contain most of the sensation of the breasts. When that blood supply is compromised during or after surgery and the nipple dies there is painful scarring and loss of sensation to this critical area of the breast. There is also psychological injury from the deformity, disfigurement, and scarring. As the following case shows, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can dramatically influence the outcome of breast surgery when there is impending loss of the nipples. Because of Dr. Harch’s repeated success salvaging plastic surgery complications he has become the primary referral recipient from plastic surgeons.
The patient is a 38 year old woman who had saline breast implants placed in 2002. Subsequently she developed infertility, immune system problems with environmental allergies, mitral valve prolapse, and weight gain. The implants were also too large and with her weight gain became heavy and uncomfortable. She underwent removal of the implants and a simultaneous bilateral breast lift by a plastic surgeon. The following day both nipples appeared deeply ischemic (lacking blood flow) and were in danger of dying. Pictures 1 and 2 are before and after the first HBOT. Picture 3 is after the 3 rd HBOT.
She received a total of 8 HBOTs over 5 days with complete salvage and healing of both nipples. The marked change in color of the nipples from the purple-blue to red after the first and third HBOTs is indicative of the ability of hyperbaric oxygen to reach the tissue that is so deficient in oxygen. Note also the deceased bruising of the nipples and breasts. With repetitive HBOT swelling is progressively decreased, the tissue oxygen level increases, and the nipples survive with intact sensation.
