Chicago Plastic Surgeon

For some time, there has been an interest in the use of injections to “melt fat”. These techniques generally fall under the category of procedures called Mesotherapy.

As an aside, mesotherapy literally translates “treat the middle.” The Greek word “mesos” is interpreted as “middle” in contrast to ecto (outside) or endo- (inside) and refers to the developmental origin of body parts. Our fat is formed from the fetal mesoderm. Muscle and bone are also considered mesodermal tissues.

Mesotherapy has shown an meteoric rise as people become more interested in less invasive procedures to achieve their beauty goals. While popular in South America and France for many years, mesotherapy only recently received attention in America. The American Society for Aesthetic Surgery (ASAPS) Cosmetic Surgery National Data Bank 2006 Statistics recorded nearly 28,000 mesotherapy procedures up nearly six fold from 2005. This compares to over 400,000 liposuction procedures performed during the same period by the Board Certified Plastic Surgeons surveyed in this report.

The risks and benefits of current liposuction techniques are well known. However, in an attempt to more clearly understand the risks of Mesotherapy procedures, the research division of ASAPs known as the Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF) will initiate a clinical trial to investigate the safety and efficacy of one of the more popular injection lipolysis (“fat-melting” literally fat breaking) treatments. Many agents, either alone or in special formulated blends, have been utilized to breakdown fat; the most common commercial product is called “Lipodissolve”. There are no widely accepted standardized injection protocols or regimens. Those that exist have not been scientifically validated

In the meantime, it is our society’s recommendation to proceed with caution. “As the leading educational and research organization in cosmetic plastic surgery, ASAPS encourages open-mindedness in regard to new treatment modalities, but also urges caution.” Patients who choose to undergo mesotherapy must first understand that they are assuming the unknown consequences and long-term effects of an unproven treatment that lacks adequate validation of safety and clinical effectiveness," says Dr. Fodor. "Today, the only proven method for eliminating unwanted fat cells is lipoplasty, a procedure that has a long and successful track record for both safety and effectiveness."
In my own personal experience, I have seen at least 3 patients who have undergone the procedure here and in France without seeing any significant benefits and who have elected to proceed with liposuction. Based on my personal experience, I have advised patients to avoid mesotherapy for now.

If you are interested in your cosmetic surgery options in Chicago and the surrounding areas of Illinois, Northwest Indiana and Wisconsin, please call or email to schedule your initial consultation with Cosmetic Surgeon Otto J. Placik, M.D.

Labels: Fat melt, Lipodissolve, Lipolysis, Mesotherapy