Abdala Kalil, M.D., of the Vitality Institute in Miami Beach, Fla., president of the American Society of Aesthetics and Mesotherapy (ASAM) and vice chairman of the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine (AAAM), says he knows perfectly well why mesotherapy is getting so much attention.
"If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is ... and it may be dangerous as well," he says. The general concern of ASAPS is that mesotherapy is an unregulated and largely untested treatment. It needs more controlled scientific and clinical research before getting the thumbs-up.
He offers the argument, "If there were no success with mesotherapy, people would not come to learn." The ASAM Web site describes mesotherapy as a "painless injection of vitamins, minerals, medications and amino acids placed just under the skin." "Mesotherapy" is the broad term referring to the practice of injecting medicine or other substances into the mesoderm at the problem site with the belief that the local network will distribute the substances to the areas where they are needed. The direct delivery method allows for smaller doses while delivering the same results. Its uses vary with the substance being injected, giving it a wide range of applications. French physician Dr. Michel Pistor developed the technique in 1952, and the method has been used in Europe since then. More aggressive form Dr. Kalil credits himself with revising the European form of mesotherapy into a more aggressive form being used in the United States, because a 10- to 20-session regimen wouldn't work here, he says. "In the U.S., as they say, it's the culture of the drive-through. I mean, now we get married at the drive-through. You don't even have to get out of the car. So 10 to 20 sessions would never have caught on. Everybody wants to have quicker results and everyone wants to have fewer sessions." Today, 80 percent of mesotherapy's use in Europe is for medical conditions; 20 percent, for aesthetic purposes. |
