Articles

Body Sculpting with Mesotherapy

By By Pete Hueseman, R. Ph.

Mesotherapy, a cutting edge treatment using micro-injections of conventional and/or homeopathic medications under the surface of the skin into the mesoderm, was first pioneered in France in 1952 by Michelle Pistor. Since introduced, it has gained widespread acceptance outside of the United States, but in the last two years is being used and accepted here. Currently, mesotherapy is used to treat a wide variety of conditions including pain, alopecia, bone and joint disorders, cellulite, and lipodystrophy. Mesotherapy involves a series of painless injections of nutritional supplements, homeopathic remedies, and vasoactive agents into the dermis over the area to be treated. Mesoplasty refers to the implementation of mesotherapy by a qualified plastic surgeon. Despite its growing popularity, there is only a small amount of data available on the optimal technique and treatment regimen.

The majority of use is in Europe and South America. About 60,000 mesotherapy treatments are given in France each year. The principle of its use is to place a few drops, (1/200th to 1/400th of the traditional dose of the same medication) the right place, over the targeted area that equals or exceeds the clinical benefit of larger doses of systemic medications. It is used fundamentally, in the medical setting to provide a localized treatment with the benefit of avoiding systemic effects and interactions.

Advantages of mesotherapy include:
--Avoids systemic effects
--Avoids drug interactions
--Reduces possibility and/or severity of allergic reactions.
--Quick onset of action
--Greater action potential

Disadvantages of mesotherapy:
--No insurance reimbursement
--Somewhat invasive
--May cause temporary bruising
--Possible local reactions

The clinical successes of this technique, have lured consumers to put a demand on the medical community in the U. S. to learn this new field of Aesthetics. It is now very popular for fat and cellulite reduction, body sculpting and contouring, and skin rejuvenation. The most common areas treated are the abdomen, hips, thighs, arms, face, neck, fat pads under the eyes, and sports related injuries. Some of the sports injuries successfully treated with mesotherapy include tennis elbow, muscle contractions leading to backache, shin splints, and muscle bruising.

At the leading edge of therapy for men, ASAM’s Abdala Kalil, MD recently introduced MesoBoost™, a safe and painless mesotherapy treatment that allows men to instantly boost their penis size and self esteem without ever undergoing the knife. "Most non-surgical male enhancement techniques are little more than smoke and mirrors. With MesoBoost the procedure is simple. I inject the solution around the patient’s groin, which in turn reduces the area’s fat pad. Once the fat pad shrinks, the shaft becomes more visible, thus giving the penis a significantly elongated appearance resulting in a 1 to 1 ½ inch gain in length. It’s safe, effective and the results speak for themselves," explains Dr. Kalil.

Common compounds employed for mesotherapy include, but are not limited to the following:
--Phosphatidylcholine
--Aminophylline
--L-Carnitine
--Yohimbine
--Isoproterenol
--Pentoxifylline
--Hyaluronic acid
--Hyaluronidase
--Tretinoin
--Glycolic acid
--Vitamins, Minerals, and Trace Elements
--Minoxidil
--Homeopathic agents.

Another area of mesotherapy, biomesotherapy offers an elegant solution to aesthetic improvements via the catalyzing effects of homotoxicology products. Homotoxicology is an alternative medicine practice whose belief is that diseases are due to toxins, generated by the body trying to heal itself. Homotoxicological products are designed to help the body eliminate these toxins and include diluted peptides from plants, venoms, suis organ products, and nosodes.

For more information on mesotherapy, please go to our homepage and click on Ask the Pharmacist button or call 1-800-728-0288.

Sources:
Magaziner, A., Greenberg, S., Mendez, J.C., Kalil, A., Nov. 2004. American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM), San Diego, CA.

Kalil, A., Fall 2004. American Society of Aesthetic Medicine (ASAM), Miami, FL.