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I was hoping that this fad's fifteen minutes of fame had come and gone, but unfortunately, it is still rearing its ugly head as I skim through one of the area's supposed "high-end" magazines. I noticed that many local spa and salons are offering this procedure, often referring to it as "mesotherapy," "thin-injection," or "lipo-dissolve." Ever wonder why these procedures are only done out of spas and salons instead of the offices of legitimate physicians? Ever wonder why these procedures are never done by real plastic surgeons or even dermatologists?
Essentially, mesotherapy involves a series of injections that contain various ingredients (depending on who is doing the injecting) for body contouring by reducing or "melting" fat. A common agent that is used is lecithin or phosphatidylcholine, naturally found in human bile to help the digestion of dietary fat. The use of this medication for injection into the fatty layers underneath the skin is NOT approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Although this form of "therapy" has been performed in Europe and South America for many years, there have been no legitimate scientific studies to substantiate its claims. We do not know how it works, despite many conjectures, nor do we know whether it's safe. What happens to the fat when it's dissolved? Does it go to the heart? Does it cause liver problems? I have spoken to a few spa and salon owners who have had the injections performed on themselves. They report not only dissatisfaction with the results, but also experiencing immediate flu-like symptoms. You don't have to have a medical degree to know that this can't be a good thing.
What is more disturbing is the way in which supposed medical personnel can learn how to perform this procedure. By performing a search of "mesotherapy" on the internet, you will find various "weekend" courses on how to perform the injections. Proponents of this type of practice argue that plastic surgeons are concerned only because it's an alternative to liposuction. The truth lies in the fact that legitimate plastic surgeons in this country are held to standards of patient safety and ethics that prevent them from engaging in treatments that have had no prior institutional review board approval where clinical trials have been performed in approved settings. Liposuction has a long-standing proven track record of safety and efficacy when it is performed in the hands of properly trained plastic surgeons. There is a mountain of published studies and literature that substantiate its use as a primary treatment modality in body contouring.
Although it is inconceivable to me that any patient would consider letting someone inject them with an unknown and unproven substance, I realize that the public is always searching for antiaging and body-shaping methods that are fast and simple. As physicians, we took an oath to first and foremost "do no harm." What is more inconceivable is how any physician would provide such a treatment.