The Center for Disease Prevention & Reversal Blog

Mesotherapy is not well known or frequently practiced in the states. However, it is a popular procedure in Europe where aesthetic medicine is a medical specialty. And, it is popular in my Chicago area office.

Typically mesotherapy is performed with small needles attached to a syringe in order to inject growth factors and vitamins just under the top layer of skin. This is performed to either enhance the collagen growth, reduce wrinkles or lighten dark spots.

Needleless machines which use a microcurrent to pulse the product under the skin have become popular as have meso guns and dermal rollers. The products that are used to encourage dermal growth and reduction of wrinkles have grown into a large list based upon ongoing research in skin repair and clinical outcomes.

Very fine needles are used as a method of getting product into the skin, but needles also stimulate the growth and repair cycle of skin as well as encourage tightening. Needleless machines use a current to open micropores in the skin in order to achieve similar results.

One of the benefits of mesotherapy on the face and neck, is a reduction in fine lines and an increase in the glow of the skin. The fibroblasts or cells responsible for the growth of collagen, become bathed in vitamins, minerals and growth factors. Micro trauma promotes new collagen growth even on its' own.

The mesotherapy technique can be used for cellulite reduction very effectively by using collagenase, a naturally occuring enzyme. The collagenase is injected into the abnormal collagen fibers that trap the fat cells, creating a smoother surface.

This technique can also be used for pain management by injecting lidocaine or traumheel or even just sterile saline as the needling itself often breaks an abnormal pain cycle.

There are two types of abdominal fat; visceral and subcutaneous.

While many studies cite the dangers of visceral fat because of it's association with heart disease and diabetes type two, subcutaneous fat can also pose some dangers.

All fat cells have the capability to transform cholesterol into hormones, particularly estrogen, and large amounts of subcutaneous fat can translate in to excessive estrogen.

Many patients visit my Chicago area office for lipodissolve but this can only eliminate subcutaneous fat. If they have visceral fat which is never good, I recommend dietary changes and either conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), or DHEA.

The studies on both of these supplements are very promising in reducing fat and increasing lean body mass.

The November 10 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study on the effects of DHEA on visceral and subcutaneous fat.

The study included the non-control group of elderly subjects taking 50mg per day of DHEA for six months.

The conclusion was that DHEA supplementation significantly reduced not only visceral fat, but subcutaneous fat as well. And, previous studies have shown an increase in bone density in subjects taking DHEA.

CLA has been studied and is associated with an increase in lean body mass and decrease in visceral fat. However, the studies were not as impressive as with DHEA. Non the less, many weight trainers body sculptors swear by CLA.

Lipodissolve is only good for someone with a medium to lean body weight who has stubborn fatty tissue in spot areas, like a mushy lower abdomen (women) and love handles (men and women).