What is Mesotherapy?
Mesotherapy or intradermotherapy is a medical procedure that refers to minimally invasive techniques which consist of the use of injections containing liquid mixture of compounds (pharmaceutical and homeopathic medications, plant extracts, vitamins, hormones and other ingredients) given directly into the region to be treated either intradermaly or subcutaneously. It is being used to treat vast number of local medical and cosmetic conditions.
Many dermatologist are using it for various skin conditions and are finding it effective without any significant side effects provided that it is done by a well trained and expert person. But there is need for further research and well-designed controlled scientific.
Where it is used?
It was originally invented for pain relief which was a serendipitous discovery. However, its cosmetic applications including fat and cellulite removal, facial rejuvenation and treatment of hair loss have received attention recently. Various dermatological and medical conditions claimed to benefit using mesotherapy are as follows
Dermatological conditions-
Cellulite, local fat deposits and body sculpting, acne, alopecia, weight loss, telengectasias, facial rejuvenation, skin tightening, stretch marks, pigmentation like melasma, eczema etc.
Medical conditions-
Arthritis, asthma, lower backache, headache, sport injuries, gout, peripheral vascular diseases, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, herpetic neuralgia, tinnitus and vertigo etc.
Mesotherapy for skin rejuvenation and hair loss- is it effective?
Presently mesotherapy is being used more commonly for skin and hair rejuvenation by dermatologists.
Mesotherapy using multivitamin injections as an anti-aging skin treatment has been touted and used by many medical and nonmedical practitioners.
There are few studies showing its benefit in skin rejuvenation. Patients may experience temporary redness, pinpoint bleeding, and pain despite topical anesthesia.
Regarding its use in hair loss, currently there is no data on its safety and efficacy that has been adequately and critically evaluated and documented in proper, peer-reviewed clinical trials. However if done by a trained person, who can judge the type of hair loss, its severity and with other additional treatments as needed for a individual patient then mesotherapy is one of the promising upcoming treatment for hair loss and its use for the same needs to be explored further with better scientific studies. Further, mesotherapy is not entirely a safe technique as publicized in lay media and can give rise to complications if not done by a properly trained and qualified person with proper aseptic precautions.
What are the side effects of mesotherapy?
Side effects can be local or systemic.
Local side effects-
Bruising and edema, skin necrosis, local infections like atypical mycobacterial infections, atrophy and lipodystrophy, nodularity and irregularity after lipolysis, facial and scalp ulcers and scarring, allergic reactions due to various chemicals
drug eruptions, pigmentation, inflammation of fat and alopecia etc. Except for few, majority are preventable with proper technique and aseptic precautions.
Systemic side effects-
Allergic reactions, Vagal syndromes, fainting, liver toxicity and demyelination of nerves due to large doses of fat dissolving substances like phosphatidylcholine. These are very rare and seen in only few patients.
How long results stay?
Most of the results obtained with mesotherapy require maintenance therapy. There is no any scientific data about longevity of results obtained and it is difficult to state how long the results obtained will stay or are they permanent. But the need for mesotherapy injections is definitely reduced after the appropriate results are obtained. So less frequent treatents may be sufficient to maintain the baseline result obtained.
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