By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

CHELSEA – The Skin Wellness Center of Alabama celebrated the grand opening of a new facility in Chelsea on April 21.

After subleasing space with Henderson & Walton Women’s Center for three years, the clinic relocated to a separate, 2,200-square-foot space right next door and opened in January.

“We’re excited to be out here in our own space,” said Dr. Corey Hartman, founder and medical director of the SWCA, which also operates an office in Homewood. “The community has been so great to us over the last five years. We felt like it was time to make a long-term commitment, so that’s what we did.”

The South Shelby Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting at the clinic April 21 as part of the grand opening celebration.

“We’re so excited you have expanded,” Chamber Executive Director April Stone said. “That’s going to be great for the Chelsea community. That’s exciting to see the growth.”

In addition to more space, the state-of-the-art clinic has become a full-time branch by increasing office hours from only two days a week to five days a week. Providers are now available to see patients Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday every week, along with the first Thursday of the month.

The staff includes two board-certified dermatologists, a nurse practitioner and an esthetician.

“We have the ability to see more patients and do more procedures than before,” Hartman said.

A range of cosmetic, laser, medical dermatology and teledermatology is available to patients, in addition to surgical procedures and appointments two days each week.

The clinic features a retail area with SWCA’s specialized skin care line and other brands including SkinCeuticals, Obagi, Skin Medica and Elta M.D.

“People no longer have to go over the mountain for their skin care,” Clinical Coordinator Christy Bradley said. “Everybody’s been great in Chelsea. They’ve been very welcoming and nice.”

In addition to regular appointments, SWCA also hosts events open to the public such as Lunch & Learn seminars, Botox Bunko Night and CoolSculpting events.

Chelsea’s SWCA clinic is located off U.S. 280 West at 398 Chesser Drive.

For more information, visit Skinwellness.com or call 678-7518.

“We are proud to be the only full-service dermatology clinic in Chelsea, and we are excited to invest in this community,” Hartman said. “We believe patient care should be a balance between aesthetic and medical dermatology, with a strong focus on preventative measures. Each patient should look as good as he or she feels, while also receiving the highest level of compassionate care.”