What is mesotherapy?

Mesotherapy is a technique that uses injections of vitamins, enzymes, hormones, and plant extracts to rejuvenate and tighten skin, as well as remove excess fat.

Today, mesotherapy is used to:

• Remove fat in areas like the stomach, thighs, buttocks, hips, legs, arms, and face
• Reduce cellulite
• Fade wrinkles and lines
• Tighten loose skin
• Recontour the body
• lighten pigmented skin
• Treat alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.

The technique uses very fine needles to deliver a series of injections into the middle layer (mesoderm) of skin. The idea behind mesotherapy is that it corrects underlying issues like poor circulation and inflammation that cause skin damage.

There isn’t a standard formula for the substances injected in mesotherapy. Doctors use many different solutions, including:

• Prescription medicines like vasodilators and antibiotics
• Hormones such as calcitonin and thyroxin
• Enzymes like collagenase and hyaluronidase
• Herbal extracts
• Vitamins and minerals

How do you prepare?

You’ll meet with the doctor ahead of time to find out what to expect. You might have to avoid aspirin (Bufferin) and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for one week before the procedure. These pain relievers can increase your risk of bleeding and bruising during mesotherapy.

What happens during your appointment?

During each session, you may or may not have numbing medicine applied to your skin. You’ll get a series of injections using a special short needle. The needle may be attached to a mechanical gun to deliver many injections

The injections can be given at different depths — from 1 to 4 millimeters into your skin — depending on what condition you’re having treated. Your doctor may place the needle into your skin at an angle, or flick their wrist very quickly while injecting. Each injection may only place a tiny drop of the solution into your skin.

You’ll probably need several mesotherapy sessions to get the desired effect. You should expect to return to the doctor between 3 to 15 times. At first, you’ll get the injections every 7 to 10 days. If your skin starts to improve, the treatments will be stretched out to once every two weeks or once a month.

Side effects that have been reported include:

• Nausea
• Pain
• Sensitivity
• Swelling
• itching
• Redness
• Bruising
• Rash
• Infection
• Scars

What is the recovery like?

Because mesotherapy is noninvasive, there usually isn’t any downtime. Many people are able to return to their regular activities right away. Others may need to take a day off due to swelling and pain at the injection sites.