Mesotherapy in Turkey

1. Why People Ask About Mesotherapy
2. What Is Mesotherapy
3. What Mesotherapy Is Used For
4. What the Research Shows
5. Side Effects and Reported Complications
6. Having Mesotherapy in Turkey
7. How Mesotherapy Works
8. Results and Treatment Timeline
9. Advantages and Considerations
10. What Affects the Cost
11. How to Choose the Right Clinic
12. Start Your Journey with Hair Cultivate
13. References

Why People Ask About Mesotherapy

Mesotherapy is a non-surgical injection treatment that many clinics offer for thinning hair. It is often promoted as a quick way to strengthen hair, but the scientific picture is mixed: some small studies report improvement, the evidence is limited, and complications have been reported. This page sets out what is known so you can decide with realistic expectations.

Mesotherapy does not replace hair where follicles have been lost. For established baldness, a hair transplant in Turkey is the treatment designed to move hair into thin areas.

What Is Mesotherapy

Mesotherapy was first developed in France in 1952. It involves many small injections through a fine needle, and the mixture injected depends on what the practitioner prepares. Ingredients may include plant extracts, vitamins, enzymes, hormones and drugs such as vasodilators. There is no standardisation of the substances, the quantities or how often they are injected (DermNet, 2018).

For hair loss, studies have tested at least six classes of agents and their combinations, including dutasteride, minoxidil, growth factors, botulinum toxin A, stem cells and multivitamin solutions (Gupta et al., 2023). This means two “mesotherapy” treatments can be very different, so always ask exactly what will be injected into your scalp.

What Mesotherapy Is Used For

Mesotherapy is used for fat removal and body contouring, skin ageing and hair loss (DermNet, 2018). On this page we focus on its use on the scalp for hair loss, mainly androgenetic alopecia (pattern hair loss).

Claims that mesotherapy “reduces shedding”, “enhances blood circulation and hair growth” or gives “long lasting results” are common in advertising, but we could not find reliable evidence that supports them as general statements.

What the Research Shows

DermNet, a dermatology reference written by dermatologists, states that there is very little scientific or clinical evidence to support the technique, and that the FDA has not approved any medications for use in mesotherapy (DermNet, 2018).

Reviews focused on hair loss are slightly more positive but cautious. A 2023 systematic review of 27 articles found that several studies reported statistically significant improvements in hair growth, but that there is a lack of standardised regimens, that adverse effects have been reported, and that larger controlled trials are needed (Gupta et al., 2023). A 2024 systematic review comparing mesotherapy with minoxidil for androgenetic alopecia reported promising results, but its included trials were small, often had short follow-up, and the authors acknowledged a lack of sufficient studies (Aledani et al., 2024).

In short, mesotherapy may help some people, but the evidence is limited and results vary. It is a supportive option, not a cure for genetic hair loss.

Side Effects and Reported Complications

Common, usually short-lived effects of scalp injections include pain, redness and bruising. However, more serious complications have been published. Reported problems include allergic reactions, skin infections, pigment changes, and ulceration, scarring and deformity at the injection site (DermNet, 2018).

Some reports involve hair loss caused by the treatment itself:

• Two patients developed patchy hair loss after scalp mesotherapy; in one, injected with the vasodilator mesoglycan, a small area of scarring alopecia remained at three months, while the other, injected with homeopathic agents, recovered (Duque-Estrada et al., 2009).
• Two patients developed patchy, non-scarring hair loss after dutasteride mesotherapy; one also developed thinning of the skin and had not improved at three months. The authors suspected the ethanol solvent may have damaged the follicles (Reguero del Cura et al., 2021).
• A 2024 review also lists reported scalp abscesses, necrosis, swelling, injection-site infections and other reactions after mesotherapy (Aledani et al., 2024).

These complications appear to be uncommon, but because products and techniques are not standardised, it is important to know what is being injected and who is injecting it.

Having Mesotherapy in Turkey

If you are travelling to Istanbul for hair restoration, you may be offered mesotherapy as an extra. Before agreeing, ask what the solution contains and what it is expected to achieve. When you are treated abroad, check the doctor’s training and qualifications, make sure you can communicate in a language you understand, and know how aftercare will be handled once you are home (NHS, Cosmetic surgery abroad).

How Mesotherapy Works

1. Consultation: the doctor examines your scalp, confirms the cause of the hair loss and reviews your medical history, allergies and medicines.
2. Choice of solution: the doctor should tell you exactly which product or ingredients will be injected, and why.
3. Injection: the solution is injected into the scalp through a fine needle in many small injections (DermNet, 2018).

Results and Treatment Timeline

There is no standard treatment schedule for hair mesotherapy, because regimens differ between studies and products (Gupta et al., 2023). Several of the trials in the 2024 review followed patients for only 4 to 12 weeks, so long-term results are not well known (Aledani et al., 2024). Any improvement should be judged over months, not after one session.

Advantages and Considerations

Possible advantages	Considerations
Non-surgical	Limited, low-quality evidence
Some small studies report improved hair growth	No standard formula, dose or schedule
Can be combined with other hair loss treatments	Rare but serious complications, including hair loss and scarring, have been reported
Usually little downtime	Requires a course of sessions

What Affects the Cost

We do not publish country-by-country price comparisons, because we could not find reliable, up-to-date figures to support them. The cost of mesotherapy depends on the product used, the number of sessions, and whether it is combined with other treatments. Given the limited evidence, ask what result you are paying for before committing to a long course. For hair restoration costs in general, read our guide to the cost of a hair transplant in Turkey or see our packages and prices. Our DHI hair transplant packages range from $3,400 to $4,900 and include PRP, hotel, transfer and medication.

How to Choose the Right Clinic

Choose a clinic where a doctor assesses your hair loss, names the exact product being injected, explains the evidence and the possible complications, and uses sterile technique. If you are comparing scalp treatments, read about PRP hair treatment, which has been studied in more randomised trials, and ozone hair therapy.

Start Your Journey with Hair Cultivate

At Hair Cultivate in Istanbul, our doctors begin by finding the cause of your hair loss, then explain which treatments are supported by evidence and which are only supportive. If mesotherapy is discussed, we will tell you what it contains and what it can realistically achieve.

To book a consultation, call or message us on WhatsApp at +905444768387, or use our contact page.

References

1. DermNet. Mesotherapy. Ngan V; updated by Elghblawi E, Oakley A, 2018. dermnetnz.org
2. Gupta AK, Polla Ravi S, Wang T, Talukder M, Starace M, Piraccini BM. Systematic review of mesotherapy: a novel avenue for the treatment of hair loss. J Dermatolog Treat. 2023;34(1):2245084. doi:10.1080/09546634.2023.2245084
3. Aledani EM, Kaur H, Kasapoglu M, et al. Mesotherapy as a promising alternative to minoxidil for androgenetic alopecia: a systematic review. Cureus. 2024;16(5):e59705. PMC11152360
4. Duque-Estrada B, Vincenzi C, Misciali C, Tosti A. Alopecia secondary to mesotherapy. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2009;61(4):707–709. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2008.11.896
5. Reguero del Cura L, De Quintana Sancho A, Rubio Lombraña M, López Sundh AE, González López MA. Two cases of paradoxical nonscarring alopecia after mesotherapy with dutasteride. Skin Appendage Disord. 2021;8(1):46–48. PMC8787501
6. NHS. Cosmetic surgery abroad. nhs.uk