Mesotherapy

Mesotherapy, also called injection lipolysis, is the treatment or dissolving of the middle layer of fat, meso-meaning middle.

The first layer of fat is protective, usually quite thin and right under the skin.

The LOWER layers of fat get there by gaining considerable weight in general AND can be attacked by losing that same weight or by the procedure known as liposuction.

The meso- or middle layer, however, can be very tenacious. Unsightly fat pads can remain in this layer even after you have lost considerable amounts of weight overall. In the thigh and buttocks of women, for example, this is often called "cellulite."

Why is this meso-layer of fat so difficult to get rid of?

Everyone has areas like this: commonly men will complain of "love handles" and women of areas under bra straps in back or the fore-mentioned cellulite. The reason this meso-layer is so difficult to get rid of by exercise or caloric restriction and diet changes is that it is sequestered in place by stands of connective tissue. This is what gives cellulite that "puckered" appearance, where the strands of connective tissue connect to top of skin and pull down.

How does Mesotherapy work?

Mesotherapy is often called fat dissolve for a good reason, it allows your body to naturally dissolve the fat tissue ordinarily "captured" and protected in the meso-layer inside strands of connective tissue. Mesotherapy involves a doctor injecting a combination of natural chemicals into this fatty area to allow lipolysis, but it is done with a variety of medicines and by a variety of techniques. The most commonly used material is phosphatidylcholine, a fat-emulsifier already found in the human body. This is stabilized in solution by another compound, deoxycholate. It is not uncommon also to add nutrient substances such as caritine.

One problem with evaluating mesotherapy is that there is NO standard formulation as to what substances to inject, however the most commonly used substance is phosphatidylcholine/doxycholate. Although these compounds are approved for use in humans in other clinical situations, it is important to realize that the FDA has NOT approved any of these (or ANY substance) for injection into fat to facilitate resolution of adipose. A number of plastic surgeons (conflicts of interest aside) have gone on the record against mesotherapy because of the non-standardized nature of its use and use of medicines for non-FDA-approved treatments. (Physicians can use medicines in ways not specifically approved by FDA, and in fact this practice is quite common. However, the patient nevertheless needs to be aware of this).

The cost vaires from doctor to doctor but each treatment should be anywhere from 300-600$US, and, depending on size of the fatty area of concern and can take from 4-10 treatments before full results are seen.

References from lay literature

From Houston AM TV Show: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEWXVaxq9UY Article from US NEWS & WORLD REPORT: http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/030310/10weight.htm