Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy & The Late Effects Of Radiation
Healing After Radiation
Attempting a breast reconstruction with damaged, irradiated tissue can reduce your chances of healing. In fact, 30% of patients undergoing breast reconstruction immediately after a mastectomy develop partial loss of skin flap viability. Which can delay adjuvant therapy, require additional surgical procedures, and compromise aesthetic outcomes. Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy can help.
Approximately 1/3 of patients in the U.S. who’ve received hyperbaric oxygen therapy were being treated for the late effects of radiation therapy – reducing swelling, creating new skin cells, fighting toxins & bacteria, reducing skin discoloration, and more. If you have experienced discolored skin, stiff fibrotic tissue, and non-healing wounds following radiation – or if you are about to have radiation treatment – hyperbaric oxygen therapy can provide the relief you are looking for. Complications from radiation therapy are not always seen immediately, and in many circumstances may arise months to years after the initial radiation treatment. While hyperbaric oxygen therapy is most effective when started before surgery or immediately thereafter, you can get started at any time to help propel your body's healing.
What Are the Specific Benefits to Breast Cancer Patients?
Breast cancer patients who have had skin and blood vessel damage, as a result of radiotherapy or surgeries, including mastectomy and breast reconstruction, can benefit significantly from HBOT treatments. Blood vessels can become narrowed and scarred in areas that have been irradiated. This can cause tissue damage months or even years after radiation therapy. Skin-sparing and nipple-sparing mastectomy procedures can also lead to skin loss or mastectomy flap necrosis. HBOT can be a transformative treatment in these types of circumstances.
What is Hypberbaric Oxygen Therapy (HB0₂)?
A medical treatment that involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment. Under these conditions, your lungs can gather much more oxygen than it would be possible to breathe pure oxygen at normal air pressure. As your blood carries this extra oxygen throughout your body, this helps fight bacteria and stimulates the release of substances called growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing.
