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Stroke Aftermath

Cosmetic Rehabilitation for Stroke Victims

I wanted to ask if Thermage would help my sister-in-law who has suffered a stroke and has facial drooping on her left side.

Would Thermage tighten the skin and maybe lift up her eyelid and cheek/mouth area?

I am trying to find something to help and thought maybe this would offer a little hope.

Thank you for your time.

Melissa

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How lucky your sister-in-law is to be related to you! Not many people appreciate how devastating cosmetic damage from stroke can be to a woman.

People probably tell her to be grateful she still has her faculties, that she can still get around, etc. etc.

I hope I can offer some leads to help you help her. But let me preface what I have to say with the caution that I am not a medical professional. My suggestions are the result of research.

Any approach you decide to try should first be approved by your sister-in-law’s doctors.

You also might want to consult a plastic surgeon.

First, I don’t think that Thermage is the answer.

Thermage uses a wand to deliver radio frequency waves to the deep layers of the skin. The radio waves heat the collagen below the skin’s surface, tightening and lifting the skin, smoothing out wrinkles and restoring facial contours. Before and after pictures are pretty impressive.

If your sister-in-law has more wrinkling on the stroke-affected side of her face or has moderate to severe overall wrinkling, Thermage may help with her appearance and restore some self-confidence, but it will not address or correct the damage done to the facial nerves by the stroke.

I assume your sister has had or is still undergoing rehabilitative therapy. I hope she has discussed her concern over her facial appearance with her therapist. If her therapist is not able to address your sister’s concern with her appearance, perhaps he can refer her to a therapist who specializes in facial retraining.

Traditional stroke therapy uses mental and physical exercise to maximize circulation, to restore damaged nerve pathways and create new ones, and to build up undamaged muscles to take over the work of damaged ones.

Therapists who specialize in facial retraining can offer further assistance.

Facial neuromuscular retraining is a highly specialized field, and involves training beyond the standard curriculum for physical therapy. There is no substitute for the experience of certified facial NMR therapists, and the tools available with physical therapy, such as electromyographic (EMG) feedback.

Facial massage and exercises may help prevent permanent contractures (shrinkage or shortening) of the affected muscles.

Other therapies that may be useful for some individuals include relaxation techniques, acupuncture, electrical stimulation, biofeedback training, and vitamin therapy (including vitamin B12, B6, and zinc), which may help nerve growth.

Finally, you may want to look into hyperbaric oxygen treatment which has helped many stroke victims regain additional function after other therapies have failed. This is leading edge and since it is a relatively new therapy, it may not be covered by insurance.

One of its main proponents and practitioners is David Steenblock, M.S., D.O., director of the Health Restoration Medical Center in Mission Viejo, California.

Dr. Steenblock explains that a “stroke produces most of its damage through swelling and damage to surrounding brain tissue, yet this tissue lies dormant, not dead but not active either, surviving on as little as 15-20% of its normal oxygen supply.

If you can restore blood flow and flood this area with oxygen, there is a strong likelihood of restoring these "hibernating" brain cells to function, 5 or even 10 years after a stroke.

The higher atmospheric pressure inside the hyperbaric chamber forces more oxygen into the blood. In fact, hyperbaric oxygen can deliver 8-9 times more oxygen to the capillaries compared to breathing normal air. According to Dr. Steenblock,"with 100% oxygen under pressure, oxygen is dissolved into the red blood cells and into body and brain fluids."

The goal is to get as much oxygen into the brain as possible. This helps to revive oxygen-starved brain tissue that was damaged, but not entirely destroyed by the stroke. Some of the brain tissue is irreversibly destroyed, as brain cells deprived of oxygen usually die within 10 minutes, but a larger portion is potentially revivable.

I found that there are hyperbaric treatment centers in several states, so the therapy is broadly available.

You can reach Dr. Steenblock at:
Health Restoration Medical Center
26381 Crown Valley Parkway, Suite 130
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(714) 367-8870.

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This article is for information only. It does not purport to offer medical advice.  

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