A popular beauty treatment called mesotherapy can cause severe complications in some people, medical experts warn.
The treatment, used to help reduce unsightly eye bags, can result in necrosis– the death of body tissue – and even permanent damage to your eyesight. Under-eye mesotherapy, or bio-rejuvenation, involves the injection of vitamins, enzymes, hormones, and plant extracts into the skin below the eyes. The procedure is meant to tighten the skin and remove excess fat.
“The risks of under-eye mesotherapy go beyond minor side effects, especially when people go to inexperienced technicians or do this at home,” New York-based dermatologist Dr. Viktoryia Kazlouskaya told the Daily Mail.com.
“Patients may experience long-lasting bruising, severe allergic reactions, skin necrosis due to product placement in blood vessels, or even permanent eye damage,” said Dr. Kazlouskaya.
Some social media users have posted TikTok tutorials on making and injecting the mesotherapy mixtures, the New York Post reported.
While the procedure has grown in popularity on social media, it was developed by French doctor Michel Pistor in 1952. At the time, it was used as an antidote to blood vessel and immune system issues.
Even celebrities are reportedly getting in on the action, with Jennifer Aniston rumored to have leveraged the cocktail injection on parts of her body.
The procedure often results in bubbling skin in the area where the injection occurred. While the symptoms are expected to settle, some people liken the look to reptile skin or chicharron, the fried pork skin snack.
While many see these immediate symptoms settle, some users experience persistent issues, like infection. Others even see the formation of granulomas, clusters of immune cells and tissue that are the body’s response to inflammation and irritation.
The injected concoction can often be found online, with people selling the beauty serum for as little as $45 or as much as $349. Even so, mesotherapy has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.