New Chestnut Hill center on mission to KO cellulite

by PAT STOKES

So maybe I’m risking running a good quote into the ground, but it applies here and Bob Dylan said it best: “The Times They Are A-changin’.” How else can one assess the decision of a competent M.D. who, after a decades-long, successful medical practice, has extended that practice into something called an “Aesthetics Center”?

Questions, questions. Aesthetics . . . you mean maybe an art studio? Well, not exactly, although personal attractiveness is fast becoming an art form. A beauty salon? No. A weight-loss program? No. What Gerald Phelan, M.D., and his wife, Paula Phelan, R.N., offer at their center on 39 E. Chestnut Hill Ave. is a medical treatment program that improves the appearance and health of the skin in several ways: mainly by removing cellulite and also, if necessary, removing “spider veins” on legs and face, and in general smoothing and firming the treated skin.

And why was this decision made? First and foremost, there has been a very real public demand for some qualified person to address the cellulite problem with a safe treatment. Since the FDA had recently given its approval to the method Dr. Phelan uses, he confidently went ahead, putting the program in place just about 18 months ago. It had to be right, because, he says, “My credibility is the most important thing to me.”

He wanted the word ‘aesthetic’ in the name because “beauty is an important factor in one’s health and wellbeing, a fact that psychiatrists all over the world would agree on. At the same time, however, people are beginning to think more about discovering their human roots, learning how the body’s resources can be utilized to effect healing.” He explained that the skin is the body’s first barrier of protection, keeping moisture in and infections out.

Another reason for branching out is the soaring cost of malpractice settlements in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia’s malpractice settlement costs alone are higher than those of the entire state of California, according to Dr. Phelan. A story in itself.

So, along comes velaSmooth, featuring a process known as elos, a combination of radio frequencies, light technology, tissue mobilization and gentle suction to safely re-contour the skin. Cellulite, Paula explained, is really made up of small “bundles” of fat under the skin, put there on purpose by nature for use in more primitive times when a person may have had less to eat than he’d like, out in the desert or woods, and the body could make use of these stored fats temporarily. Today we have more fatty foods available than anyone can possibly use, and since they are relatively inexpensive as compared to, let’s say, some good protein (beef, chicken, fish), the fatty stuff, chips, candy bars, etc., make up a good part of many people’s diets.

Now to the technology itself. There is a machine which makes this possible, developed in Israel by Syneron Corporation. Paula demonstrated this small hand-held piece of equipment which looks like a tiny Star Wars vacuum cleaner. Its small electrodes have radio frequencies which penetrate the skin, heating and dissolving the cellulite which can then be absorbed by the body and eliminated naturally. Entirely safe and painless.

Testifying to its effectiveness was Chestnut Hiller Cindy Gallagher, who was interviewed at the center about a week ago by Anita Brinkman of WPVI. The interview was aired on Channel 6 on Wednesday, July 20. Cindy had been sidelined for a while after surgery on her foot, and the resulting lack of exercise brought on a bit of cellulite buildup. She decided to give the elos method a try. Cindy was very pleased with her smoother, quarter-inch thinner legs. The 10-treatment course costs between $1,800 and $2,000. Each 45-minute treatment is $180. A minimum of four treatments will typically show some results.

About the prime-movers of this project: Gerald Phelan spent his early years with his family in Florida, came to Philadelphia to attend LaSalle College, and moved on to the Medical College of Pennsylvania for his degree, followed by residence in Chestnut Hill Hospital and a family practice. Are you ready for something amazing? He makes house calls.

Paula hails from Scranton, went to LaSalle and the Germantown Hospital School of Nursing for a BSN and R.N. Worked there in the ER, and also followed up patients with home care, giving IVs at home. In the early days of their marriage, Gerald and Paula and their new baby lived in a small apartment above Russell Medinger’s flower shop, which was on the 8400 block of Germantown Avenue for three decades. Grown-up daughter Molly now does community service as part of her BSN at the University of Pennsylvania.

Now for some tabloid-type news: none other than Paris Hilton has gone in for the velaSmooth treatment. Paula handed me a brochure showing what we could call southern Paris (Ms. Hilton’s rear end), before and after. (It works!) If you’ve been wanting to do something about those annoying skin problems, you’ll find it worthwhile to stop in at the Aesthetic Center. The waiting room and other parts of the office are most attractive; many of the framed paintings that line a hallway were done by satisfied patients. Hours: Mon. – Wed., 9 to 5; Tues. 830 – 4; Fri. 8:30 to 1 in summer. For more information, 215-248-5600. See you on the Avenue.