Two common problems in the undereye area are the absence of fat and the presence of excessive fat. Too little fat gives the eyes a hollow, sunken appearance, while too much fat makes them look puffy and swollen. Because the appearance of the eyes makes a big difference in how we read facial expressions, correcting excess fat under your eyes can greatly improve your appearance. While searching for solutions through cosmetic eye procedures, you may hear about a procedure called mesotherapy, which is being actively marketed by a few less ethical practitioners today.
What Is Mesotherapy?
Mesotherapy is a procedure in which a solution is injected into the body with the hope of reducing fat. The solution includes chemicals like aminophylline, dimethylethanolamine, glutathione, hyaluronidase, isoproterenol, L-arginine, lidocaine pentoxifylline, yohimbine, and the bile salt deoxycholate and phosphatidylcholine.
Mesotheraphy is marketed under many catchy names like Lipodissolve, LipoShape, and Lipostabil. Unfortunately, this procedure sounds appealing but is actually untested and unproven, making it a very real danger to those seeking treatment.
Is Mesotherapy FDA-Approved?
Mesotherapy has not been tested enough to demonstrate if it is safe, and we have documented some unpleasant side effects. Mesotherapy remains an unproven treatment that not only doesn’t live up to its hype, but also presents a serious threat to anyone trying to sort through eyelid surgery options. Mesotherapy dangers include scarring, damage to blood vessels, and pain.
For these reasons, the FDA has not approved mesotherapy. The FDA will not endorse mesotherapy for human use unless further research can resolve its side effects and prove it safe and effective. It is unlikely that mesotherapy will ever receive FDA approval. It can destroy fat cells, but it also causes significant inflammation.
You may be wondering what this means for removal of fat under eyes, since this represents a small yet significant fat deposit. If mesotherapy someday be approved for under the eyes, then why not use it now? In answer, you especially shouldn’t use mesotherapy under the eyes now or anytime soon. The area under the eyes is especially sensitive to aging and treatment. Because the skin here is so thin and delicate, it’s very hard to disguise problems in this area. There are a narrower range of treatments that are proven to work here, primarily because the fragile skin here cannot compensate for even small mistakes or irregularities. You don’t want to damage an already-sensitive area by experimenting with an unapproved and unsafe treatment. And that’s exactly what someone performing mesotherapy is doing; they are conducting an uncontrolled experiment on you with chemicals not approved by the FDA. Most doctors will not administer mesotherapy for ethical reasons, but there are a few people hoping to make a quick profit who will try to tell you that mesotherapy is safe. Here’s the bottom line: if the FDA hasn’t approved it, they don’t have science on their side.
Here’s another word of caution: those who administer mesotherapy do not respect the recommendations of the FDA, so you are at increased risk for infection because these same practitioners may also disregard safe preparation procedures. The chemicals are concocted in an unlicenced lab, which gives you no assurance that they were mixed under ideal conditions.
Alternative Treatments for Undereye Bags
Overall, mesotherapy is not a suitable alternative to liposuction and it is certainly no alternative to lower eyelid blepharoplasty. If you are seeking treatment for your undereye bags in particular, a personal consultation may reveal that blepharoplasty or lower eyelid surgery is a much better option for removing fat under eyes. These are flexible procedures that enable a qualified, experienced oculoplastic surgeon to present different treatment options to you and customize a procedure to help this sensitive area. The eyelids and surrounding areas are incredibly complex, and our brains are programmed to pick up on very subtle irregularies, assymmetries, and problems in these areas, cuing us in on how a person is feeling and determining how attractive we view them as. This is why only a proven, time-tested treatment should be administered by a highly experienced doctor who can treat you with the precision necessary to avoid mistakes while improving this area.
Find a Doctor Who Cares
Dr. Steinsapir specializes in cosmetic eye procedures in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. His approach is to work with a patient to determine their goals and then customize a minimally-invasive treatment plan that makes sense and, most importantly, works. Dr. Steinsapir has completed numerous fellowships and teaches at the prestigious Jules Stein Institute at UCLA. Please contact us today to find out how Dr. Steinsapir can customize your safe treatment program today.