Surgeon recommends hyperbaric oxygen treatment for capsular contracture. Could this help me get rid of it and is it safe?

Question

I'm 11 and half months post op. My plastic surgeon diagnosed me recently with capsule contracture. My implants look the same, but one side is a bit firmer. I believe it's a grade 2. He's recommending hyperbaric oxygen treatment for capsule contractor. Could this help me get rid of it and is it safe?

Robert Cohen, MD · Answer

Capsular contracture is abnormal tightening of scar tissue around an implant.  Although we don't fully understand all of the reasons capsular contracture occurs, the leading cause seems to be a bacterial biofilm that induces an inflammatory reaction.  Generally, the solution is to exchange the implant, remove the scar tissue and irrigate the pocket with antibiotics.  Sometimes a material like Strattice can be added to reduce the risk of a recurrence.  Surgical correction is usually done for grade 3-4 contractures, and most surgeons do not treat grade 2 contractures with surgery.As far as I know, there is no strong evidence to show that hyperbaric oxygen will correct a contracture after routine breast augmentation.  Hyperbaric oxygen can be helpful when increased oxygen delivery to the tissues is needed (such as with wound healing problems due to poor blood supply).  However, hyperbaric oxygen is time consuming and expensive, and in a situation where it is unclear whether it will help, you may go through this process and still have a contracture at the end.  There is some evidence that certain asthma medications like SIngulair can help with milder contractures, but the evidence is unclear with this approach as well.If your surgeon can refer you to published literature where hyperbaric treatment helped, and you don't mind the cost and time, it could be worth considering.  Since you have a milder contracture with no visible changes, you might simply start with aggressive breast massage and see if that improves things. Good luck!

S. Larry Schlesinger, MD, FACS · Answer

I love hyperbaric oxygen.  In cosmetic plastic surgery, at times, all plastic surgeons face ischemic situations where the blood supply to any part of the body is compromised.  These ischemic areas, when placed in a high oxygen tension situation, increase the formation of new blood vessels and also help the body by keeping injured tissue alive until these new vessels have a chance to grow.  The creativity of plastic surgeons has no bounds.  I have not heard that hyperbaric oxygen can treat capsular contractures, but it is a great idea and it may just work.  As far as the safety of hyperbaric oxygen, it is incredibly safe.  Just sitting in the hyperbaric chamber will improve your complexion and improve the blood supply to many areas, even ones where you did not know there was a problem.

Surgeon recommends hyperbaric oxygen treatment for capsular contracture. Could this help me get rid of it and is it safe?

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Everything you need to know about Capsular Contracture Treatment

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Surgeon recommends hyperbaric oxygen treatment for capsular contracture. Could this help me get rid of it and is it safe?

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about Capsular Contracture Treatment

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.