Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) After Plastic Surgery

How HBOT Can Speed Up Recovery and Where to Find It in Australia

In this blog…

How HBOT Can Speed Up Recovery and Where to Find It in Australia
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)?
How HBOT Can Benefit Plastic Surgery Recovery
Which Plastic Surgery Procedures Benefit Most from HBOT?
What to Expect During an HBOT Session
Where to Find HBOT Clinics in Australia for Post-Surgery Recovery
FAQs about HBOT and Plastic Surgery Recovery
Additional Resources and Studies Related to HBOT
Further Reading about Plastic Surgery News

Recovery is a vital phase in your plastic surgery journey. Whether you’ve had a facelift, tummy tuck – abdominoplasty, or breast surgery, your body needs time to heal properly. The way you care for yourself after surgery can impact everything from swelling and scarring to how quickly you get back to your routine and the results.

Many patients look for ways to speed up the healing process and reduce discomfort. While rest, hydration, and following your plastic surgeon’s post-op instructions are essential, some advanced therapies can give your recovery a boost.

One popular option being used by premium plastic surgeons is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) – a treatment that’s gaining attention for its potential to reduce swelling, improve tissue healing, and lower the risk of complications.

But is HBOT right for you? And where can you find it? Let’s explore how it works and why some plastic surgeons recommend it as part of post-surgical recovery.

What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a medical treatment that involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurised chamber. This therapy is designed to increase the amount of oxygen your blood can carry, which helps accelerate healing, reduce inflammation, and fight infections.

In a typical HBOT session, you’ll be placed in a pressurised chamber, where the air pressure is increased up to three times higher than normal atmospheric pressure. This allows your lungs to absorb more oxygen than they would under normal conditions, delivering it more efficiently to tissues that need to heal.

How Does HBOT Work?

To understand why HBOT is beneficial, it helps to know how your body uses oxygen during healing. Normally, your red blood cells transport oxygen throughout your body. However, when you are in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, oxygen dissolves directly into your plasma (the liquid part of your blood), allowing it to reach areas with poor circulation or swelling more effectively. This is particularly helpful after surgery, when tissue damage, bruising, and inflammation can limit blood flow to the surgical site.

The main benefits of this increased oxygen supply include:
✅ Faster Tissue Repair: Oxygen stimulates the production of new blood vessels and skin cells.
✅ Reduced Swelling and Inflammation: Higher oxygen levels help control excessive swelling that can delay healing.
✅ Stronger Immune Response: Oxygen boosts your body’s ability to fight bacteria and prevent infections.
✅ Improved Collagen Production: Collagen is essential for scar healing and skin regeneration.

Medical Uses of HBOT Beyond Plastic Surgery

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is not just for plastic surgery patients. It has been widely used in wound healing, sports injuries, and post-radiation therapy. Some of its most common medical applications include:

Diabetic foot ulcers: Helps improve circulation and prevent amputations in diabetic patients.
Radiation tissue damage: Used in patients who have undergone radiation therapy and experienced tissue breakdown.
Burns and skin grafts: Promotes faster recovery and reduces the risk of tissue rejection.
Carbon monoxide poisoning: Quickly removes carbon monoxide from the bloodstream.
Serious infections and gangrene: Helps fight aggressive infections by delivering oxygen to areas that may not be getting enough blood supply.

In plastic surgery, HBOT is gaining popularity because of its ability to reduce swelling, enhance healing, and minimise post-surgical complications. But how exactly does it help plastic surgery recovery?

How HBOT Can Benefit Plastic Surgery Recovery

Plastic surgery, like any surgical procedure, causes controlled trauma to the body. Swelling, bruising, and discomfort are natural parts of the healing process, but some patients experience prolonged recovery times, complications, or slow wound healing. This is where Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) comes in as a supportive treatment.

Faster Healing

One of the biggest advantages of HBOT after plastic surgery is its ability to speed up the healing process. After surgery, tissues need a steady oxygen supply to regenerate and repair. The problem is that swelling and bruising can restrict normal blood flow, slowing down recovery.

With HBOT, oxygen is absorbed directly into the plasma, meaning it can reach areas with poor circulation and promote faster cell regeneration. This is particularly beneficial for large surgical procedures like tummy tuck – abdominoplasty or body lift, where tissue healing can take weeks or even months.

Patients who use HBOT after plastic surgery can experience:
✅ Quicker reduction in bruising and swelling
✅ Shorter overall recovery time
✅ Less discomfort in the healing phase

Reduced Swelling and Bruising

Swelling and bruising are normal reactions after surgery, caused by trauma to blood vessels and soft tissues. In some cases, swelling can linger for weeks, making patients feel uncomfortable and delaying results.

HBOT works by reducing inflammation at the surgical site. Oxygen-rich blood helps remove fluid buildup and supports faster tissue repair. Patients who undergo HBOT can notice:
✔ Less swelling within days
✔ Bruises fading more quickly
✔ More comfort while healing

This is particularly helpful for facial surgeries like facelift, rhinoplasty, and eyelid surgery, where prolonged swelling can affect final results.

Lower Risk of Complications

While most plastic surgery patients recover without issues, some experience complications such as:

Infections (caused by bacteria entering the surgical site)
Poor wound healing (especially in smokers or those with poor circulation)
Tissue necrosis (when skin or fat tissue doesn’t get enough oxygen and dies)

HBOT reduces the risk of these complications by:
🔹 Boosting the immune system – Oxygen helps white blood cells fight infections more effectively.
🔹 Preventing necrosis – Extra oxygen supply ensures all tissues get the nutrients they need.
🔹 Enhancing blood vessel formation – New capillaries form faster, improving circulation.

For surgeries like tummy tuck, breast lift, or liposuction, where blood flow can be temporarily restricted, HBOT can be a valuable tool in preventing serious post-op issues.

Pain Management and Reduced Discomfort

Pain is one of the biggest concerns after surgery. Many patients rely on painkillers in the first few days post-op, but HBOT offers a natural way to manage pain by reducing inflammation and promoting faster healing.

By delivering oxygen to damaged nerves and tissues, HBOT can help:
✔ Reduce nerve pain and sensitivity
✔ Speed up recovery of damaged tissues
✔ Lower dependency on pain medications

If you are concerned about post-surgery discomfort, adding HBOT sessions to your recovery plan can make a noticeable difference in how you feel.

Which Plastic Surgery Procedures Benefit Most from HBOT?

While HBOT can support healing after most plastic surgery procedures, some surgeries benefit more than others due to the extent of tissue trauma, swelling, and risk of complications. Patients undergoing facial surgery, body contouring, breast surgery, or reconstructive procedures may find that HBOT speeds up recovery and improves results.

Facial Procedures: Facelift, Rhinoplasty, Eyelid Surgery

Facial surgeries often involve delicate tissues and extensive bruising, making recovery a key concern. Procedures like facelift, rhinoplasty, and eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) cause swelling and temporary blood vessel constriction, which can slow down healing and increase the risk of skin necrosis in some patients.

How HBOT helps:
✅ Reduces post-op bruising and puffiness
✅ Enhances oxygen supply to delicate facial tissues
✅ Lowers the risk of tissue damage and scarring
✅ Speeds up the return to a more natural appearance

Patients who want to look their best as quickly as possible after facial surgery may find HBOT particularly beneficial.

Body Contouring: Tummy Tuck, Liposuction, Body Lift

Body contouring surgeries involve large areas of tissue removal and repositioning, leading to significant swelling, fluid retention, and discomfort during recovery. In procedures like tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), liposuction, and body lift, healing can take weeks or even months.

How HBOT helps:
✅ Reduces swelling and fluid buildup
✅ Improves circulation in areas with reduced blood flow
✅ Lowers the risk of delayed healing and seromas
✅ Enhances skin tightening and contouring results

For massive weight loss patients undergoing body lift, HBOT can be especially helpful in preventing wound breakdown and improving skin graft healing.

Breast Surgery: Augmentation, Reduction, Lift

Breast surgeries, such as augmentation, reduction, and lift, involve skin, fat, and muscle healing. Poor circulation can lead to complications like delayed healing, infections, or implant-related issues.

How HBOT helps:
✅ Boosts tissue oxygenation to reduce the risk of necrosis
✅ Supports healing in areas with tight skin closure
✅ Helps prevent infection and capsular contracture

Reconstructive Surgery: Skin Grafts, Scar Revision, Complex Wound Healing

Reconstructive procedures often involve compromised tissue, scar revision, or skin grafts, making blood supply a critical factor for success.

How HBOT helps:
✅ Increases graft survival rates
✅ Improves scar healing and reduces contractures
✅ Enhances results for burn victims or patients with past surgical complications

What to Expect During an HBOT Session

If you’re considering Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) after plastic surgery, you might be wondering what the experience is like. While the idea of sitting in a pressurised chamber may sound unfamiliar, the process is quite simple and comfortable.

The Treatment Process

When you arrive for your first HBOT session, the clinic staff will guide you through the procedure. The treatment takes place in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which is either a single-person unit (monoplace chamber) or a larger multi-person chamber where multiple patients can receive treatment at the same time.

1. Getting Ready

You’ll be asked to change into a cotton medical gown to prevent static electricity from synthetic materials.
Any flammable items, electronic devices, or metal objects (such as jewellery, watches, or hearing aids) must be removed.
If you wear contact lenses, you may be advised to remove them as well.

2. Inside the Chamber

Once inside, the chamber is sealed, and the pressure is gradually increased over a few minutes. This is similar to the sensation of ascending or descending in an aeroplane. Some patients experience a popping sensation in their ears, which can be relieved by yawning or swallowing.
You will breathe 100% pure oxygen, which is absorbed into your bloodstream at a much higher rate than normal.
The chamber may feel slightly warm at first due to the pressurisation process, but most clinics keep the environment comfortable.
Sessions typically last 60 to 90 minutes, during which you can relax, listen to music, or even nap.

3. Exiting the Chamber

Once the session is complete, the pressure is slowly reduced back to normal levels.
You may feel a slight light-headedness or tiredness immediately after, but this usually passes quickly.

How Many Sessions Are Needed for Plastic Surgery Recovery?

The number of HBOT sessions required depends on your procedure type, healing progress, and individual needs. Most patients undergoing plastic surgery recovery will need a series of treatments rather than a single session.

Mild procedures (e.g., eyelid surgery, minor liposuction, or scar revision):
🕒 3 to 5 sessions may be sufficient to reduce swelling and improve healing.
Moderate procedures (e.g., facelift, breast surgery, or tummy tuck):
🕒 5 to 10 sessions are often recommended to accelerate healing, reduce bruising, and lower the risk of complications.
Extensive surgeries (e.g., body lift, complex reconstructive procedures, multiple combined surgeries):
🕒 10 to 20 sessions may be needed, especially for patients at higher risk of slow healing.

Most patients start within the first 24 to 72 hours after surgery to maximise benefits, but HBOT can also be helpful weeks or even months later if healing issues arise.

Is HBOT Safe? Who Should Avoid It?

HBOT is considered a safe and non-invasive treatment when administered by a qualified professional. However, it isn’t suitable for everyone.

✅ Most people tolerate HBOT well, but some may experience:

Mild ear pressure or discomfort (similar to flying in an aeroplane).
Temporary light-headedness after a session.
Slight fatigue as the body adjusts to the increased oxygen levels.

❌ Who Should Avoid HBOT?

There are a few cases where HBOT may not be recommended, including:

People with untreated pneumothorax (collapsed lung):
- The pressurised environment can worsen the condition.
Patients with severe lung disease or respiratory conditions:
- Conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be aggravated.
People with recent ear surgery or severe sinus problems:
- The pressure changes may cause discomfort or complications.
Pregnant women (unless medically necessary):
- While not necessarily harmful, HBOT is usually avoided during pregnancy.
Individuals with certain types of chemotherapy treatment:
- Some cancer treatments may interact negatively with HBOT.

If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, it’s best to consult your plastic surgeon or a medical professional before starting HBOT.

Where to Find HBOT Clinics in Australia for Post-Surgery Recovery

Australia offers a variety of HBOT facilities across major cities, including both public hospitals and private clinics.

City	Facility Type	Clinic/Hospital Name	Notes
Sydney	Public Hospital	Prince of Wales Hospital – Hyperbaric Medicine Unit	Provides HBOT services to patients across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
	Private Clinic	Stay Young Cryo	Offers HBOT among many other services like cryotherapy and acupuncture.
Melbourne	Public Hospital	Alfred Health – Hyperbaric Medicine	Offers comprehensive hyperbaric medicine services.
	Private Clinic	NIIM Clinic	Provides HBOT sessions; a GP referral is required.
Brisbane	Private Clinic	Wesley Hyperbaric	Australia’s first and largest fully accredited day hospital providing comprehensive HBOT facilities.
	Private Clinic	Hyperbaric O2 Health	Offers HBOT alongside other therapies.
Perth	Public Hospital	Fiona Stanley Hospital – Hyperbaric Medicine Unit	State referral service for diving and hyperbaric medicine.
	Private Clinic	Studio2 HBOT Centre	Boutique centre specialising exclusively in HBOT.
	Private Clinic	Absolute Cosmetic	Offers HBOT as part of their wellness services.
Adelaide	Public Hospital	Royal Adelaide Hospital – Hyperbaric Medical Unit	State referral service for diving and hyperbaric medicine.

Cost and Availability

The cost of HBOT can vary based on the facility type, location, and your insurance coverage.

Private Health Insurance Coverage:

Many private health insurers in Australia cover HBOT for specific medical conditions. It’s essential to consult with your insurer to understand your policy’s coverage.

Medicare Coverage:

Medicare provides benefits for HBOT for certain conditions, such as treatment of decompression illness, gas gangrene, air or gas embolism, diabetic wounds, necrotising soft tissue infections, and prevention and treatment of osteoradionecrosis.

Average Costs:

For conditions not covered by insurance, out-of-pocket costs can range between $250 to $600 per session, depending on the facility and location.
Some clinics offer package deals to reduce costs.

How to Choose the Right HBOT Clinic

Selecting the appropriate HBOT facility is crucial for a safe and effective treatment experience. Consider the following factors:

Questions to Ask Before Booking:

What specific conditions does the clinic treat with HBOT?
How many sessions are typically recommended for post-surgical recovery?
What are the costs per session, and are there package deals available?
Does the clinic accept private health insurance or Medicare benefits?
Are there any potential side effects or contraindications specific to my health status?

Checking Credentials and Experience in Post-Surgical Care:

Ensure the clinic is accredited and that the staff are certified in hyperbaric medicine.
Verify the experience of the medical team in administering HBOT, particularly for post-surgical recovery.

By thoroughly researching and considering these factors, you can make the right decision about incorporating HBOT into your post-surgical recovery plan.

FAQs about HBOT and Plastic Surgery Recovery

Can I start HBOT before my surgery to prepare my body for healing?

Yes! Some surgeons recommend pre-operative HBOT sessions to boost oxygen levels in your tissues before surgery. This can enhance circulation, improve skin quality, and optimise healing conditions before your procedure. Pre-surgery HBOT may be especially beneficial for patients with poor circulation, smokers, or those undergoing extensive surgery.

Will I need to stop my medications before undergoing HBOT?

Most medications do not interfere with HBOT, but certain drugs, such as chemotherapy agents, high-dose steroids, and some anti-seizure medications, may require adjustments. If you’re taking blood thinners or medications that affect oxygen levels, you should discuss this with your plastic surgeon and HBOT provider before starting treatment.

Can HBOT help reduce the appearance of post-surgical scars?

Yes! While HBOT primarily focuses on healing wounds and reducing complications, it can also promote collagen production and skin regeneration, which may minimise scar formation over time. Patients who receive HBOT early in the recovery phase may notice softer, less visible scars compared to those who don’t use the therapy.

Is HBOT painful or uncomfortable?

No, HBOT is a painless, non-invasive treatment. However, some patients may experience ear pressure (similar to airplane takeoff/landing) during pressurisation. This is usually temporary and can be relieved by swallowing, yawning, or chewing gum. The treatment itself is relaxing, and many patients use the time to listen to music or nap.

Can HBOT be used alongside other post-surgical treatments like lymphatic massage or laser therapy?

Absolutely! HBOT can be combined with other recovery treatments, such as lymphatic drainage massage, LED light therapy, and laser treatments. These therapies work together to reduce swelling, improve circulation, and enhance healing. However, it’s essential to discuss any combination therapies with your plastic surgeon to ensure they align with your personalised recovery plan.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) After Plastic Surgery

How HBOT Can Speed Up Recovery and Where to Find It in Australia