Mesotherapy is a method in which mixtures of homeopathic agents, pharmaceutical agents, vitamins, plant extracts, minerals, amino acids and enzymes are injected into the middle layer of the skin using a micro-injection technique. The name combines the words "meso" (middle) and "therapy" (treatment) and means "treatment of the middle layer of the skin". The substances to be injected are chosen to suit the individual and the purpose.
Mesotherapy is applied using very fine, short needles. Because absorption of the medicines in mesotherapy is very low, passage of the medicine into the systemic circulation is almost negligible. The number of injections varies according to the patient, the condition and the anatomy of the area to be treated.
Mesotherapy is widely and successfully used, often for aesthetic purposes, particularly for cellulite and localised slimming, as well as for skin problems, skin rejuvenation, hair treatment, stretch marks, pigmentation, various skin diseases, keloid treatment, allergic diseases, preventing hair loss, joint diseases such as arthritis, neck and lumbar disc herniation, migraine, period pain, sports injuries, and some vascular diseases such as varicose veins, lymphoedema and phlebitis.
Why Mesotherapy?
With medicines taken by mouth or by intramuscular or intravenous injection, not all of the amount you take always reaches the target area, because part of the medicine is broken down and eliminated without being absorbed. The effect of the medicine therefore remains limited. In addition, because medicines taken systemically can spread throughout the body via the bloodstream, they will also affect our other organs and tissues, and unwanted side effects may occur. In mesotherapy, the medicines are delivered directly to the problem area through small micro-injections. The problem is resolved without causing systemic side effects, and in this way maximum benefit is obtained from the treatment.
How Long Do Mesotherapy Sessions Last?
For hair mesotherapy, 6–10 sessions are recommended.
Who is mesotherapy not suitable for?
* Pregnant women
* People who have had a stroke
* People with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
* People with cancer
* People with blood clotting disorders
* Mesotherapy is not applied to people with heart disease requiring multiple-drug treatment.
Cellulite and Mesotherapy
Cellulite is a problem typical of women, and about 95% of women are known to complain of it. Although it is generally seen in all overweight women, it also occurs in most women regardless of weight. Mesotherapy has been used as an effective method in the treatment of cellulite for many years.
The hormone oestrogen is said to be the cause of cellulite. Since oestrogen is a hormone specific to women, it is not wrong to describe cellulite as a condition specific to women. Oestrogen increases insulin by promoting the storage of fat and sugar in the body. This hormone reaches its highest levels particularly during puberty, pregnancy and periods of contraceptive pill use. In the female body, the hips, abdomen, and lower and upper legs are suited to storing fat. Cellulite forms when the fat cells beneath the skin store more fat than necessary. The swollen cells create bulges outwards, and as a result the skin takes on an uneven, dimpled appearance.
The micro-injections applied during mesotherapy stimulate the middle layer of the skin called the mesoderm and revitalise the circulation, thus blocking the mechanism of cellulite formation and helping to eliminate cellulite that has already formed.
How Is It Applied?
First, ultrasound (echography) is used to determine the thickness of the area with cellulite, the depth at which the mesotherapist doctor will work and the angles of entry into that area. Using special sterile 4 mm needles, active medicines are injected into the dermis at intervals of one centimetre. These medicines act directly on the area with cellulite via the capillary circulation. In this way they resolve the oedema in the tissues and correct the impaired lymph and blood circulation. The disrupted relationship between the fat cells and the circulation is re-established, and the fat stored in the fat cells starts to be mobilised again, broken down into sugar and fatty acids that can be used. With a low-calorie diet followed during mesotherapy, these fats are consumed by the body as energy. A diet without mesotherapy actually causes fat loss in the normal areas and makes local excesses more noticeable: fat tissue is lost from the upper parts of the body, such as the face and chest, while the fat tissue in the hips and legs does not change. With mesotherapy, because the person loses cellulite fat locally, they achieve the desired shape in a short time. When the treatment is finished, a final ultrasound is taken by the specialist doctor, thus demonstrating the treatment of cellulite with mesotherapy.
Local (Regional) Fat Deposits
Mesotherapy is an alternative treatment to liposuction for eliminating localised fat deposits on the abdomen, waist, arms and legs. It breaks down the fat tissue in the injection area.
Scar Treatment
A scar is the tissue repair that forms after a skin lesion. While the tissue repairs the damage, scar tissue may sometimes form depending on the reaction in that area. 5–6 sessions of mesotherapy can be given to these areas at three-week intervals.