Mesotherapy as a Cellulite Treatment Option
Mesotherapy, a minimally invasive cellulite treatment offered by many Med Spas, is designed to help clients with cellulite reduction or even cellulite removal. Mesotherapy involves the micro-injection of condition-specific medications into the middle layer of skin, or mesoderm, to treat the condition. The treatment was developed in France in 1952 and has been used across Europe since then, but it has only recently been introduced in the United States.

While cellulite primarily affects women — in fact, up to 95% of women will develop some form of cellulite, according to various studies — men are not immune from the condition. Indeed, a form of cellulite that occurs on the front thighs seems to be present in men and women in equal proportions. However, because mesotherapy is a fairly recent course of treatment, it's not covered by health insurance policies. All the same, due to overwhelming interest in cellulite reduction treatments, it's becoming more and more popular in the U.S.

How Mesotherapy Works
Because mesotherapy involves injecting condition-specific medications into the layers of fat and connective tissue under a client's skin, the client must first undergo an examination by a physician to diagnose the condition causing the cellulite as well as any impaired circulation and weakening of connective tissue. The physician will also identify and map out the area that will receive the injections. This is an important step, because when a person lies down on the treatment table, his or her cellulite virtually vanishes from sight, making it difficult to determine the treatment area. Once the target area has been identified, the doctor prepares a mixture of ingredients to treat the diagnosed condition. The ingredients can range from antibiotics and medications that help open blood vessels to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, hormones, nutrients, enzymes and more. The ultimate goal of the mix of ingredients is to promote cellulite reduction by stimulating fat cells to shed fat.

After the ingredients have been mixed and the injection sites cleansed, the doctor will prepare a short (4 to 6 mm, depending on skin color), thin needle and begin injecting the mixture into the client's mesoderm. By foregoing oral ingestion or injection of medications into the bloodstream, mesotherapy delivers the medications directly to the body area(s) needing treatment. In doing so, it can eliminate certain side effects and common intolerance factors to the medications, such as dosage and the body's natural mechanisms for breaking down and excreting medications.

Most sessions are completed within 30 minutes, but the length can vary, depending on the size and number of the treatment area(s). In most cases, the area being treated will receive multiple injections to ensure both complete coverage and a uniform final result.

The best candidates for mesotherapy are individuals of any age who are in good physical health and have no major medical problems such as type 1 diabetes, heart disease, severe hypertension, hemophilia or any other debilitating condition. Individuals who are taking blood thinners and/or who are allergic to any of the injected ingredients should not undergo mesotherapy, nor should people who have been diagnosed as clinically overweight or obese.

To ensure the best and safest results, mesotherapy should be performed in a sterilized medical facility by a board-certified physician who has been trained in mesotherapy. Before the procedure, the client and the physician should determine realistic goals for the procedure, and the client should share his or her complete medical history with the physician before mesotherapy is prescribed.

Because it requires injections into the skin, mesotherapy can be uncomfortable, but the physician can apply topical creams and/or oral pain medications to decrease the discomfort. If needed, additional anesthetic agents such as nitrous oxide can be provided. Clients can experience swelling immediately after the treatment, but that usually subsides within a day or two.

Clients can usually go back to their normal schedules right after each treatment. Most clients require a series of up to 10 sessions to achieve the desired results. While some individuals may require follow-up sessions every 6 to 12 months, most can maintain their results simply by following a regimen of proper diet and exercise.