Mesotherapy For The Face – Benefits, Procedure, And Side Effects

Forget about facials and other skin rejuvenation treatments. If you want that lit-from-within glow, try mesotherapy for the face. This aesthetic and beauty procedure is all about injecting amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, and other skin-nourishing ingredients to rejuvenate your skin and make it appear bright, healthy, and youthful. This procedure claims to work wonders for your face and is considered safe. If you haven’t heard of it before, scroll down to learn more about mesotherapy, its benefits, and the procedure.

Mesotherapy For Face: What Is It?

This is a procedure in which the doctor uses injections with very fine needles to deliver enzymes, hormones, and vitamins to your skin to tighten and rejuvenate it. This procedure was first invented in France by Dr. Michel Pistor to help relieve pain caused by medical conditions. However, later, it was used in cosmetic dermatology for fat removal (often as an alternative to liposuction).

The term “meso” means middle. This therapy is called mesotherapy because fine needles are used to deliver injections to the middle layer of your skin. The whole idea of this therapy was to treat the underlying issues, such as inflammation and poor circulation, that cause skin damage (1).

Mesotherapy is often used for addressing a wide range of skin issues like:

• Pigmentation
• Skin tightening
• Celluliteⁱ  XFat deposits beneath the skin that appear as lumpy, dimpled flesh on the thighs, hips, buttocks, and stomach. reduction for fine lines and wrinkles
• Fat removal from the face, arms, thighs, stomach, hips, and legs
• Alopecia

There are multiple benefits to this procedure.

What Are The Benefits Of Mesotherapy?

1. Your Skin Gets A High Concentrate Of Vitamins And Other Ingredients

The high concentration of serums, vitamins, and other nutritious blends of potent ingredients makes your skin feel refreshed and rejuvenated. When done correctly, mesotherapy ensures that the products are delivered to your skin properly.

2. It Can Be An Alternative To Expensive Surgeries

It can be a part of your anti-aging skincare routine and is less invasive than other procedures and plastic surgeries. You do not need to go under the knife to look better. Concentrated serums, such as hyaluronic acid can also be delivered to your skin using needles, so that you get natural-looking, healthy skin. Also, there is no downtime.

3. It Can Address Multiple Skin Needs

Whether you are looking for an anti-aging solution or want to boost the radiance of your skin, you will get customized ingredients for your skin. It also improves collagen production and makes the skin look younger. The skin gets an energy boost, and you can see visible results right after the first session.

Patrica Issa, a blogger, shared her experience of going through a mesotherapy session and how it benefited her skin. She writes, “From the first session I felt some ‘je ne sais quoi’ effect, like a bit of an overall improvement covering the following areas: skin evenness, filler effect over all the fine lines, radiance, and glow (i).”

4. It Brightens Your Skin

Depending on the ingredients, mesotherapy can address skin issues, such as age spots, pigmentation, and melasma. It can brighten up your face and even out your skin tone.

5. It Keeps Your Skin Hydrated

Mesotherapy can also help in boosting the skin’s moisture content and make it appear plump, firm, and healthy.

Mesotherapy is not a complicated process. However, you need to go for an initial consultation with your dermatologist and discuss your concerns. He/she is the best person to understand the needs of your skin and the type of ingredients it might need.

Quick Tip

Mesotherapy is not suitable for people using blood thinners and those receiving diabetes treatment or on cardiac drugs (3).

What to Expect During The Procedure

You have to stop using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and aspirin (in case you are using any of them) for a week before the facial procedure because they might increase your risk of bruising and bleeding.

During The Treatment

• The doctor might apply a topical anesthetic on the areas that are to be treated. This, however, depends on your pain tolerance levels.
• The doctor uses a microneedle to inject the ingredients into the target area. You will receive a series of injections.
• The injections are delivered at different depths of around 1 to 4 millimeters into your skin. This, again, depends on the skin issue you have.

Depending on the skin issue, its intensity, and the effects, you might need several mesotherapy sessions. The doctor can tell you exactly how many sessions per week you might need to get the desired results.

Quick Tip

Do not apply any pressure to the injection spot and avoid touching that area to prevent any infection.

A mesotherapy session can leave your skin vulnerable. A special aftercare regime following your sessions is paramount.

Mesotherapy Aftercare Tips

Follow these tips to care for your skin post-mesotherapy:

1. Avoid scratching, picking, or exfoliating your treated skin. You may start gentle exfoliation 4-5 days after the session.
2. Avoid applying makeup and serums, creams, or lotions with irritants or active skin care ingredients and other abrasive products for 1-2 weeks on the treated areas.
3. Use only lukewarm water while washing, bathing, or swimming. Pat dry using a soft, microfiber towel.
4. Wait 8-12 hours after the treatment and then use a soothing cleanser with clean hands to wash your face.
5. Use hyaluronic acid to restore the moisture balance of the skin.
6. Use a dermatologist-recommended aftercare cream for healthy recovery.
7. Avoid sun exposure for at least 2 weeks. Cover the area and use SPF 50+ if you must go out.

There haven’t been enough studies on mesotherapy and its effects, but every cosmetic therapy comes with its share of undesirable effects. And mesotherapy is no exception.

Side Effects And Risks Involved In Mesotherapy

Some of the common side effects include (1):

• Edema (swelling caused by injury or inflammation)
• Erythema (redness of the skin)
• Itching
• Mild pain (on the treated area)
• Skin hyperesthesia (increase in skin sensitivity)
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Tender subcutaneous nodules in the treated area
• Pigmentation issues
• Hypersensitive skin reactions (rashes etc.)

You might even develop allergic reactions to some medicines and ingredients that are used in mesotherapy. Hence, it is crucial to find out whether you are allergic to the ingredients or not.

Adverse effects of the procedure were also reported due to:

• Faulty techniques that cause scarring and infection
• A poor aseptic procedure that may also transmit skin and other infections (1)

This procedure is not FDA approved, and even the guidelines of The American Society for Plastic Surgeons do not recommend mesotherapy for fat removal. According to them, there is very limited scientific research available on using mesotherapy for fat removal (2).

Infographic: 4 Major Benefits Of Mesotherapy

Mesotherapy is a minimally-invasive treatment that can help your skin achieve the radiance you always wanted. While there are several advantages of choosing mesotherapy over other treatments, we focus on its 4 major benefits for your skin. Check out the infographic below to know more!

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Get the high-quality PDF version of this infographic.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How often should mesotherapy be done?

The number of times you should get a mesotherapy depends on your skin issue and desired result. Usually, you may have to do it more than 4 times to get the desired results.

Is mesotherapy the same as Botox?

No, they are not the same. Botoxⁱ  XA medication that is injected into the muscles to reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles, crow's feet, or forehead wrinkles. is injected into the muscle layer, whereas the ingredients are injected into the skin in mesotherapy.

How long does mesotherapy treatment last?

The results may last up to years if you follow a healthy lifestyle and undergo maintenance sessions every 5 months.

Which is better – microneedlingⁱ  XA minimally invasive procedure that uses thin needles to treat skin issues like wrinkles, burns, enlarged pores, and acne scars. or mesotherapy?

While mesotherapy makes the skin healthy, microneedling is a more effective and safe method to improve the skin’s appearance.

Is mesotherapy a filler?

No, mesotherapy is not a filler. It cannot restore the lost volume of the skin.

Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team

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Dr. Vindhya L VeerulaMD, FAAD

   

Dr. Veerula (Dr. V) is a diplomate of the American Board of Dermatology, a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and American Society of Dermatologic Surgeons. She is an energetic, proactive, and compassionate medical practitioner with 5 years of experience and a thorough understanding of overall mind-body-spiritual wellness. Dr.V is on a mission to inspire and teach people to...more

Ramona SinhaEditor

 

Ramona is an editor at StyleCraze with 11 years of experience in writing and editing. She has authored over 200 articles on skin and hair care. She graduated from the University of Calcutta, West Bengal, and did her post-graduation from the University of Kalyani, West Bengal. She also did a certificate course in dermatology offered by the Novosibirsk State University...more

Anjali SayeeAssociate Editor

Anjali is an associate editor at StyleCraze. She specializes in hairstyles and hair and skin care and has written over 200 articles in these domains. She has 7 years of experience, and her philosophy about hair and skin care is simple: if you love and care for it, it will be healthy. She has taken it upon herself to show...more

Shiboli ChakrabortiCommerce Editor

Shiboli has a master’s degree in English literature from The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, and is a certified skincare coach with four years of experience. As a commerce editor, she guides her team members on the best practices to create crisp and authentic content. She loves reviewing skin care and hair care products and constantly endeavors to provide...more