Mesotherapy is a treatment in which vitamins, minerals, amino acids, hyaluronic acid and similar ingredients the skin needs are delivered with very fine needles directly into the middle layer of the skin. These ingredients are given as a blend, often called a cocktail, prepared for your skin type and the concern being treated.

The word comes from the Greek “mesos” (middle) and “therapia” (treatment), meaning treatment of the middle layer of the skin. This layer holds the collagen and elastin fibers, as well as the hair follicles. The method was described in the 1950s by the French physician Michel Pistor and is now widely used in medical aesthetics.

Creams and serums pass through the outer layer of the skin only to a limited degree. With mesotherapy, ingredients reach the target layer directly in small doses, so less product is needed.

Mesotherapy may suit women and men with dull, dry or tired-looking skin, early fine lines, hair loss or localized fat. The right blend and treatment schedule are decided at your consultation, based on the condition of your skin or scalp.

Mesotherapy is used for different goals depending on the blend and the area treated:

• Skin rejuvenation: To improve hydration, glow and elasticity and soften the look of fine lines.
• Dull, tired skin: Helps even out the tone of skin that has lost its vitality from smoking, stress, sun or an irregular diet.
• Dark circles and fine lines under the eyes: Blends suited to the thin skin around the eyes may lighten the look of shadows and darkness.
• Hair loss: Ingredients that nourish the hair follicles are applied to the scalp to help reduce shedding and strengthen the hair.
• Localized fat and cellulite: Special blends that target fat tissue support localized slimming.
• Spots and acne scars: Ingredients that even skin tone and support repair are used alongside other treatments.

Mesotherapy can be done on its own or planned together with treatments such as Botox, fillers, laser and golden needle. In Dr. Sevgi Ekiyor’s Facial Architecture (Yüz Mimarisi®) approach, mesotherapy is one of the key treatments for supporting skin quality.

Before treatment, your skin or scalp is examined; the cause and degree of the concern are assessed and a personalized blend is chosen.

1. The area is cleansed and any makeup residue is removed.
2. A numbing cream or spray is applied to reduce sensitivity and left to work for 20–30 minutes.
3. The blend is delivered into the skin in small doses with very fine needles. This can be done by hand or with the Mesogun device, which allows the injection depth and amount to be adjusted.
4. At the end, the area is cleaned and a soothing product is applied if needed.

The treatment takes 20–40 minutes depending on the size of the area. Small bumps at the injection points usually disappear within a few hours. Most people return to daily life straight after treatment.

So-called “needle-free mesotherapy” uses devices such as electroporation to make the skin more permeable. It may suit people afraid of needles, but the ingredients reach a more limited depth.

Mesotherapy goes by different names depending on the area and goal. The types we most often perform at our clinic in Nişantaşı, Istanbul, are:

• Mesolifting: Used on the face, neck and décolleté to improve hydration and glow. See our mesolifting page for details.
• Under-eye mesotherapy: Blends made for the thin skin around the eyes target dark circles and fine lines. See under-eye treatments.
• Hair mesotherapy: Ingredients that nourish the follicles are applied to the scalp. See hair mesotherapy.
• Mesotherapy for localized fat: Blends that target fat tissue are used on areas such as the abdomen, hips and double chin. See meso lipolysis.
• Youth injections: Injections containing hyaluronic acid and amino acids that aim to improve skin quality. See youth and collagen injections.

The right type is decided at your consultation, and more than one area may be treated in the same session.

Mesotherapy is usually planned as a course. For the face, 3–5 sessions are usually done 2–3 weeks apart. For hair and localized fat, the number of sessions and the interval vary with the cause and degree of the concern.

With facial mesotherapy, changes in hydration and glow are often noticed after the first sessions. Improvement linked to collagen builds more slowly and becomes clearer in the weeks after the course is complete. With hair mesotherapy, results may take a few months to appear because of the hair growth cycle.

A maintenance session every few months is recommended after the course. How long results last depends on age, skin type, smoking and sun protection.