The French have long been at the forefront of the beauty empire. Whether in fashion, cosmetics, perfume or skincare, wherever the French have led, the rest of the world has followed. Once again, they are sharing their beauty secrets with the world and this time it may be the secret, as to why French women don't get fat.
The secret? A non-surgical procedure called Mesotherapy. A couple of years ago if you said the word Mesotherapy here in America, people would have said 'mesa-what-apy?'. But now thanks to shows like 20/20 and magazines such as Elle and Glamour a lot of women have read about the benefits of Mesotherapy, but may not know where to go locally to find a practitioner.
For those of you who haven't heard of it, Mesotherapy is a revolutionary procedure which was developed in 1952 by a French doctor named Dr. Michel Pistor. Mesotherapy dissolves areas of localized fat and cellulite. It reduces fat in 'spot' treatments, sculpting the body, rejuvenating the skin, and reducing cellulite. A tiny needle is used to inject a 'cocktail' of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other medicines into the mesodermal, or middle, layer of fat, thus the name, Mesotherapy. This 'cocktail' melts the fat beneath the skin causing the fat cells to shrink. The fat then leaves the body through the bloodstream as it would with other forms of weight loss.
When I first heard about Mesotherapy I was so excited until I found out that unless I wanted to go to New York or Europe I couldn't find anyone who offered it. So I waited and it became more and more popular and then my problem was who do I go to that I can trust? Until I chanced upon a medi spa called Laser Solutions Skincare Medical Clinic.
Located in Beverly Hills the clinic is run by Dana Elise L.R.E., Certified Laser Instructor, and Electrologist. Elise has been a leading expert in the field of beauty and skincare for over 25 years. She has developed a clientele which includes celebrities, corporate and entertainment executives, as well as men and women who are dedicated to taking the best possible care of themselves as possible. Much of her clientele comes referred by top dermatologists and plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles.
The Medical Director of the clinic is Dr. Alexander P. Cadoux, F.A.C.E.P., F.A.C.A.M.. Dr. Cadoux received his conventional medical education at Johns Hopkins Medical School, and post-graduate residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Georgetown University Hospital, George Washington University Hospital, and at Maryland Shock Trauma.
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| Dana Elise and Dr. Cadoux |
When I met Elise I felt so at ease and secure I knew I had found my answer to who I wanted to perform my Mesotherapy. I decided I wanted to have my double chin worked on and Mesotherapy seemed like an excellent alternative to liposuction. At this point I have had two treatments at Laser Skin Solutions and am told I may need anywhere from 5 10. This number of treatments is typical with Mesotherapy.
I didn't want to be the only one to reap the benefits of this treatment so I invited my Editor to join me. I also wanted to know how the experience was different from a male perspective. We scheduled our first appointments 30 minutes apart from each other and I had mine first. When I arrived I was greeted with the typical new patient paperwork, after it was filled out I was taken to a treatment room where the nurse Geena Schnider had my injection prepared for me. They took before shots of me after which I was seated and my skin was prepared and disinfected. Elise stayed in the room, she was very kind and understanding and even held my hand when the injections were painful. It helped to feel that there was someone around who was looking out for me. I had the option of using a numbing cream before my treatment. I opted to try it with the cream and without the cream. For my first and last time I chose the option of no numbing cream. The needle used for the Mesotherapy is thin and small. The needle itself felt a little less noticeable than those usually used for injections. The 'cocktail' however sometimes burned going in. Gena was gentle and injected the 'cocktail' in a set pattern along my neck and jaw.
As the injections went in I could feel my neck swelling and it began to feel tight, then uncomfortable then it hurt. The more time went on the more pain there was, it hurt to even move my head from side to side. It also hurt to roll over in the middle of the night and as I did I swore I could smell vitamins as I moved my head. The next day I was extremely swollen and in pain. My neck looked like it was double its size and I was embarrassed to go outside. This lasted several days before the swelling went down and I had a full schedule so I wrapped a fuzzy scarf around my neck and put on dark glasses and did my best interpretation of Greta Garbo.
I'm breaking up the flow of my story here but the second time I went in for a treatment I arrived a half hour early and they put numbing cream on me and the pain experience was vastly different. It didn't hurt nearly as much and was a much more pleasant experience. I also brought an ice pack with me and put it on immediately and kept icing it all night. The experience of the two times was so different. Most of the pain I experienced the first time was from the swelling and when that was controlled it was much easier to handle. Interestingly just like the first time, I experienced the same scent of vitamins when I was lying down, turning my head on the night of the treatment. Back to the story.
My editor came into the medi spa as I was getting dozens of shots all around my jaw and neck. He waved at me as he passed on his way to another treatment room. After I was finished I went into his room, they'd placed numbing cream on him and he was waiting for it to take effect. He didn't have the cream on for the fully allotted time for it to have worked as well as it could have, but he did get some benefit from it.
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| A couple of days after my first treatment |
Elise had warned there would be some swelling and bruising and different people experienced it in varied degrees. I didn't pay that much attention to her thinking Id be fine and didn't lighten my schedule for the rest of the week, just in case I needed time to recuperate. The first time the swelling on both of us lasted well over two weeks and it was a little awkward going to all the social events we had planned, looking like frogs with their necks puffed out, and patterns of pinprick sized bruises doted all over. If we had done this on other body parts it would have been easy to disguise with clothing. My suggestion to anyone choosing to have a double chin or any visible surface done is to not make to many public appearances for a while.
After just one treatment I noticed a distinguishable improvement on both of our chins. I went in for one more treatment after which there was even more of a benefit. I am extremely pleased with the results and have more of a defined jaw line that when I started. This treatment really worked.
A couple of things I learned from my experiences: If I were to do it again, I would put the numbing cream on 45 minutes to an hour before treatment. I'd ice it immediately after the injections and keep icing it. I would also make sure I didn't have any public events to go for at least a week.
Everyone at Laser Solutions is very friendly and caring. They put me at ease, I felt very comfortable, and I was well looked after. In my experience Mesotherapy works and it works well. It is less invasive and expensive than the alternative of liposuction, but it is a medical procedure and is not without its discomforts. The results are impressive and the rest is the price we have to pay for beauty.
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416 North Bedford Drive, Suite 100
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
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