Mesotherapy Treatments & General Medicine

Mesotherapy is a medical specialty which has gained popularity for treating weight gain and cellulite. Several weeks ago I saw a patient who was having difficulty with losing weight. She was in her thirties with little to no medical problems. She had tried numerous diets and exercise programs without success.

She has been steadily gaining weigh over the last three years for no apparent reason. Despite working out 3-4 times a week and a low carb diet, she could not shed the pounds and stop the weight gain.

During our visit, we reivewed her medical history which was as expected, normal. We decided she was a candidate for Mesotherapy for body sculpting. After her first treamtent,she asked if the Mesotherapy could cause migraine headaches and I said no. Then I inquired about her previously unmentioned migraines. She revealed she was taking a drug called Inderal for the last three years to prevent migraines, she was so happy with the medication that she started doubling the dose i.e taking 2 tablets instead of one. Well, you could have just imagined my reaction to that bombshell she just dropped. She had just revealed the solution to her problem without realizing her migraine prevention was the culprit.

Suddenly the whole picture made sense. Three years ago she started taking Inderal, a medication which belongs in a class of drugs known as Beta Blockers. Beta blockers are routinely used to treat patients after heart attacks, high blood pressure, for stage fright and apparently as prevention for migraine headaches. When doctors prescribe this class of drugs they usually don't think about the impact on weight gain.

Medications in this class block the Beta receptor on the heart, which slows down the heart rate and decreases blood pressure. When prescribing these medications physicians tend to ignore the presence of Beta receptors on fat cells. The Beta receptors on fat cells regulate the breakdown of fat. Once someone takes a Beta blocker it indiscriminately blocks all Beta receptors in the heart and on fat cells. This is the reason why patients taking this class of drugs find it extremely difficult to lose weight.

You many want to check your high blood pressure medications, heart medications and migraine headache medication to see if it falls in this class of drugs. If it is, you may want to ask your doctor to switch you to another class of medications.

I have seen patients who were taken off Beta blockers and suddenly they started losing weight with diet and exercise, which was previously difficult to shed.

Dr. Lionel Bissoon
Author, The Cellulite Cure
www.cellulite.md

While working on a patient today, I could hear my office manager speaking on the phone to someone in an alarmed voice. She then looked at me and said,"you need to speak with this woman, she went to a Spa and the Esthetician offered her Mesotherapy for weight loss". I went to the phone and introduced myself to the woman who was freaking out. She wanted to know if Estheticians can perform Mesotherapy. I told her they are not licensed to inject in any state. She then proceeded to tell me that the Esthetician told her it was safe and the materials used were from vegetables. She was so concerned about this procedure being offered to her by a non physician, that she went home and googled Mesotherapy and found www.Mesotherapy.com. She proceeded to read the Patient Warning and then called my office.

She wanted to know which authority to report this person. She was going to call the Medical Board, I advised her to call the District Attorney's office, since the Medical Board has no jurisdiction over Estheticians. The patient was really concerned since she had a heart problem and the Esthetician told her it was ok. She was shocked that someone in a spa with no medical credentials could casually offer to perform a medical procedure. I asked her if she knew where the medications came from. She told me the Esthetician told her they were "ampoules", the source was not mentioned and the components were not disclosed. In fact, she said the Esthetician barely spoke English. I seriously doubt the esthetician knew what is in the ampoulues.

This is very disturbing. Recently, an Esthetician was arrested in Kansas for performing Lipodissolve. Estheticians do not have any medical skills to inject, evaluate and treat patients. If this was the case, potential physicians can skip College and Medical School and take a training course to become an esthetician. Then they can go out and practice medicine.

Unfortunately, patients are becoming victims by going to spas for Mesotherapy and Lipodissolve. Many patients feel it is cheaper so they think its ok, however, once there is a problem they cry wolf. They seem to forget they made the decision to get a medical procedure by someone who is not qualified.

I am thrilled this woman who called my office today, did the right thing by doing her research. It is my hope that she follows through with reporting this to the right authorities.

Estheticians, massage therapist, LPN's, and nurses are not licensed to practice medicine. Nurses, LPN's, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants need a physician supervision to perform Mesotherapy and Lipodissolve injections.

For more information on who is qualified to practice Mesotherapy check out the patient warning page on www.mesotherapy.com

Labels: cellulite, estheticians practicing mesotherapy, lipodissolve, Mesotherapy