Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Surgery Recovery
Clients recovering from elective surgery in Los Angeles add Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) sessions to the recovery plan they build with their surgeon. Every session at OxyRenew runs in a private hard-shell chamber at up to 2.0 ATA, monitored by a Certified Hyperbaric Technician.
Why Oxygen Matters After Surgery
Clinical studies have reported faster healing and reduced swelling when HBOT was used around surgery. The proposed mechanisms are increased oxygen delivery to surgical sites and support for new blood vessel formation. Findings vary by protocol and sample size, and much of the evidence is preliminary.
Swelling and bruising
Swelling and bruising are a normal part of post-operative healing, and how quickly they resolve is one of the most studied questions in the HBOT literature. It is also the most common reason surgical patients visit us.
Wound healing and collagen
Oxygen is essential for cell regeneration and collagen production, two key factors in wound healing. Raising the amount of oxygen dissolved in blood plasma is the core mechanism behind HBOT, and wound healing is among the most examined applications in the published literature.
Immune function
White blood cells rely on oxygen to do their work, which is one reason oxygen delivery features so prominently in the surgical literature.
Recovery Guides by Procedure
These guides cover the procedures clients most often book sessions around, and planning the recovery itself.
Face
How to Reduce Swelling and Bruising After a Facelift
Facelift surgery may cause swelling and bruising in the face that can last for weeks after the procedure. Learn the recovery strategies surgeons commonly recommend and where Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) fits in.
Hair Loss After a Facelift: Why It Happens and What Helps
Hair loss around the incisions is a recognized facelift side effect, usually temporary. What causes it, which shedding grows back, and what the HBOT evidence from hair transplant patients suggests about supporting follicles after surgery.
How to Reduce Swelling After Rhinoplasty
After rhinoplasty, the post-surgical swelling can be one of the most frustrating parts of the recovery process. Learn the strategies surgeons commonly recommend and the evidence behind Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT).
How One LA Patient Built HBOT Into His Revision Rhinoplasty Recovery
A look at how one Los Angeles patient planned his revision rhinoplasty recovery with his surgeon, including HBOT sessions at OxyRenew before and after his procedure, and why they chose it.
Bruising After Blepharoplasty: How Long It Lasts and What Helps
Bruising after eyelid surgery is expected and sits in the most visible place on the face. Why the lids bruise, how it usually runs, and what the one facelift study that measured bruising with HBOT found.
Body
Tummy Tuck Recovery in Los Angeles: Where HBOT Fits In
Planning a tummy tuck in Los Angeles? Learn what clinical studies have found about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) and abdominoplasty recovery, and how to discuss it with your surgeon.
Swelling After Liposuction: How Long It Lasts and What Helps
Swelling after liposuction hides the result for weeks and can take months to settle. What causes it, how the timeline runs, and what the published HBOT cohorts in body contouring did and did not measure.
Capsular Contracture After Breast Augmentation: Causes and Prevention
Capsular contracture is the most common long-term complication of breast augmentation. Understand why it happens, the role of surgical technique and post-op care, and the adjunct approaches under study, including Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT).
Fat Graft Survival After a BBL or Fat Transfer: What Affects It and What the Evidence Says
Some transferred fat does not survive: a meta-analysis of facial fat grafting found a pooled retention of 47%. Why grafts are lost, what affects how much stays, and where the HBOT evidence stands, which is two small animal studies and one unfinished human trial.
Hair and skin
How to Minimize Shock Loss After a Hair Transplant
Shock loss is a common side effect of hair transplant surgery. Learn what causes it, what surgeons recommend, and how Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) has been studied for recovery.
Combining PRP & PRF with HBOT in Los Angeles
Curious about pairing PRP/PRF with HBOT in Los Angeles? Learn the theory behind combining the two and what to discuss with your provider before your appointment.
Planning your recovery
HBOT Before Surgery: The Science of Pre-Conditioning
Most patients plan for recovery after surgery, but preparation beforehand matters too. Learn what published studies say about 'surgical pre-conditioning' with HBOT and how to discuss it with your surgeon.
Faster Healing After Surgery: Top Supplements and HBOT
Preparing for surgery? Learn which supplements are commonly discussed for recovery and where HBOT fits in, so you can plan with your surgeon.
Understanding Swelling: Causes, Reduction Strategies, and the Benefits of HBOT
Discover what causes swelling and the strategies commonly used to manage it, plus where Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) fits in, available in Los Angeles.
Scarring After Cosmetic Surgery: What Shapes a Scar and What the Evidence Shows
The scar is the permanent part of an elective procedure. How a scar forms, what shapes the outcome, and what the HBOT evidence shows in problem scars and in one small study of ordinary incisions.
How Clients Time Sessions Around Surgery
Surgical clients typically book one session before surgery and five as soon as possible after, sometimes the same day if the surgeon allows. Timing varies with your specific procedure and your surgeon's recommendations.
What to Ask Your Surgeon
Whether HBOT fits a specific pre-op or post-op plan is a decision to make with the operating surgeon. Bring it up at your pre-op appointment.
Whether HBOT fits your recovery plan.
How soon after the procedure you can start sessions.
How many sessions to complete.
Whether they want to coordinate timing with our Certified Hyperbaric Technician.
Every client completes a safety screening before their first session. Recent ear or sinus surgery is one of the things it checks for, so tell us about any procedure in that area.
What Sessions Are Like
Hard-shell, 2.0 ATA
Our chamber is a hard-shell unit that reaches 2.0 ATA. Soft-shell chambers, common elsewhere, typically operate near 1.3 ATA and dissolve less oxygen into plasma.
Private sessions
Your session runs in a private space. A Certified Hyperbaric Technician monitors it from start to finish.
Comfort built in
You sit in a private room rather than lying in a tube, with an iPad and Netflix provided. Most clients describe sessions as genuinely relaxing.
Sessions and Pricing
Most clients book a package of 6 or 10 sessions. No doctor's referral is needed.
Book Around Your Surgery Date
OxyRenew is in West Hollywood, on Beverly Blvd steps from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, minutes from many of the surgical practices our clients use. Book a session online, or contact us to speak with a Certified Hyperbaric Technician about timing around your procedure date.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This service is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is essential to consult with a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making any decisions related to your health or treatment.
Our Founder
Meet Dr. Handel
Neal Handel, MD FACS
Dr. Neal Handel, a board-certified Plastic Surgeon, has been in practice in Southern California for 47 years. A Columbia University honors graduate and Yale MD, he completed his residency at the University of Colorado Medical Center and fellowship training in England and Scotland.
As a Clinical Professor at UCLA School of Medicine, Dr. Handel actively trains young surgeons and is a recognized leader in his field. He has performed live surgery demonstrations at prestigious symposiums worldwide, including the Baker Gordon Symposium and meetings in Korea, China, and Russia.
With over 60 peer-reviewed articles, twelve medical textbook chapters, and co-editorship of Problems in Breast Surgery – A Repair Manual, Dr. Handel brings extensive expertise. For 17 years as co-director of The Breast Center, he gained extensive experience in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.
Dr. Handel's excellence has been recognized by C-Magazine as one of California's "ten best" plastic surgeons, Los Angeles Magazine's "Super Doctors" (2020-2025), and the prestigious Castle Connolly Top Doctor list (2020-2025).
Dr. Handel is OxyRenew's founder and Medical Director.