Mesotherapy has long been an art in Europe and South America, where it has helped people, especially, women, achieve reduction in cellulite and fat without surgery. It is utilized for 2 main purposes - treating cellulite or to treat localized fat pockets ("bulges").
It was recently brought to the United States and is now being used here by many experienced physicians. Unlike liposuction, which involves the surgical removal of unwanted fat cells, mesotherapy involves small injections which result in breakdown of fat cells. These injections include naturally occurring substances such as phosphatidylcholine, which is present in most living tissues. When this is injected into fat / cellulite, the fat cells become inflamed and disrupted and their contents (fat) get carried away.
Mesotherapy is done without sedation although topical cream applied to the skin is applied about 20 to 30 minutes before the procedure. Most patients describe the injections as relatively painless, only feeling a few injections, if any.