Body-Sculpting A Better Looking You

JORDAN PYSZ / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Within a few weeks of beginning Emsculpt NEO treatments, Julia lost more than an inch around her waist and was feeling stronger in her core.

Three years after the ball bearing factories of Schweinfurt, Germany, were destroyed in what was dubbed the “Black Thursday” attack by allied air forces during World War II, the town became the site of an expansive US military community.

The American presence thrived for 69 years, and at its peak it was the home to 11,000 people, including Julia Vandall. She was one of the hundreds of Department of Defense employees who served the families of the 6,000 troops occupying the garrison.

“I was a teacher in the school that was established there for the children of the soldiers,” Julia offers. “I worked there for 10 years, and one of the best things about it was that it allowed me to get out and see a lot of other places.

“Once you’re in Europe, it’s not all that hard to just hop on a train or take a short flight to somewhere else in Europe, and I took advantage of that. I’d say the most memorable place I went to was Greece, which I visited twice. It was fascinating.”

Julia, 66, retired from her job as a teacher in 2015 and moved to Florida, where she devoted several years to taking care of her mother. More recently, Julia has been devoting time to taking care of herself.

“One of the things I’ve done is get some facial treatments for the spider veins I have on my face,” she says. “I have very light, very thin, Irish skin, and because of that I get these spider veins on my face. But I’ve found a really good place to get them taken care of.”

The place Julia found is the Dean Wellness Institute in Vero Beach, and it’s fair to say that she is quite pleased with the care she receives there because she lives in Lake City and gladly drives four hours once a week for those facial treatments.

“They have a very easygoing spa-like environment,” Julia says of the Dean Wellness Institute, which is owned and operated by Melissa Dean, MD, a traditional medicine practitioner who also offers a holistic approach to wellness.

Feel the Energy

An expert in treating menopause and andropause, Dr. Dean’s specialties include hormone balancing, adrenal support therapy and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, the latter of which is considered the most natural and effective solution for hormone-related issues.

Her clinic also offers a variety of intravenous therapies, including IV vitamin therapy, anti-aging/regenerative medicine therapy and aesthetic treatments such as neuromodulators, hyaluronic acid-based fillers and microneedling with platelet rich plasma (PRP).

In addition, Dr. Dean provides two drug-free, nonsurgical treatments for urinary incontinence. One is called the O-shot, where growth factors retrieved from the patient’s blood are injected into vaginal tissue.

The other features the BTL Emsella^® chair, a device that uses electromagnetic energy to induce contractions that stimulate and strengthen the muscles in the pelvic floor, restoring neuromuscular control.

Recently, while visiting the clinic for one of her facial treatments, Julia took notice of another service provided by the staff at the Dean Wellness Institute: a body-contouring treatment called Emsculpt NEO^®.

An FDA-approved, nonsurgical figure-shaping device that burns stubborn fat, tones muscle and tightens skin, Emsculpt NEO works by delivering rapid pulses of high-intensity electromagnetic and radio- frequency energy to the area being treated.

“The energy is emitted through an applicator that is applied to the target area,” Dr. Dean educates. “The energy heats the fat cells to a degree where they simply cannot survive. Once the fat cells die, the lipids inside them are released into the lymph system, and they’re slowly excreted over time.

“At the same time that the fat cells are targeted, the muscles in the target area are heated, and there is a contraction device on the applicator that, when working the abdomen, for instance, creates an effect that simulates the body doing about 20,000 stomach crunches in half an hour.”
-Dr. Dean

Ideally suited for people who have a body mass index (BMI) of less than 35, Emsculpt NEO treatments are performed while the patient lies comfortably on a table and typically last about 30 minutes.

They can be used to treat multiple areas where stubborn fat remains or a need for increased muscle tone is desired, and clinical studies show that within weeks of completing four sessions, patients report a 30 percent decrease in fat and 25 percent increase in muscle growth.

Julia is among those who achieved the results she was seeking.

JORDAN PYSZ / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Julia Vandall

Back in Old Jeans

“My four sessions all took place in September and, at the time, I was being really strict with my diet, eating mostly vegetables and fruits,” Julia explains. “I wanted to give this my best shot, and it’s definitely worked out well.

“My technician (physician assistant Catherine Cheries, PA) said it would take at least three months for my body to shed out all the fat that was burned, but even before December came around, I had already lost an inch and a half around my waist.

“I can also see that my sides have gone down a bit, but the big thing for me is that my stomach has gotten a little smaller. I’ve even gained some strength in my core because it’s easier for me to get up and down from sitting than it used to be.”

Julia says that as a result of her Emsculpt NEO treatments, her clothes are fitting more comfortably and she feels more confident in her overall appearance. She’s so pleased with the results that she intends to target some other areas with Emsculpt NEO.

“The other day, I wore a pair of jeans that I wasn’t able to wear for a long time, so I am very happy that I gave this a try,” she says. “It’s done exactly what I hoped it would do, so I would absolutely recommend Emsculpt NEO to others.

“And I would recommend the Dean Wellness Institute as well. The fact that I drive there from Lake City for my treatments tells you all you need to know about how I feel about the clinic and all the people there. They’re all so nice and easy to talk to. I absolutely recommend them.”