What is mesotherapy lipodissolve?

One difficulty in making a rational evaluation about mesotherapy is that the procedure isn't uniform.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration regulates the ingredients that are being injected in lipodissolve as foods, but the F.D.A. has not approved them for being injected under the skin for fat reduction, which is what the lipodissolve procedure is.

Physicians are allowed, however, to prescribe medications for individual patients that pharmacists may legally make.

Corporations are being formed with the intention of making money on this new procedure. Will these injections become as profitable as Botox injections?

Different companies mix different combinations of soy lecithin (phosphatidlycholine), bile salt (sodium deoxycholate) and other substances for lipodissolve injections. Since these proprietary formulas differ, there's no standard one to evaluate.

Though state laws differ, it's not usually the case that physicians are required to administer the injections. In most (but not all) states, at least the injections are considered a medical procedure, which means that they must be given under a medical doctor's supervision.

Setting aside potential difficulties from these facts, is lipodissolve a proven treatment? No. In the U.S., physicians have only been able to learn how to do it since 2003.

There is no standard scientific evidence either that lipodissolve is safe or that lipodissolve is effective. It may be both safe and effective. However, it is too soon to tell if there are long-term mesotherapy side effects. 

Critics say mesotherapy offers slim chance

By Maria Puente, USA TODAY

Call it "hope in a needle." Mesotherapy, the latest fat-melting fad, is a half-century-old technique from France that involves hundreds of injections and is touted as an alternative to liposuction.

"It's more than hope in a bottle," says Marion Shapiro, a retired emergency room doctor in New York who has started a new career as a "mesotherapist," injecting people with a cocktail of plant extracts, vitamins and medications (such as a drug for treating asthma). The concoction is supposed to stimulate fat cells to shed fat.

"Our results are not surgical, there are fewer complications and less downtime, and that's why mesotherapy is going to become more popular than liposuction," Shapiro says.

It's called mesotherapy because the injections go under the skin and are absorbed by the mesodermal, or middle, layer. Then, you're supposed to shed weight the same way you do when you diet and exercise, excreting fat in waste. But you can still regain the weight.

Singer Roberta Flack is the most famous celebrity to endorse the procedure. She told ABC's 20/20 last year that she lost 40 pounds after a year of treatment, although she also dieted and exercised.

Mesotherapy was developed in France in 1952 and has long been popular with the European rich and famous. But it never caught on in the USA, where medical skepticism about its efficacy and safety is widespread. Among other concerns, some of the drugs involved are intended to treat something entirely different.

Flack's doctor, Lionel Bissoon, learned the specialty in France five years ago and is now the leading advocate here. He says the procedure can be used as a delivery system for more than fighting fat. "We can treat migraine headaches, back pain, constipation, sports-medicine injuries, arthritis."

But many dermatologists and plastic surgeons are alarmed about the growing profile of mesotherapy. "No one says exactly what they put into the (syringe)," says Naomi Lawrence, a derma-surgeon at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. "One drug they often use, phosphatidylcholin, is unpredictable and causes extreme inflammation and swelling where injected. It is not a benign drug."

Even Brazil, which is less strict than the USA in drug approvals, has banned the drug for these purposes.

If there were studies that proved to dermatologists that this procedure works, "we'd all be using it," she says. "If we had something that could (really) melt fat away, it'd be great."

But Bissoon cites a 1994-95 study on "topical fat reduction" by UCLA researchers that concluded women who had the injections did lose weight even without diet or exercise. Shapiro says 95% of the 1,000 patients she has treated in the past six months have responded to the therapy, and 85% are happy with the results.

"About 100 people a year die of liposuction," Bissoon says. "We have had no deaths, no strokes, no heart attacks. The biggest side effect is bruising."

Mesotherapy is not cheap: Each session costs an average of $500, and 10 to 15 sessions are recommended, for a total price tag similar to liposuction.

Who cannot have Mesotherapy?

People with the following conditions should not have cosmetic Mesotherapy:

- Pregnancy

- Insulin dependant diabetes

- History of stroke

- History of recent cancer

- History of blood clots

- Patients on multiple medications for heart disease.

Is Lipodissolve and Lipostabil the same as Mesotherapy?

Mesotherapy is the injection of vitamins and homeopathic medications into the mesoderm layer under the skin using a short 4 or 6 mm. meso needle. Lipodissolve (Lipostabil) uses a longer 13 mm. meso needle to inject phosphatidylcholine into the corporeal fat layer. Mesotherapy can be used in combination with Lipodissolve therapy in some cases with excellent results.

 

Phosphatidylcholine (PPC) is the main component of soy lecithin. One significant quaity of lecithin is its ability to break down fat. PPC is medically proven to reduce cholesterol, increase metabolism and enhance liver functons. PPC has been used by physicians for the past few years as a safe alternative for localized fat and cellulite reduction.

Who can have Mesotherapy?

All adults between the ages 18 to 75 and who are in good health can be candidates for cosmetic Mesotherapy, such as Mesotherapy for localized fat spot reduction, cellulite reduction and facial rejuvenation.

How does Mesotherapy rejuvenate the face?

Facial skin is rejuvenated by stimulating collagen and elastin production

How many treatments are needed?

Varies from patient to patient and depends on the area to be treated and the patient’s expectations. Typically from 5 to 15 treatments.

Lower Eyelid Fat Reduction

Mesotherapy for “Lower Eyelid Fat”, or “Eye Fat Pads” has proven successful for reduction of the fat or puffy area found under the eye and causing a constant tired look.

How does Mesotherapy reduce cellulite?

Cellulite is reduced by:

1. Dissolving excess of fat deposit
2. Improving blood flow to the area
3. Removing fibrotic, hardened connective tissue
4. Improving lymphatic drainage

Skin Rejuvenation (“MesoGlow”)

Mesotherapy for skin rejuvenation is a safe, natural approach to treatment of sun damaged or aging skin on the face and neck. Between sun damage and progressive collagen loss, the skin loses it plumpness and resiliency. The use of Mesotherapy for this use is also known as “MesoLift” or “MesoGlow”

The MesoGlow treatment infuses the dermis layer under the skin with anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals and aminoacids to nourish and rejuvenate. This will promote production of collagen and elastin and will stimulate the metabolism.

People who have had MesoGlow often describe their skin as firm, radiant, youthful and “glowing”. The MesoGlow is usually performed in an initial series of 2 to 4 treatments, spaced out one or two weeks apart. The results are maintained by touch-up treatments once or twice a year.

MesoGlow treatment is an excellent compliment to other skin treatments such as IPL PhotoFacial, PhotoRejuvenation or Botox®. In addition to daily sunscreen, a balanced diet, exercise, plenty of water and no smoking, MesoGlow is another anti-aging technique to help maintain a healthy glowing skin and protect it from the environmental contributors to aging skin.