Going for Mesotherapy treatment to lose belly fat or fat loss from any part of the body has always been complicated and controversial subject. This method commonly used for targeted body part weight loss is very popular in France, but is frowned upon by health authorities in many countries such as Singapore.



In March 2008, Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) warned patients and doctors against a list of unproven aesthetic treatments offered by doctors, from Mesotherapy designed to dissolve fat to anti-aging hormonal injections. However, there are also patients believes that those treatments work and thus the shroud controversy.

This article is not discuss whether Mesotherapy treatment is effective and safe to reduce weight or ideal for spot reduction, but will describe what this body shaping treatment is about.

The Mesotherapy was medical technique developed in 1952 by a French doctor, Dr. Michel Pistor. It is a procedure where a cocktail of medication and vitamins is injected into the mesoderm, the layer of fat and connective tissue which lies just under the skin.

Since then, thousands of doctors and physicians all over the world have used Mesotherapy for a variety of reasons such as overall weight loss, spot weight reduction, body shaping, cellulite reduction, wrinkle elimination etc. Mesotherapy is also often used to correct unevenness, lumps, or divots that develop after liposuction procedures. Liposuction is also another body fat elimination technique where body fat is physically and painfully sucked out.

The French Academy of Medicine endorsed Mesotherapy as an inherent part of traditional medicine since 1987 and The International Society of Mesotherapy has membership of about 15 countries from Europe to South America.

Mesotherapy treatment involves using a very small needle and medication is injected into the mesoderm. Sometimes the technique of "multi-pricking" is used. This technique involve number of swift injections are concentrated in a specific body part. Although "multi-pricking" can be done by hand, some treatment centers offer mechanical delivery systems that deliver the medication in a more accurate way and to reduce patient discomfort.

The medications used in Mesotherapy are supposedly designed to melt the fat cells under the skin and shrink the fat cells in the Scarpa's fascia layer. The fat is then said to be excreted along with the bowel without any changes in the patient's bowel movement habits.

For cellulite reduction, weight loss, spot reduction and body shaping, the medications are injected directly into the areas that are being treated. Treatments are usually given weekly and patients are supposed to be able to see visible improvement by the third or fourth treatment.

The medication used in a Mesotherapy treatment is usually a combination of vitamins, herbal products and medication. Many factors are taken into consideration when determining which is the most effective and safe combination.

Physicians administering the treatments will usually ask patients to follow a natural and healthy diet to compliment the treatment and because toxins are also eliminated in the process, patients must drink more water than usual to flush out the toxins and dissolved fat.

Patients who are pregnant, insulin dependant diabetics, history of stroke, cancer, blood clots and heart diseases are not good candidates for the procedure.

So does Mesotherapy work or is it a safe technique for weight loss and body shaping? The verdict is still out there until more scientific and medical rather than anecdotal evidence become more apparent.