MESOTHERAPY...The New
Cosmetic
Conditions Treated
Mesotherapy is gaining
popularity in the United
States as a form of
cosmetic medicine, as
well as a therapy for
sports injuries, pain
management, and general
medicine. In one case
series, 65 patients with
chronic thoracic pain
reported beneficial
effects of mesotherapy
treatments when other
pain relievers had been
unscuccessful.1
A second study of 267
patients with
degenerative arthritic
pain found mesotherapy
to be an "effective and
reasonable treatment
option" with no adverse
side effects.
Compounds Used
Mesotherapy solutions
generally contain a base
solution consisting of a
local anesthetic and a
vasodilatory
pharmaceutical drug.
Other medicines are
added, depending on the
condition being treated.
Substances fall into the
categories of
vasodilators, anti-inflammatories,
muscle relaxants,
decontractants,
proteolytic enzymes,
biologics (such as
vitamins, minerals, and
plant extracts),
vaccines, anti-infectants,
hormones, hormone
blockers, general
medicine physiologics,
and anesthetics. For
example, in rheumatoid
arthritis, plant and
pharmacologic agents are
used to control
inflammation.
Solutions For
Love Handles
An alternative to
liposuction, mesotherapy
may be the only
non-surgical treatment
available for "spot
reduction" and body
sculpting in areas where
diet and exercise have
failed, such as the
thighs, abdomen, hips,
buttocks, waist, and
upper arms. Losses of
2-to-6 inches may be
possible from stubborn
areas. Singer Roberta
Flack brought the
technique to national
attention in the U.S.
when she claimed she
lost 40 pounds after a
year of treatment, along
with diet and exercise.
Her doctor, Lionel
Bissoon, quoted in a
2004 USA Today
article, cited a 1994-95
study by UCLA
researchers that
concluded women who had
mesotherapy injections
lost weight without diet
or exercise. A New York
doctor and mesotherapist
reported that 95% of the
1,000 patients she
treated over a six-month
period responded to the
therapy and 85% were
happy with the results.
Help For
Cellulite and Wrinkles
The puckery look of
cellulite results from a
deficiency in the
venolymphatic system,
resulting in abnormal
nodules of fat in the
midsection and thighs,
particularly in women.
Since mesotherapy
injections reach the
subcutaneous fat, they
can break down fat
nodules as well as
improve the venous and
lymphatic flow. A
vasodilator to increase
blood flow, a stimulator
of lymph drainage, and a
lipolytic agent to break
down fat tissue would be
used as a typical
treatment protocol.
Wrinkles may be caused
by dehydration, muscle
atrophy, fatty acid or
nutrient deficiencies,
hormone imbalances, or
aging. For wrinkles as
well as cellulite,
mesotherapy is best used
in conjunction with an
overall program to
improve health,
including correcting
imbalances and improving
the diet.
Treatment
The procedure takes only
20 to 30 minutes with
little discomfort.
Injection depths
typically range from
only 2 to 6 mm with
extremely small
microgauge needles. If
the clinician pinches
the skin prior to the
injection, the patient
may not even feel the
needle sticks. The
number of shots and
length of treatment vary
with the condition.
Treatments may be given
once per week, later
extending to once every
two weeks or once per
month, with the number
of shots ranging from 8
to 300. For long-term
chronic conditions, such
as wrinkles, at least 15
sessions may be needed.
For acute sports
injuries, only one to
three sessions may be
required.
Practiced
Worldwide
Mesotherapy is widely
practiced in France,
where there are more
than 15,000
practitioners. The
treatment also is used
throughout Europe and in
other countries
throughout the world.
Mesotherapy must be
performed by a licensed
health care clinician
permitted to do
injections.
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WINE SPAS AND
VINOTHERAPY
Since the opening of the
world's first official
wine spa in the Bordeaux
region of France in
1999, several spas
around the world have
followed suit. While the
true, trademarked
Vinothérapie® treatments
are only available at
Caudalie affiliated spas
like Les Sources de
Caudalie in France and
The Kenwood Inn & Spa in
California, wine
treatments, said to firm
the skin and slow down
the aging process due to
wine's high antioxidant
content, are beginning
to be incorporated
elsewhere.
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Treatment of melasma has
advanced significantly
with the availability of
new hydroquinone
combination therapies
that can produce
clearing safely and more
rapidly than
single-agent regimens,
said Valerie D.
Callender, M.D., at the
annual meeting of the
American Academy of
Dermatology.
Once active treatment
has been successful in
removing the pigment,
patients should be given
a hydroquinone holiday
to avoid development of
exogenous ochronosis, an
uncommon side effect of
hydroquinone therapy. To
prevent recurrence of
melasma, however, they
should continue on a
maintenance regimen that
includes retinoid,
azelaic acid, or kojic
acid monotherapy along
with continued diligent
sun-protective behavior.
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DESIRE FOR
SELF-INDULGENCE IS
DRIVING TODAY'S SPA
INDUSTRY
Want to know what
motivates a consumer to
go to a spa?
Based on research by the
International SPA
Association, the following
represents consumer thinking
about the spa industry - and
what aspiring spa operators
need to know.
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Consumers are
primarily motivated
by an interest in
indulgence and/or
interest in
accomplishing some
cosmetic work to
their bodies, face,
hair or nails.
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Core consumers tend
to be most catered
to in terms of
communications, menu
designs and
available spa
treatments, but they
represent the
smallest percentage
of the overall spa
population.
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There is an
explosion of
personal-care/spa
products capturing
the attention of
consumers
everywhere, yet not
capturing the
attention of
consumers while in
the spa environment.
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The spa experience
is largely perceived
by men as a form of
indulgence and
escape; however, the
primary driver for
men to enter the spa
experience tends to
be driven by notions
of "work," meaning
they want to work on
something.
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Introductions to spa
experiences are
primarily through
consumers’ informal
social networks,
which are family,
friends and
co-workers.
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As the spa industry
continues to expand
to mainstream
consumers and their
health and wellness
regimes, therapists’
credentials - as
well as the overall
effectiveness of the
spa experience
(menus, pricing,
environment,
"extras," etc.) -
will come under
greater scrutiny by
all segments of
consumers.
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The desire for human
interaction,
personalization and
customization will
become important
factors in
consumers’
decisions. These
factors often run
counter to rapid
industry growth
(i.e., internal
expansion,
centralization,
nationalization,
etc.).
-
Identifying the
experience level of
spa-going consumers
is critical in
delivering the most
appropriate and
relevant
information,
interaction and
services. However,
it appears most spas
do not have a
"system" for gauging
experience levels
and expectations
from an attitudinal
and behavioral
context.
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Many consumers have
a difficult time
"justifying"
treatments that they
may self-administer
in the home
(pedicure, manicure,
facial). As
personal-care
products continue to
proliferate the
market and
consumers’ homes,
differentiating
these gateway
experiences to the
spa may increasingly
become more
difficult.
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