MESOTHERAPY
—And Other Weapons Against Cellulite

At least we seem to be making progress. Remember back in the 1990s when every time you read a media article on cellulite, it would quote some medical authority who pompously announced that: There Is No Such Thing As Cellulite.

Anyone who says there is no such thing as cellulite obviously never spent any time looking at legs at the beach.

Cellulite, as we are defining it, is the way fat is arranged on places like thighs and buttocks so that it gives the surface of the skin a bumpy, uneven appearance. The French call it peau d’orange, orange peel skin. The skin in places with cellulite looks like the skin on an orange. Of course we want our skin to be nicely firm and smooth.

But we have made progress on cellulite. The medical profession acknowledges that, yes, cellulite is rampant on thighs and buttocks (and elsewhere). It is how to treat cellulite that constitutes much of the current debate on the topic. Not all American doctors agree on whether mesotherapy, a relatively new-to-the-USA but used for decades in Europe technique of injecting a medical mixture under the skin, should be used to treat cellulite.

Of course, as for any other medical procedure, there are risks involved and precautions to be taken. As with any medical procedure, it is wise to get as much solid information as you can before you subject yourself to the treatment.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

For information about mesotherapy, a good place to start is the recent New York Times article Is This the End for Cellulite? Some Doctors Say, 'Fat Chance' by Christine Lennon. The article explains that mesotherapy “involves injecting a cocktail of medicines and other substances into the mesoderm, the layer of fat and connective tissue under the skin where cellulite resides.” These medicines and other substances are said to dissolve the cellulite and cause it to drain out through the lymph system.

From the starting point of the New York Times article, for more information on mesotherapy you can go to the website of Dr. Lionel Bissoon, an osteopathic physician in New York City who was among the first to introduce mesotherapy to the United States,

Dr. Bissoon’s website mesotherapy.com contains a great deal of information. Be sure to read his Patient Warning. Often on websites, the navigational link called Press is to a page with press releases designed by the company for use by the media. On mesotherapy.com, however, the Press link leads to a page with links to articles in various publications on the mesotherapy. Some interesting articles here that cover not just mesotherapy, but other medical aesthetics topics as well.

THE CELLULITE CURE

Dr. Bissoon’s website also announces the upcoming publication of Dr. Bissoon’s book The Cellulite Cure. No specific date is given for the release. The notice says Spring 2005. My own guess, based on understanding a bit about the publication industry, is that the delay may be related to the recent release of another book (April 2005) of a book with a similar title, also by a medical doctor.

Two books titles beginning with The Cellulite both authored by doctors released at the same time might be confusing for readers.

THE CELLULITE SOLUTION

The book released in April 2005 titled The Cellulite Solution is authored by Dr. Howard Murad, a Los Angeles based doctor who takes a different approach to the treatment of cellulite. This book is available on Amazon.com. When I recently looked at the Amazon catalog page for the Dr. Murad's book, the only information about the book was the publisher description. No reader reviews of the book had been posted.

Dr. Murad’s approach seems to be (from my brief reading of his website) treatment of cellulite with topical cream and nutrition. His treatment approach is explained on his website murad.com The is also an explanation of how cellulite is formed.

By the way, information picked up in my recent reading on the topic is that research is giving us clues into what causes cellulite in some women and not others. Among the causes are estrogen imbalance and circulation difficulties.

THE SEVERAL CELLULITE SOLUTIONS

If you type in The Cellulite Solution in the Amazon search box, you will find at least two other authors have written books by that title. One is a 1996 book by London physician Dr. Elisabeth Dancey.

Dr. Dancey uses mesotherapy to treat cellulite. Dr. Lionel Bissoon lists Dr. Elisabeth Dancey as one of the specialists in mesotherapy with whom he studied the technique.

Dr. Dancey’s first name is misspelled on mesotherapy.com. She spells her first name with an “s” not a “z”. This is useful to know if you are running a Google search for her. Dr. Dancey has a website that gives me a very favorable impression of her and her clinic.

You can learn more about Dr. Dancey and her clinic at www.elisabethdancey.co.uk

FACE MAGIC

As an exercise in learning about personal style as well as finding more information about weapons against cellulite, you can check out www.facemagic.co.uk. This Face Magic website has what appears to be an earlier photo of Dr. Dancey when her hair was lighter than her current shade. You can learn more about the doctor and her professional treatments and her lifestyle following the navigation link in the left hand column Dr. Elisabeth Dancey.

LINKS TO ARTICLES

What is most interesting on this Face Magic website is the link What The Press Say. This link takes you to a page of archived articles from various fashion magazines on the topics of medical aesthetic treatments. I found these articles especially interesting because they are from publications in the UK. These magazines that are not widely available in the USA. Also, the attitude in these articles toward these treatments to approve one’s appears is less Puritanical than what you often encounter in American publications when they write on similar topics.

Dr. Dancey’s book The Cellulite Solution is available in used copies on Amazon.com. But the few copies available are pricey used books. And remember that the book is now almost 10 years old. So much has happened in cellulite treatment in the past decade that it might be well to wait for the publication of Dr. Bissoon’s The Cellulite Cure.

THE CELLULITE CURE: THE BOOK

The prepublication information for the book on Dr. Bissoon’s website promises to tell you how a simple wardrobe change can be the best preventative measure against cellulite. And what might this change in wardrobe be? A hint perhaps is in the book’s Table of Contents. One chapter title is: The Problem With Panties.

The website for Dr. Bissoon’s son-to-be-published book is www.cellulitecure.com

HEALTH MAGAZINE TACKLES CELLULITE

The cover blurb of the May 2005 issue of Health magazine said: We never thought we’d say it: Cellulite Solutions That Really Work. This article has a run down on various products and techniques that fight cellulite. Though there is no mention of mesotherapy, as I remember.

One product that is included in the Health article is L’Oreal’s Sublime Slim. Several months ago, there was a discussion of this product on the Chic & Slim website. In testing in Europe, it was one of the few over-the-counter products that had been shown to have some success in treating cellulite. At the time I began reading about the success L’Oreal’s treatment in Europe, I tried to find the product in some of the stores here in Texas. But it was not until recently that I found it available. At Walgreen’s.

SUBLIME SLIM

I bought both the morning and evening Sublime Slim (recommended that both be used), but I have not yet had time to read the instructions and begin using the products. There is a self-massage that is to be performed at the time the cream is applied, I understand.

In the Sunday sales circular for Walgreen’s, I noted that these L’Oreal products for fighting cellulite are on sale this week (22-28 May), So if you are thinking of trying one of the cellulite fighting creams, this might be a time to do it at a more economical price than is the usual. I think that I paid $13 each for Sublime Slim (day and night) for a $26 total. The sale price is about $2 lower, and there seems to be a coupon for additional saving. But this may require a mail-in. I am not sure.

DO THE CREAMS WORK?

As I have written previously on the Chic & Slim website, a number of years ago in my 50s when I saw some signs of cellulite, I tried two different cellulite fighting creams. The first one showed definite improvement in the appearance of the skin on my thighs. The second brought no noticeable improvement at all. Both products were made by the same company. I have forgotten the company’s, but it was not a major brand. It was a product that I found at Eckerd’s in the skin care department. Either the second product had lost its effectiveness from sitting too long on the shelf, or the formula was changed.

I had been encouraged to try the product after reading an article about cellulite fighting creams in a fashion magazine. The writer of the article had been surprised to find the cream she tried reasonably effective. Though she stated that she thought that to get results you had to do the suggested massage in addition to using the product.

It will be interesting to see how this current generation of anti-cellulite creams compare with the one I previously found somewhat effective.

PREVENTION IS THE BEST CURE

The best treatment is always prevention, of course. So if you do read some of these information sources suggested in this report, if you are not yet plagued with cellulite, then you might want to pay extra attention in reading these materials for preventive techniques. Even slim women who exercise regularly can develop cellulite. Which seems highly unfair.

If you already have a problem with cellulite, now more than before, there are a number of weapons you can use to fight the condition. You might not want to go to the expense of mesotherapy or some of the other expensive treatments. But whatever approach you take in your battle against cellulite, it would be wise if you learn as much as possible about the causes and treatments before you start your anti-cellulite campaign. It will certainly save you money. And it might save you pain and disappointment — or worse.

SAFE RATHER THAN SORRY

And it is always a good idea to check out the reputation of the doctor, clinic, or technician who will do your work whatever sort of medical aesthetic treatment you elect to have. This seems especially important for mesotherapy because each doctor choses the mixture of vitamins and medicines that he injects under the skin. And with mesotherapy, you need to know exactly what they are shooting into you.

IS MESOTHERAPY THE NEXT BOTOX?

Will Mesotherapy be the next Botox? Will Mesotherapy become as popular a treatment for cellulite as Botox has become popular for fighting wrinkles?

Who knows?

At this point the cellulite question that interests me more is: What on earth is Dr. Lionel Bissoon going to advise us to do with our underpants?

Copyright © 2005 Anne Barone. All Rights Reserved