Mesotherapy Melts Fat? Not so Fast, Says the American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Mesotherapy is a procedure that sounds like the answer to every dieter's fervent, hungry prayers. Instead of starving, or racing to the gym five times a week and working out until you feel the burn, or undergoing risky liposuction, mesotherapy claims to effectively melt fat away with injections. This is also referred to as lipodissolve, or injection lipolysis.

According to www.Mesotherapy.com, mesotherapy was pioneered by a French physician in 1952 and was introduced to the United States in the late 1990s by Dr. Lionel Bissoon. Mesotherapy targets areas of fat or cellulite with micro-injections of amino acids, homeopathic medicines, minerals and amino acids, delivered to the "mesoderm" - middle layer of skin, according to www.mesotherapy.com.

But is mesotherapy safe? And does it work?

The American Society of Plastic Surgery said in a Technology Brief printed recently on their website, that there is currently a lack of clinical research in the United States into both the safety and efficiency of mesotherapy.

However, they note that the Food and Drug Administration is conducting a clinical study to determine the effectiveness of this fat-dissolving technology.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery, mesotherapy is not currently an FDA-approved procedure.

In their technology brief, they say that some unanswered questions include what happens to fat cells once they are treated, and how mesotherapy treatment affects other parts of the anatomy. They say that some known complications that can occur in patients who have undergone mesotherapy are allergic reactions, scarring, and skin infection.

They also note that there is not currently a standardized injection mixture or method of treatment yet established in this country.

So, the jury on the safety and efficiency of mesotherapy is still out. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is not saying that Mesotherapy doesn't work; they are saying we don't know yet, and the area needs more study.