Mesotherapy - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
This is not a comprehensive list of questions, because we believe in building personal relationships with our patients. The best way to answer your questions is during your private consultation.
What is Mesotherapy?
Mesotherapy is a medical specialty, invented in 1952, where medication is injected into the mesoderm, the layer of fat and connective tissue under the skin. The mesotherapy medications are customized for each individual and may include microscopic quantities of natural extracts, homeopathic agents, pharmaceuticals and vitamins.
Since its inception, in excess of 15,000 physicians world-wide have used mesotherapy on a daily basis for a variety of purposes, including weight loss, spot weight reduction, cellulite reduction, scar revision and wrinkle elimination.
What does a Mesotherapy procedure involve?
Mesotherapy is a series of injections which are administered just below the surface of the skin at the location of problem areas. It can be used just about anywhere on the body, but is mostly used to treat abdomen, thighs, buttocks, knees, and ankles.
Besides the cosmetic procedures, Mesotherapy has been used worldwide for treatment of arthritis pain, hair growth and relieving muscle spasms. The most popular uses in the United States are for spot cellulite and fat treatment. Different results and therapies result from using different medications in each patient’s "Mesotherapy cocktail" to achieve the desired results.
Mesotherapy is popular because many patients are getting obvious results without the inherent risks involved in an invasive surgical procedure like Liposuction.
What are the benefits of Mesotherapy over liposuction?
Liposuction does not treat cellulite. In fact, liposuction often causes existing cellulite to appear more prominent. Mesotherapy treats cellulite directly, promoting smoother skin and reducing fat in selected areas. Fat deposits are flushed from the body, and do not reappear in other areas, which often occurs after liposuction. Mesotherapy does not require hospitalization, general anesthesia or downtime.
What are the techniques of Mesotherapy?
Using a very tiny needle (0.4 to 0.6 cm or the size of an eyelash), the medication is injected painlessly into the skin. The needles that we use are specially manufactured to deliver the medicine through the smallest possible diameter. Sometimes the technique of "multi-pricking" is used, where a number of swift, painless injections are concentrated in a specific area. Although "multi-pricking" can be done by hand, a mechanical delivery system may also be used that delivers the medicine in a more accurate fashion with even less discomfort to the patient. Patients have universally responded that the treatments cause less pain than a momentary, light pinch.
All patients undergoing Mesotherapy will be asked to follow a low carbohydrate, low sugar, natural and healthy diet, which will be simple to implement. Because a considerable amount of toxins are going to be eliminated, lots of water is used to flush these substances, along with dissolved fat, out of the body. Exercise is needed to circulate the medications used. Patients can walk or perform another form of aerobic activity three times a week.
How long does it take to see results?
The mesotherapy process is gradual and takes 4-6 weeks and may require more than one session. Once the treatment is completed, the results are long lasting, without damaging the surrounding tissue. Each session can reduce 1-4 inches of circumferal fat, depending on body type.
Will there be loose skin after a treatment, just as there is with liposuction?
Mesotherapy removes much smaller volumes of fat than liposuction, and in many cases has the effect of causing skin to retract, making the skin in the treated area tighter than before the treatments.
What is expected after a treatment?
Because the mesotherapy process is not actual surgery, in many cases there is no downtime. In certain cases when you have a large area of the stomach treated, you may wish to rest or reduce activity for a day. The process itself takes 4-6 weeks to show results. Mesotherapy activates the body’s own elimination of fat, giving the patient natural looking results.
Am I a candidate?
You may be a good candidate if you have localized fat or desire contouring in regions of your body such as your upper or lower arms, back and love handles, abdomen and waist, hips and lower buttocks, inner and outer thigh, inner and outer knee, or calves and ankles.
Women who are pregnant or nursing are not candidates for mesotherapy. If you have any of the following conditions, you are not a good candidate for mesotherapy: allergy to soy, compromised immune system, insulin dependent diabetics, and anyone being treated for cancer, kidney, or liver disease.
Is the procedure permanent? Will the fat stay away or return in other areas?
The average person is possesses a finite number of adipocytes (fat cells). Mesotherapy procedures will permanently dissolve adipocytes in the area of treatment, leaving only a thin layer of cells. If a person gains weight, the treated area can get larger because adipocytes still remain (it is impossible and unsafe to remove all adipocytes). However, the treated area should remain proportionate.
Because mesotherapy is an investment in an improved body shape, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and diet and exercise to avoid excess weight gain.
Are Mesotherapy procedures safe?
Mesotherapy procedures are extremely safe and there are very few downsides. The micro injections are always performed by fully trained physicians. The staff at My Weight Doctor™ gives all potential patients tests to find out their body type, metabolism, blood chemistry and hormonal imbalances. This way, they can make sure the patient is a good candidate for mesotherapy and customize the procedures so they are right for each patient. We maintain the highest standards and treatment protocols to ensure the safety of our patients.
What are the possible risks and benefits?
There are typically no risks involved with Mesotherapy, but as with any medical procedure, risks cannot be fully ruled out. Some of the most common risks are allergic reactions to the soy-based medications. Side effects such as lumps, bruising, and skin tenderness may occur, but these are temporary and generally subside within a few days. The main benefit is that there is no surgery involved and typically there is no downtime either. Mesotherapy is a great way to get rid of stubborn fat deposits, but it is important to remember that mesotherapy is not meant to be used in place of actual weight loss.
What are the side effects of Mesotherapy?
Mesotherapy performed by a trained physician has very few side effects. The most significant side effects are black and blue marks, a 15- to 20-minute burning sensation, mild to moderate soreness for 1-5 days, and (as with any injection) a slight risk of infection. All patients return to work the same day.
Mesotherapy usually causes slight bruising which goes away after 3-7 days. Swelling from mesotherapy is mild and lasts only a few days. Some patients notice a little itchiness for 2-3 hours after their mesotherapy session.
Are the treatments painful?
You may feel a slight pinching or burning sensation when the injections are administered. However, we can provide a topical anesthetic that makes treatment virtually painless.
Are the drugs used in Mesotherapy approved by the FDA?
The medicines, vitamins, minerals and plant extracts that we use are obtained from pharmaceutical companies in the United States. All medicines used are FDA-approved for their use. In combination, medicines for Mesotherapy are used in an "off-label" manner. A recent illustration of this distinction is Botox®, although Botox was FDA approved for controlling muscle spasms, the medical community embraced it for its cosmetic properties such as controlling wrinkles which is currently an "off-label" of Botox. However for many years to this day, many doctors actively use Botox for "off-label" use purposes.
What is "Off-Label" Use?
"Off-label" use is the practice of prescribing pharmaceuticals for an indication, an age group, a dose or a form of administration other than what has been specifically approved by the FDA.
The FDA approves a drug for prescription use, and will continue to regulate the pharmaceutical industry through the work of the Division for Drug Marketing, Advertisement and Communication (DDMAC). There are strict FDA rules that dictate what active ingredients can and cannot be used in drugs in the United States.
The FDA does not have the legal authority to regulate the practice of the medicine, and the physician may prescribe a drug off label. Contrary to popular notion, it is legal in the United States and in many other countries to use drugs off label, including controlled substances.
The off label use of Botox is very similar to the off label use of the medications used in Mesotherapy. However, just like a physician may use their discretion to use Botox to treat wrinkles so may a physician do the same with the compounds used in Mesotherapy.
Be sure to ask your mesotherapy physician any questions you may have concerning the safety of the ingredients they intend to use and any potential side effects.
To read an article about Botox and off-label use
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