Cora Galenti; Convicted of Fraud for ‘Rejuvenation’ Process

Cora Galenti, 95, who ran afoul of the law with a chemical “rejuvenation” process she guaranteed to subtract 20 to 40 years from celebrity faces. Miss Galenti began her career as a clothing designer in Chicago and, after serving with the WACs in World War II, moved to Hollywood to design for Fox and Paramount studios. In the 1950s, she created a chemical facial peel and claimed to have treated such stars as Gloria Swanson and George Raft. Her rejuvenation process brought her national media attention, wealthy international clients who paid $2,500 for the treatment, and skirmishes with the law. After paying a fine of $1,800 in Los Angeles in 1959 for practicing medicine without a license, she moved her salon from Hollywood to Las Vegas. There she was convicted of mail fraud and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for mailing flyers with testimonials that the treatment was “painless.” Instead of going to prison, she fled to Mexico City. Miss Galenti, terminally ill, returned recently to Southern California, wishing to die in the United States. On Sunday in Granada Hills of respiratory complications.