Hyperbaric therapy, also known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), involves the administration of pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. This form of treatment can help with skin healing. Hyperbaric treatment can be beneficial for specific skin conditions, including chronic and non-healing wounds.
What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Hyperbaric therapy is a medical procedure where you’re surrounded by pure oxygen in a monoplace or multiplace chamber. During your treatment, you can experience pressure in the ears due to increased oxygen, but yawning or swallowing can help manage the situation. The treatment can help heal wounds, such as:
- Diabetic ulcers and sores
- Post-operation wounds and infections
- Radiation-induced skin injuries
- Skin grafts and skin flaps
- Gangrene
- Bedsores
- Lower leg ulcers and sores
- Chronic refractory osteomyelitis
Hyperbaric treatment requires a prescription note from a physician for medical clearance as per the United States federal law requirements. During the treatment, qualified technicians supervise the entire process. Choose treatment centers with FDA-approved hyperbaric treatment for better results. The chamber walls are acrylic, so you can see what’s happening around you clearly. During the treatment, you may wear a hospital gown or cotton clothing approved for inside the chamber.
How Can HBOT Help Heal Skin?
Experts can tailor your treatment plan depending on the severity of your wounds and overall health. HBOT can help heal your skin in the following ways:
Facilitates the Formation of New Skin Cells
HBOT involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized monoplace or multiplace chamber, increasing the amount of oxygen dissolved in the blood plasma. The enhanced oxygen supply can improve tissue oxygenation, including the skin. By providing higher oxygen levels, HBOT helps enhance oxygen availability to the cells involved in skin regeneration. This process can lead to tissue repair and skin healing.
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Helps With the Reduction of Inflammation
Excessive or prolonged inflammation can hinder healing and impair skin cell regeneration. Hyperbaric treatment helps reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators, controlling pain and swelling in wounds. By modulating inflammatory responses, HBO can create a more favorable environment for skin healing and tissue repair. This treatment can also reduce the redness associated with post-surgery wounds by delivering oxygen and reducing toxins.
Helps Enhance Antimicrobial Activity
Infected wounds, or those resulting from radiation therapy, can be challenging to heal due to bacteria. HBOT can increase the oxygen tension in the skin, creating an environment that is less favorable for bacterial growth and survival. The therapy can stimulate the immune system, promoting a more robust and effective response against microbial infections. The treatment can enhance the production and activity of various immune cells, such as macrophages and lymphocytes, which recognize and eliminate pathogens.
Promotes Collagen Production
Collagen helps provide structure and strength to wounds during the healing process. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can stimulate collagen production, improving wound closure and skin healing. By delivering high oxygen levels, HBOT offers an adequate oxygen supply to the cells involved in collagen synthesis. Hyperbaric chamber treatment helps stimulate the activation and proliferation of fibroblasts in the wound site. The increased availability of oxygen during HBOT enhances the metabolic activity of fibroblasts, promoting their synthesis and secretion of collagen.
Helps Preserve the Tissue at Risk
Certain types of burns can cause damage to tissues and hinder blood supply to the affected area. Hyperbaric treatment can help preserve at-risk tissues by providing higher levels of oxygen. The therapy can prevent further tissue damage, promote tissue viability, and facilitate healing. HBOT helps alleviate inadequate blood supply in tissues by delivering oxygen under pressure, bypassing compromised blood vessels, and diffusing oxygen directly into the tissues.
Increases Blood Vessel Formation
Hyperbaric treatment helps stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. The process promotes wound healing by increasing blood supply to the damaged area, facilitating nutrient and oxygen delivery while eliminating waste products. HBOT facilities the production of growth factors and other molecules that promote the formation of new blood vessels. The treatment helps provide the necessary resources for tissue repair and regeneration of cells. Blood vessel formation can benefit skin conditions like dermatitis, pressure ulcers, and diabetic ulcers to foster healing.
Book an Appointment for Hyperbaric Therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can foster skin healing when you have skin wounds that are not healing quickly. Choose a clinic with medical-grade hyperbaric chambers for your treatment. Schedule an appointment with a reliable clinic to start hyperbaric treatment to help heal your skin.
