The best way you can decrease your healing time is to undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This involves coming into our office starting 48hrs after surgery for 5 consecutive weekdays for an hour-long treatment each day. These sessions are easy- you can even take a nap during them!
Our nursing staff will help you into the hyperbaric oxygen therapy device and give you pillows and blankets as needed. Next, you are given a walkie talkie to communicate with our nurses as needed (the device can be a bit noisy in order to ensure a higher pressure of oxygen to help your healing, but some people love this “white noise” as it helps them rest during their treatments). The chamber is then gradually placed under pressure with a higher concentration of oxygen. This higher oxygen pressure allows your bloodstream to circulate more oxygen to your surgical sites and helps speed up wound healing by about 35%!
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a very safe and effective treatment but as with any therapeutic, safety precautions are always taken. Just as in an airplane pressurized cabin, your ears may pop during your treatment. If you happen to be congested and have pressure in your ears you cannot pop, you can easily tell our nursing staff via the walkie talkie so they can lower the pressure to a more tolerable level while still giving you a therapeutic treatment.
This treatment is especially important in Denver as the high elevation at 5,280 feet above sea level has a decreased amount of oxygen in the atmosphere. We highly recommend out of town patients consider hyperbaric oxygen therapy if they have not acclimated to the altitude. In fact, body acclimation to altitude has a similar effect as hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
For those interested in the science:
When your body is at a higher elevation there is a lower atmospheric partial pressure of oxygen. In order for your bloodstream to make up for this, your blood cells start increasing production of a protein called 2,3-BPG (2,3-Bisphosphoglyceric acid) in order for your red blood cells to have a higher affinity for oxygen molecules and deliver this oxygen more efficiently to your body’s tissues. Another method of increasing your body’s oxygen-carrying capacity is to increase the partial pressure of oxygen and concentration of oxygen in your environment- this is precisely what hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions do. The normal air we breathe at sea level is only about 23% oxygen (the rest is mostly nitrogen)- at the elevation at a mile high, this percentage drops to about 17.3%. During hyperbaric oxygen therapy you are in a pressurized atmosphere with close to 100% oxygen. Oxygen is critical for proper wound healing, and having more oxygen in your system during these sessions will help heal you faster.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is just one component of our Rapid Recovery Program™:
RAPID RECOVERY PROGRAM™
AFTERCARE EXTRAORDINAIRE.
With a full in-house surgical suite, Smith Cosmetic Surgery has become defined by great outcomes facilitated by a superior post-op recovery program. Honed over three decades in the cosmetic facial surgery industry, our signature Rapid Recovery Program™ promotes faster healing for both body and mind.
The five-day, speed-recovery process uses a measured combination of “supercharging” hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and physician-formulated, high-quality nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals targeted to support the body’s natural healing processes, maintain healthy tissue and restore health. The in-house Rapid Recovery Program™ also allows you to call on our staff for additional psychological reassurance and support as you uncover the new you.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS
Hyperbaric oxygen: Beginning 48 hours after surgery, five 1-hour sessions will super-oxygenate the body. These sessions are proven to heal skin by up to twice as fast, help fight infection, and decrease bruising and swelling by as much as 35% one week post-operatively.
Vitamins & Supplements: A 30-day supply of professional phytonutrient VitaMedica® supplements will help you continue fast-paced healing from the comfort of your home. The combination of nutrients you receive are well-rounded and play a key role in healthy recovery after surgery. For example, vitamin A supports healthy cell growth and maintenance of epithelial tissue. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that supports healthy tissue growth and collagen formation. Zinc plays a key role in maintaining healthy immune function, protein synthesis and collagen formation. Selenium, bioflavonoids and other antioxidants deactivate unstable free-radicals. The B-Complex helps to moderate the stress response function during periods of physical stress.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
