Mesotherapy: Truly good or too good to be true?Mesotherapy: Truly good or too good to be true?

Abdala Kalil, M.D
Alongtime European procedure imported to the United States is fiercely gaining popularity in the aesthetic market, despite skepticism from some camps.

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.

Peter Fodor, M.D "Basically, anything that has to do with vanity is popular," he jokes. "That was an easy answer." In the spotlight For a procedure that's only been available in America for five years, however, Dr. Kalil says mesotherapy has won a prime place in the spotlight relatively quickly. Mesotherapy is promoted as a low-to-non-risk, noninvasive alternative to procedures such as liposuction, facelifts and cellulite management, with a virtual lack of downtime that would appeal to consumers in search of the quicker fix.

In a prepared statement, Peter Fodor, M.D., president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), criticized mesotherapy.

"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.