Within the last 10 years mesotherapy became more and more an important part of esthetic medicine in Austria.
Always looking for the best kind of treatment for my patients I started my first attempts in mesotherapy six years ago. I was fascinated by the idea to put substances in the skin, which are able to restore and rejuvenate a damaged or aged skin.
I began the treatment based on hyaluronic acid combined with vitamines like C, A and E.
What my patients and I had to learn first was, that mesotherapy is efficient but painful.
Although I used topic anesthesia creams, the result was nearly the same.
So I thought in the beginning that I might not be skilled enough in the use of the injection-gun. Within a year I learned to handle the injection- gun well.
This reduced pain, but not to tolerable level for most of my patients although they were very satisfied with the results.
There also was another fact of mesotherapy that was irritating me and my patients. We had to learn that the result can not be achieved immediately.
Of course the Vitamines would need a certain time to show their effect, but to fill up a wrinkly skin with hyaluronic acid should bring a quick effect. There was a good and quick result, but most of the time the positive effect was hidden by haematoma, redness and swelling caused by the needle.
So in spite of the good results after several treatments with mesotherapy patients asked for other and less painfull treatments.
So once again I was on the search. My search ended four years ago accidently at a workshop for fold- replenishment.
While the other colleagues had a cup of coffee , I watched a beautician treating a patient`s face with a new device called “Acthyderm”. She put a lot of cream on the patient`s face, and the cream seemed to vanish from the face within a short time.
This was my first encounter with the “ machina della belezza” as the italian producer affectionatley called this device.
To understand the function of the machine I had to refresh my knowledge of physics.
The words electroporation and electropulsation have not been really familiar terms in my work unto this moment.
Getting more and more interested in this treatment I learned that the principle of electroporation was in use since the seventies of the last century. It was used in gentechnology for opening pores in the cellmembrane to channel in foreign DNA.
Those electropores are created by putting on the cell a certain kind of currency with a certain frequency (pulsed current).
Under this treatment electropores are created on the cellsurface. This are temporary formations of watery channels which allow the passage of ions and molecules.
Electropores have a different size from 40 to 250 microns and they last from several seconds to several minutes.
Electroporoation is also able to open the skin`s outstanding barrier, the stratum corneum. It is assumed that the pulsed current rearranges the electrical “glue” holding cells together. This effect lasts also from several seconds to several minutes before the proper arrangement reasserts itself.
Doing this , electroporation opens a door to the skin and to the body. Now that the “door” is open, how can I get in my substances?
This is done by electric repulsion. Most of the substances we are using do have an electrical charging (positive or negative). Using an Instrument with a a surfacecharging , this will press by repulsion the substance, put on the skin before, through the pores.
This means through or in the skin, depending on the strength and frequency of the current that is created by Acthyderm. Due to the shape of the pores that are created , even neutral substances can be delievered. Remember iontophoresis for example can not deliver neutral substances and can only use preexisting pores like sweatglands, sebaceous glands or hairs.
Theory was very promising but I still had two questions remaining.
Does it really work and does it hurt?
The only way to find out was to buy this device. Unpacking my “machina della belezza” I found a blue and white coloured box, with several cables a stick looking like a pencil and something looking like an oversized deodorantrollerstick.
After putting everything together according to the user´s manual I started my first treatment, abusing my beloved wife. Pretty soon I got the answer to my questions.
First of all, therapy with Acthyderm does not hurt and it seemed to keep the promise of delivering substances in the skin in huge amount.
In the meantime I know that Acthyderm can deliver substances that are put on the skin unto an amount of 96% in a depth unto 1 cm (mind the the thickness of the skin 2-5 mm!). Even in a depth of 6 cm, 65% of the substance can be delivered.
The first substance I was using was hyaluronic acid 2 %. Although I was used to the skinsmoothing effect of this substance, this time it was different. I put a big amount of HA on the skin and during the treatment the skin seemed to suck it like a sponge.
Fine wrinkles dissappeared within a few minutes, deep folds like the nasiolabial folds flatened. The skin became a fresh, healthy and young look. My wife and me too, we were excited.
Since that first trial I did over thousand treatments. Not any single treatment did cause pain or sideeffects.
Of course no sideeffects, means that the method does not cause any sideeffects. If there are sideeffects they are depending on the substances that are used.
In the meantime Acthyderm took place in many treatments in my clinic. The use of the device is various.
All products used for mesotherapy can be channeled in the skin and much deeper ( this means unto 10 cm in the body). When I recommend my patients a mesotherapy treatment they know there will be no needles but only effect.
Paintreatment, a strained joint, acne, cellulite are only a few indications for “my machine”.
If you are interested in this new way of painless treatment you wil find in the following editions of this journal simple but high efficient recipes for the treatment with Acthyderm.