The answer is very rigid: it must be 100% cotton clothes. Medical hyperbaric oxygen chambers are filled with 100 percent pure oxygen, and any chemical fiber material such as polyester, nylon, rayon or wool is absolutely taboo at this time. They are too easily triboelectric, which is an extremely serious fire hazard in pure oxygen. For the sake of absolute life safety, we will force patients to change into cotton hand washing clothes or hospital gown provided by the clinic. Before you prepare to “dive” (what we call the habit of starting treatment), you have to wash your face clean of makeup, skin care oil, deodorant, perfume, hair gel, jewelry, watches and all electronic products. My bottom line is to eliminate all spark risks so that everyone can go through the entire treatment process comfortably and without fear.

Why is 100% cotton the only compliant wear?

When preparing for the first hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), the dress code has nothing to do with whether it looks good or not. This is a rigid medical safety issue. Once in the cabin, you are exposed to 100 percent pure oxygen. Pure oxygen does work wonders for repairing the body, but it is also the most extreme accelerant. Cotton is set as a mandatory standard, the fundamental reason is that it does not produce static electricity under normal circumstances. Whether you turn over or your clothes rub against the bedding in the cabin, pure cotton will not accumulate charge like other fabrics. As long as we cling to the “only 100 percent cotton” line, we have successfully cut off static electricity, the most dangerous source of ignition.

Strict Prohibition Of Chemical Fiber Materials And Wool

Because safety always comes first, clinics are extremely strict about the ban on certain fabrics. If you are still struggling with what clothes must not be worn into the cabin, then you should not even think about the following materials:

Polyester and Nylon: These chemical fiber fabrics are simply electrostatic manufacturing machines, and any simple friction can spark.

Rayon: Although it claims to be extracted from natural substances, its manufacturing process determines that it is not safe at all in a pure oxygen environment.

Wool: We all know how much wool is electrostatic, and the risk factor of putting it into the cabin is extremely high.

Blended fabrics: Clothes must be completely free of chemical fiber.

To Ensure Your Absolute Safety

In fact, you don’t need to go shopping for any special clothes before making an appointment. In order to ensure that the patient’s clothing really meets the death standard of 100 percent cotton, medical institutions will require you to change into uniform hand washing clothes or special hospital gown. Why do you have to wear what we provide? Because even if you bring a cotton T-shirt that you usually wear from home, it is probably treated with softener or drying paper. These daily chemicals leave a layer of chemical residue on the surface of the clothes, which is very easy to ignite in an oxygen rich environment. We have a professional cleaning process inside our clinic. Only by wearing a cotton hospital gown that we have thoroughly cleaned without any flammable chemicals can you really lie at ease.

What Else Must Be Removed Before Treatment?

Figuring out what to wear in the cabin is only part of it, and knowing what must remain outside is equally important. In order to completely strangle any spark-induced possibility, the following items must be cleaned up before each “dive:

Cosmetics and skin care products
You must enter the cabin with the cleanest skin and hair. This means that you have to wash:
Make-up and skin oils: Many body lotions, lip balms and cosmetics are petroleum-based or oily, and when pure oxygen encounter these things, they immediately become highly flammable.
Antiperspirants and perfumes: These usually contain alcohol and other chemicals and are a high risk of fire.
Hair supplies: hair gel, styling gel and leave-in conditioner, which must be washed off before entering the cabin.

Jewelry and hard accessories
All jewelry, including rings, necklaces, earrings, and metal watches, had to be removed. Metal objects that accidentally bump into hard surfaces inside and outside the cabin are likely to physically rub off sparks.

Electronic equipment
Smartphones, electronic watches, hearing aids, and any electronic products with batteries are absolutely prohibited. Electronic devices are inherently at risk of short circuit or battery ignition, and it is never possible to put them in a pure oxygen space.

The Ultimate Goal

But these rigorous processes are set up with only one ultimate goal: your absolute safety. When you lock your personal clothes, skin care products and mobile phones into lockers and change into our 100 per cent cotton hospital gown, all the fire hazards have been blocked out. With all this preparation, you can relax completely and know that you are in a completely reliable environment. This is a truly anxiety-free, comfortable and efficient journey of hyperbaric oxygen rehabilitation.

Author: Dr. Sarah Miller

“I am a clinical hyperbaric specialist with years of hands-on experience in managing patient safety within high-pressure oxygen environments. Throughout my career, my top priority has always been to bridge the gap between advanced medical technology and patient comfort. I believe that a successful healing journey begins with absolute safety.”