Your body is an expert at recovering after an injury, but sometimes you need a little extra help. Oxygen is vital for wound healing – it plays essential roles in tissue restoration integrity.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is profoundly beneficial in treating wounds and other medical conditions. It supplies you with 100% oxygen inside a special chamber to help heal damaged tissues by aiding your body in the growth of new skin, blood vessels, and connective tissues.

As a top provider of hyperbaric therapy in Indian Wells, CA, we work closely with patients to determine an ideal schedule for their restorative sessions. Depending on the condition you are trying to address, we will recommend a specialized hyperbaric therapy treatment plan for you.

What Is Hyperbaric Therapy?

While the air inside an average room contains about 21% oxygen, a pressurized hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber provides air that contains 100% pure oxygen. These sessions of higher-pressurized oxygen treatments help your blood transport more oxygen to your organs and tissues, promoting wound-healing organ function and activating white blood cells to help fight off infections.

How Does Hyperbaric Therapy Work?

Normally, your red blood cells deliver the oxygen you breathe to your organs and tissues. However, during a hyperbaric therapy session, the pressurized chamber allows the oxygen to dissolve directly into the blood plasma – a liquid component of blood that transports proteins, hormones, and nutrients needed for healing.

The plasma transports the pure oxygen deep into the body’s tissues, including the lymphatic system and the fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord. This process achieves a much higher oxygen concentration within the body. For people with specific medical conditions, delivering concentrated oxygen through the plasma can offer many therapeutic benefits and boost their body’s natural ability to mend itself.

Benefits of Hyperbaric Therapy

In addition to enhancing the body’s healing powers, hyperbaric therapy also promotes other health benefits, including:

• Increased blood flow
• Reduced inflammation, swelling, and infection-causing bacteria
• Improved ability to fight off free radicals that can build up in the cells and cause damage
• New blood vessel growth

Today, health providers use hyperbaric therapy to treat scuba divers and people susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning, including firefighters and miners. It can also improve over a dozen conditions, ranging from burn victims to patients with bone disease. Other issues hyperbaric therapy can help address include:

• Cyanide poisoning
• Crush injuries
• Gas gangrene
• Compromised skin grafts and flaps
• Bone infections
• Diabetic wounds that aren’t healing

Who Can Benefit From Hyperbaric Therapy?

Many people can benefit from hyperbaric therapy sessions, especially those with chronic wounds that are not healing by themselves. If you’re exploring hyperbaric oxygen treatment, our expert providers at Desert Med Aesthetics will evaluate many factors, including the condition you want to address. These assessments will help determine whether these treatments can adequately benefit you.

Not everyone can receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It can be dangerous if you have any of the following conditions:

• A collapsed lung
• Lung disease, including cystic fibrosis, emphysema, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• A fever or cold-related symptoms
• Ear injury or recent ear surgery
• A pacemaker made in the 1960s

How Often Should You Get Hyperbaric Therapy?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions usually take between one to two hours to complete. Your provider at Desert Med Aesthetics will customize a treatment plan according to your unique condition, such as wound treatment or infection. Your scheduled appointments may include once a week, three days a week, or five days a week for up to 30 sessions.

Factors Affecting the Frequency of Hyperbaric Therapy

Some factors that could affect how often you can receive hyperbaric therapy include:

• Lightheadedness
• Fatigue
• Sinus damage
• Changes in vision
• Symptoms of oxygen poisoning
• Ear conditions such as frequent popping or ringing

If you notice any of these symptoms, report them to your provider so they can adjust the frequency of your visits and allow your body more time to adjust. For example, we may reduce your regimen to one to three sessions a week instead of five, with shorter durations inside the chamber. At Desert Med Aesthetics, we prioritize your safety. We’ll monitor you closely while you are inside the chamber and adjust accordingly if any of these factors unexpectedly arise.

Preparing for a Hyperbaric Therapy Session

To help keep you safe throughout your healing journey with hyperbaric therapy, here is a comprehensive guide on preparing for your appointments.

• Nutrition: Eat a balanced meal a few hours before your session, and make sure to hydrate throughout the day with plenty of water. Before your treatment, avoid alcohol or carbonated, sugary beverages. It’s also best not to smoke or vape, as nicotine can interfere with your body’s ability to transport oxygen.
• Health: If you feel even slightly under the weather before your appointment, notify us immediately. Cold or flu-like symptoms can pose multiple potential risks when undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
• Leave all electronics behind: Due to the oxygen-rich environment inside the hyperbaric chamber, the only item you can bring with you is a water bottle. Unfortunately, you’ll have to leave your phone, laptop, watch, tablet, and all other electronic devices outside. Don’t worry – if you desire, we can provide you with entertainment for your treatment. Many patients prefer to take the opportunity to get some much-needed rest.
• Only wear cotton: Cotton doesn’t carry static like other types of synthetic fibers. We will provide you with appropriate clothes to change into when you arrive. You can choose to wear cotton clothing from home, but our safety director will need to approve it before you enter the chamber. We also ask that patients arrive at their treatment fresh out of the shower and free of any lotions, jewelry, fragrances, cosmetics, hair products, and deodorants. If you wear glasses or contacts, you will need to remove them before entering the chamber.

What to Expect During a Hyperbaric Therapy Session

When you arrive for your hyperbaric therapy session, we will usher you into a private room for a debriefing about how you are currently feeling and whether you are experiencing any symptoms of illness. During this time, we will also review how hyperbaric oxygen can help heal your specific condition. Finally, we will answer any questions or concerns you may have after your debriefing.

Next, we’ll give you a soft set of cotton pajamas to wear and ask that you remove your jewelry. We also recommend using the restroom. Your hyperbaric technician will offer you water to take into the chamber in case you get thirsty or need help clearing your ears. Inside, you’ll find a bed with pillows and blankets to keep you warm.

Once you’re comfortable, your technician can turn on a movie of your choice and close the door. You will never be alone inside the chamber. Your technician will be right outside where they can hear you and see you at all times in case you need assistance. Once the door has closed, you will hear a whooshing sound as air pressurizes the chamber. In the first few minutes, you may notice your ears begin to pop or crackle. After about 15 minutes, the whooshing sound will stop, and you’ll know you’ve arrived at your prescribed pressurization.

You’ll remain at this level of pressurization throughout your treatment. Once your time is up, the chamber will slowly depressurize, and your technician will come in to release you.

Post-Treatment Care and Recovery

After your treatment, your technician will lead you back to a private exam room. They’ll examine your vital signs, including your blood pressure, pulse, and ears. If you have diabetes, they’ll also check your blood sugar levels. Once your technician confirms that you no longer need monitoring, you will be free to change back into your regular clothes and return to your everyday activities.

You may feel tired after hyperbaric oxygen therapy. We encourage you to have someone drive you to and from your first appointment in case you are too sleepy.

For your post-treatment care and recovery, we encourage you to keep eating a healthy diet filled with nutrient-dense foods and drink plenty of water. Limit strenuous activities to allow your body to focus on healing and avoid inflammation.

Risks and Side Effects of Hyperbaric Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy poses some potential risks, including:

• Claustrophobia
• Ear injuries
• Sinus connection
• Temporary nearsightedness
• In rare cases, oxygen poisoning and seizures

Is Hyperbaric Therapy Right for You?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may benefit you if you have a chronic wound that isn’t healing on its own or other medical conditions caused by a lack of sufficient oxygen in your blood. Your primary health provider or a consultation with our knowledgeable technicians at Desert Med Aesthetics can help you determine whether this procedure will benefit you by carefully assessing your vitals and medical history.

Choosing a Qualified Provider for Hyperbaric Therapy

You should only receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy from an experienced provider for an approved condition. As the founder of Desert Med Aesthetics, board-certified anesthesiologist, and an expert in various aesthetic disciplines, Dr. Doriana Cosgrove offers a comforting and welcoming environment at her state-of-the-art medical spa facility.

Dr. Cosgrove’s impressive education and career as a resident of general surgery and anesthesiology have equipped her with the knowledge and experience to safely treat Coachella Valley patients using hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Schedule Your Hyperbaric Therapy Session at Desert Med Aesthetics Today!

If you’re struggling with inflammation and a wound that is refusing to heal on its own, it may be time to give comforting and relaxing hyperbaric oxygen therapy a try. The process is incredibly calming, and many patients spend their treatment time sleeping, meditating, or watching a movie while pure, unadulterated oxygen flushes their bodies.

Learn more about what hyperbaric oxygen therapy can do for you today by scheduling a consultation at Desert Med Aesthetics. You can reach us by calling (760) 777-8772 or contacting us through our website. We look forward to exploring this exciting wound-healing option with you soon!