The Essentials of Mesotherapy: Benefits, Processes, and Expectations
Do you have more fat than you’d like on your thighs, buttocks, or stomach?
Or anywhere else on your body, for that matter?
You might be a candidate for mesotherapy, a fat-burning procedure developed more than 70 years ago by Michael Pistor.
Mesotherapy is a minimally invasive procedure that requires only local anesthesia and has a relatively quick recovery time. If you’re looking for a potentially game-changing way to burn fat and keep it away, here’s what you should know.
What Is Mesotherapy?
Mesotherapy is a medical procedure that uses small-gauge needles to deliver minute doses of biocompatible materials like:
- Vitamins and minerals
- Plant extracts
- Naturally occurring enzymes
- Natural and bioidentical hormones
- Hyaluronic acid
Michael Pistor originally developed mesotherapy to treat pain that didn’t respond well to topical or internal analgesics. Today, the technique is used in a range of medical and cosmetic treatments:
- Weight loss
- Hair loss restoration, specifically for alopecia sufferers
- Skin rejuvenation, including wrinkle reduction
- Cellulite reduction
- Body contouring
- Skin lightening
How Mesotherapy Works
Mesotherapy treatment is an outpatient procedure. The typical sequence of events is:
- A pretreatment consultation to determine patient suitability and develop a treatment plan
- On the day of treatment, application of a local anesthetic to numb the injection site
- Placement of a small-gauge needle at a depth of one to four millimeters, depending on the treatment
- Delivery of material into the sub-skin, often involving several injections in rapid succession
- For treatments involving multiple injection site, repositioning of the needle between each application
- Depending on the treatment plan, follow-up sessions every week to two weeks for a period determined by the provider
Mesotherapy Results
Mesotherapy results vary, but tend to show up after the first or second treatment session. For weight loss or body contouring treatments, you should notice a shrinking of the targeted fat layer as fat cells dissolve over a period of days to weeks.
What Does Mesotherapy Cost?
Mesotherapy is more affordable than traditional surgery. It may also cost less than other minimally invasive cosmetic treatments, such as dermal filler injections. Like other elective procedures, it’s usually not covered by health insurance.
Depending on the provider and the condition being treated, expect to pay $300 to $700 per session. Remember that several sessions may be required to achieve the desired results.
What to Expect From Mesotherapy Treatment
Mesotherapy is generally well-tolerated, but certain types of mesotherapy treatment can have side effects. Some patients are allergic to specific compounds used during treatment; in other cases, they react to the needle itself. Fortunately, mesotherapy side effects tend to be mild and temporary.
Note that while mesotherapy itself hasn’t received FDA approval for any specific indications, many of the compounds used in mesotherapy treatment have. Others are generally regarded as safe when used as indicated.
Still, it’s a best practice to work solely with board-certified professionals — such as members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons — who’ve completed an accredited mesotherapy training course. Never try to self-administer any mesotherapy treatments.
