Monthly Archives: August 2018

Psoriasis

Do you know why Batman was so good at fighting crime? Because he recruited all of the best team members. What would Batman be without his extraordinary Butler Alfred? Or without Robin? And for the toughest of criminals what did he do? He called for help from the Justice League. He worked with only the best of the best. He teamed up with Wonderwoman and Superman and Flash and more! That’s why he is a successful super hero. If you want to be a successful Super hero in all that you do then you better start recruiting your team. That’s exactly why Johnson Dermatology is a superhero line-up for skincare. We have the best front office, the best lab, the best clinical staff, the best laser team, the best surgical techs, the best board certified dermatologist, the best physician assistant and quite frankly the best Nurse Practitioner in the tri-state area. And Muhammad Ali said it’s not bragging if you can back it up! Honestly and seriously we are a team and that’s what makes Johnson Dermatology a clinic that makes you go zero to superhero status real quick! Honey has an honest passion for treating psoriasis and has made treating it her specialty within the Dermatology specialty. She is the psoriaisis Batman and her Robin is Kirsten. Kirsten is a surgical tech that works with our psoriasis patients to make sure they are taken care of and have access to their medications. She wanted to write a blog and tell you more about Honey, herself and psoriasis at Johnson Dermatology. Enjoy her blog and remember Batman can’t beat any bad guys without Robin and Alfred. Find your side kick, find your Alfred and fight crime with success! As always be successfully Skintastic!

From Robin, I mean Kirsten:

Johnson Dermatology’s mission statement is as follows: “To deliver efficient, quality, compassionate, comprehensive, patient centered care.” In the four and a half years that I have worked for Dr. Brad and Dr. Sandra Johnson, this has been nothing short of the truth. We see surgical, medical and cosmetic patients, all treated under the same mission statement.

As a Certified Surgical Technologist, all of your schooling, training, and clinical rotations are focused in the operating room, at the hospital. You all could not believe what a culture shock clinic life was like for me when I was fortunate enough to rotate at JD as a student. Patients were awake, talking, and some were visiting with a provider in less than 5 minutes — emphasis on efficient. I caught a lot of grief from my friends at the hospital when I was blessed with and accepted a position to be Dr. Sandy’s scrub. In the medical field, there is a large misconception that Dermatology’s time and attention goes to just acne and warts… And, while our providers love to treat those conditions, there is so much more to the Dermatology world than just those conditions.

Psoriasis is a skin condition in which your skin cells are turning over in a matter of days rather than a matter of weeks. Since your skin cells are developing quicker, you can develop red, scaly plaques. Some patients only have psoriasis on their scalp. Other patients are unfortunate enough to have plaques and scaling over their entire body. It can be genetic, but it can also just happen without reasoning. Additionally, 30% of people who have psoriasis can also develop a concurrent condition caused Psoriatic Arthritis. Psoriatic Arthritis can cause joint pain in the hands, wrists, knees, ankles, and feet. Furthermore, the inflammation on the surface (our skin) and on the inside (our joints) can cause inflammation elsewhere. Patients with untreated psoriasis are at a higher risk of developing other comorbidities like hypertension (increased blood pressure) hyperlipidema (high cholesterol), diabetes, depression, and the list goes on. . . It is important to know that psoriasis is not contagious. It is a chronic condition and although there is no cure, there is help.

I work alongside Honey Schaumburg, PA-C, and National Speaker for Psoriasis daily. What an honor, right? She often tells our patients that we can be delicate in our treatments or as aggressive as the patient wants to be (when she deems necessary). Delicate treatments would include topical prescription creams, ointments, solutions, or NB-UV light three times a week. NB-UV light therapy is offered at JD. This is one of the few exceptions your Dermatologist will say it’s okay to get UV exposure. Tanning is still a no-no. Hence the only three times a week rule under supervision of your dermatologist. Aggressive treatments would include “Biologics.” These are the advertisements you see on TV. Most of these are injectables, although, there are some pills. Most of these can help with both skin and joints. Psoriasis is Honey’s favorite skin condition to treat and we do not give up easily. We do not let the insurance companies intimidate us. We will fight for you and your skin. Between all of our providers, there are over 230 patients on some type of Biologic medication at our clinic currently.

You probably witnessed our B&A on instagram of a patient that is being treated with Tremfya. If not, shame on you. Follow us on all of our social media platforms to keep up with the latest and greatest.
The patient has been treated with literally everything. Their disease was primarily on their elbows, back, and shins with associated joint pain. Luckily, Tremfya has been a life changer for them. Honey and I discussed what the patient would like other people to know about psoriasis. In jest, their response was: “There is help. You do not have to be miserable. You are not alone. You can be happy, and you can take the leap and make the decision to change your life.”

Whitney, my partner in crime, (and jack of all trades) helps me manage our Biologic patients. We can be reached at Kirsten@johnsondermatology.com or Whitney@johnsondermatology.com to schedule you an appointment or answer questions.

I would also like to mention that we frequently have clinical trials for psoriasis, eczema, acne, and other skin conditions which is a great way to be involved in research and get healthcare at no out of pocket cost to the patient. Send those inquiries to study@johnsondermatology.com. Please let us help you.

Thank you Nina for letting me shine light on Psoriasis for Psoriasis awareness month.

Stay healthy and Skintastic,

Kirsten, Biologic Coordinator

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The Grind

The grind. We’ve all been caught in it at some point. Wake up, go to work, feed kids, bathe kids, sleep then repeat. Our minds can easily get set on cruise control. How many times have you left your house to go somewhere on the weekend and find yourself parking at work. Am I the only one that happens to? That is exactly what happens to us with our skin goals. We go every three months for our Botox and totally forget the bottom half of our face is starting to sag. For me personally I have been caring for my face meticulously for the past 6 years. I get Botox every 4 months, a filler touch-up every six months, laser here and there and I use the GRASS routine (e-mail Brooke@johnsondermatology.com if you don’t know about this skincare and change your skin forever)daily for skincare. Then a couple weeks ago I, figuratively speaking, realized I was parked at work when I went to get groceries when I looked in the mirror. My neck. My poor 40 year old neck holding up my flawless 29 year old face. I was stuck in the grind and totally neglected my neck. Dr. Sandy quickly injected my neck (platysmal bands) with Botox and in the blink of an eye (1 week later) my neck went from this

Before

To this…..

After

Just like that I was a new woman. Best 36 units of Botox I’ve had in a LONG time. You know what the moral of the story is? For me it was treat yourself as good as you treat your patients. For you it is make sure you don’t get in the grind with your skin regimen. Five years ago we had no injections that safely treated eczema (atopic dermatitis) and today we are changing lives with it everyday. It’s called dupilimab and if you suffer with atopic dermatitis and have been in the grind with your topical creams that never get you completely clear it’s time to make an appointment with your dermatologist. Are you going to a spa and getting Botox every three months and never changing your regimen? As we age our skins needs and wants change. Margaret, Dani, Dr. Sandy and I reassess our patients at least every three months and make changes or additions or subtractions to the plan at every assessment. Sometimes we recommend filler, sometimes botox, sometimes topical regimen changes, sometimes laser, sometimes no change to what you are already doing. You always need to stay on top of it if you want to age backwards. Are you stuck in the grind? Don’t be. Whether it’s your diet, exercise routine, skin health, social health or mental health shake it up. Change is a good thing. If you would like to change your skin. E-mail dani@johnsondermatology.com or Margaret@johnsondermatology.com

Have a great week everyone! Back to the grind gracefully! Nina