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What's being injected? Each
doctor that performs mesotherapy treatments can make
their own combination of drugs that will be used for
injection. The most commonly used drugs for mesotherapy
treatment of fat and cellulite are Aminophylline and
Procaine.
Aminophylline (also known as Theophylline):
FDA approved for asthma treatment, this drug promotes
fat breakdown and increases blood flow by dilating blood
vessels. (Ephedrine (Sudafed) and caffeine are related
to Aminophylline and can theoretically increase side
effects. Check with your doctor for his or her recommendations.)
Procaine: An anesthetic (numbing
medication) that is believed to increase local circulation.
Isoproteranol: FDA approved for
some heart conditions such as low blood pressure and
heart block, this drug stimulates insulin release which
helps to break down fat cells.
Vitamin C: when injected, thought
to improve skin tone and texture
Phosphatidyl-choline: not FDA approved,
but used orally as a dietary supplement. When injected,
can cause nausea, diarrhea, and other side effects.
Herbal/ Homeopathic:
Melilotus (sweet clover) improves circulation and reduces
pain, similar to Procaine
Thiomucase - works like a diuretic to increase water
loss from the cells
The Treatment: The number of injections per treatment
session depends on the size of the area that is being
treated, but can range from twenty to several hundred.
Typically, for cellulite and fat treatments, an injection
is made once per inch of surface area. A mechanical
injection gun designed for mesotherapy treatments is
often used that holds the combination of mesotherapy
drugs in a syringe and automatically fires through a
4mm to 6mm, 30 gauge needle in rapid succession, administering
a consistent dose with each injection. For most patients,
the injections typically are tolerable (one of the ingredients
that are injected with mesotherapy is an anesthetic
which will cause some temporary decrease in sensation)
but a topical anesthetic cream or oral pain medication
may be used for increased comfort during mesotherapy
injections.
For fat and cellulite treatment,
mesotherapy injections are performed once or sometimes
twice a week, typically for about 2 to 4 months. In
addition to a healthy diet and exercise program, some
doctors also advise an additional mesotherapy treatment
every 6 to 12 months to maintain the results, while
others claim that the results are permanent.
Risks and Side Effects: The
most common side effect of mesotherapy is bruising,
which usually clears within a week. The risk of bruising
can be minimized by avoiding preparations that promote
bleeding for a week before treatment, such as vitamin
E, aspirin, motrin, advil, alcohol, and many herbal
medications.
More serious yet rare complications
include infection, reaction to medication, bleeding,
and kidney problems.
Contraindications: Mesotherapy
treatments should not be performed if you are pregnant
or trying to become pregnant, breast-feeding, diabetic,
have a history of stroke, blood clots, cancer, heart
disease, or bleeding disorders.
Cost: In the U.S., each treatment
can cost $200 to $600, depending on the size of the
area being treated. This can add up to several thousand
dollars over the course of treatment.
Warning: Although many
of the drugs injected for mesotherapy treatments are
FDA approved, there have been no scientific studies
to test their safety in these combinations. In addition,
there are no peer-reviewed clinical publications that
document the safety and efficacy of mesotherapy for
cellulite and fat reduction. Since the fat does indeed
seem to be broken down, there is a concern about whether
the fat is then being absorbed into the bloodstream
and then deposited in the arteries (which can lead to
heart disease), or whether it is actually being eliminated
from the body (through the kidneys).
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