Tomorrow marks 10 years since Johnson Dermatology opened it’s doors in Fort Smith, AR. I saw a video this weekend that talked about healthcare being a calling and not a job. It really spoke to me. My stomach churns thinking about doing anything other than exactly what I do now. The team we have at JD right now is actually the largest and best we have had since I started there 4 years ago. This month, to celebrate our 10 years, we are having specials on almost all our cosmetic services and products. We are also having a HUGE makeover giveaway (details coming). Stop in, make an appointment, come play in the make-up room, whatever you can do, make it a point to come celebrate with us this month at Johnson Dermatology. Here are 10 reasons to come celebrate with us at the clinic this month.

1. Our NEW Dermatologist is here! Yes, that’s right, it’s official. Dr. Garrett Nelson starts seeing patients on Monday! Come meet him, he is kind, smart, loves skin and can’t wait to make Fort Smith his home. Ask to say hello and welcome him to Fort Smith when you’re in, or heck just make an appointment with him!
2. We have the UltraShape!!!! Say buh bye to that bulge today! UltraShape is focused, pulsed ultrasound waves that destroy fat forever! Treat your saddlebags, love handles, belly bulge, arms and any other fat pocket that you have given a mean name and see permanent results. You need three treatments 2 weeks apart and will then see optimum results 4 weeks after your last treatment. If you do the math thats 10 weeks. Therefore, if you start in August you will have that body contour you’re looking for by halloween-treat yourself don’t trick yourself this year! (hint:special this month)
3. VelaShape is here too! We weren’t just going to permanently rid fat without some cellulite and skin tightening too! The VelaShape is part of your UltraShape treatment or you can get it in a separate package. This device turns fat cells from grapes to raisins making cellulite disappear. This takes upkeep after your first treatment so I’m guessing our laser team has a special this month to get you kick started!
4. We have sooo many specials on procedures(fillers, botox, Kybella). We are keeping all our specials for the eyes of our guests only. That’s right, you’re going to have to come to the clinic to get the gift. We want you to come celebrate with us and if you do you AND your wallet will be glad you did!
5. Latisse. Buy two Latisse and get $100 off the rest of the month. Because you read my blog, you heard it first. Stock up for the year now!
6. Get a free make-up consult. Kaylee and our make-up team can color match you and party with you in the make-up room. Have you spent time learning about our Jane Iredale make-up? It’s life changing and we have such a fun space to enjoy it…. and yes there is a make-up special this month!
7. Get a free skin care consult. Have you met some of our skincare consultants? We now have about 50 employees and they ALL use the skin care products we offer! Why? Because they WORK! Quit wasting money on expensive products that are so called “recommended by a dermatologist” and come to Johnson Dermatology where we have personally hand selected and tried each product we recommend. Come learn why we stand behind the products we use….. and yes there is a skin product special this month!
8. School is about to start! All you students know how busy you will be once school starts. Don’t wait until the last minute to get your acne treated before school starts. Get your skin fall ready before it’s too late. Your skin cells only turn over every 28 days so to see real change you need a few months. Come this month when you have no excuses not to! Oh and did I mention we might have some acne cosmetic specials this month!?!?
9. The Summer sun gotcha. Did the fun in the sun this summer have your brown spots popping up? Melasma? Come reverse the damage at JD this month. Obviously we have a discoloration special…. think chemical peel meets laser…..
10. Because Dr. Sandy, Dr. Brad, Honey, Dr. Nelson and I are there and we can’t wait to treat all your skin needs. Dr. Sandy said it best in our 10 year celebration video (watch it here)”We love skin, we love our community and we just can’t stop the feeling”. We honestly just want to celebrate with a big thank you to all our patients so please come see us at Johnson Dermatology and let us thank you with our specials. We can’t wait for the next 10 years with the best patients!

“Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after an experience with you becomes your trademark”

Hope to leave you all feeling skintastic this month and every month, Nina

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Shockingly I didn’t know what a humbrag was until Dr. Sandy told me. She always teases me about being “cool”. But this was one social media hashtag she taught me months ago that I really love. It means putting yourself down or complaining about something in a way that makes you look awesome. Such as tweeting “Why is my private jet always late?”. This weekend I had a pool party that was so much fun. Looking at the photos all over my girlfriends’ social media had me feeling insecure about my body. We all have insecurities about something. Whether it’s how we talk, how our skin looks, our hair, our quirks, our teeth, our legs or whatever. Mine is definetely my body size and fitness level. Which fluctuates frequently. So what better way to get your mind off of your insecurities and back on the positive happy land I like to live in than a good humbrag. For those of you that don’t know, Johnson Dermatology turns 10 years old on August 1st, 2016. So I reminded myself what I accomplished every year that Johnson Dermatology has been open. This post is all about me, because that’s what I needed today. What do you need to be in your happy place today? What puts you in a good mood? What are your last 10 year brags? Here are mine.

2006. I became an RN graduating from the U of A in Fayetteville with a bachelors in the science of nursing. Humbrag: I can’t believe I was born, raised and educated in Fayetteville, AR.

2007. I married Jarrard. humbrag: It’s so annoying being married to a cop that gets stopped everywhere we go because he is a Fort Smith celebrity.

2008. I bought my first home. Humbrag: I hated to leave my first home to move into my dream home.

2009. I did travel nursing from California to Florida. Humbrag: I hated being away from my family while laying on beaches.

2010. Jarrard had a 99% occluded “widow maker” vessel in his heart. He cheated death and we learned how to love life all over again. Humbrag:My husband would have died of a heart attack if I wasn’t an ICU nurse that got him taken care of so quickly.

2011. I graduated UCA as an Advanced Practice Nurse top of my class with a 4.0. Humbrag: I can’t believe I had to drive all the way to Conway to get my Student of the Year award.

2012. I started work at Johnson Dermatology. The first year in 10 years that I had Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years day off with my family. Humbrag: I can’t believe I have to wake up at 4 AM everyday to be able to workout and go to the best job in the world.

2013.I gave birth to Charlee Vella Copeland. After 5 years of infertility. I will always brag about her, even if it isn’t in a humble manner. Always. Humbrag: Getting Charlee dressed in her thousands of outfits from her closet is such a chore.

2014. I got pregnant with Stevie this year and taking care of a toddler while pregnant basically just made this a year I don’t remember. Humbrag: I was so tired and pregnant with a one year old I didn’t have time to shop so I wore my jeans from college.

2015. I gave birth to my Stevie Marie Copeland. My angel baby. My family perfectly complete. Humbrag: It is so hard to find time to workout, go to an awesome job, take care of two perfect children and have alone time with my flawless husband. #notenoughtimeintheday

It’s empowering to think of all the things you have accomplished in life, it’s funnier when you make them into humbrags. I don’t know what the next 10 years will bring but I’m excited to make them the best yet. I know you probably feel like this post was T.M.I. but it made me feel good about myself and that’s the most important thing sometimes, to take care of yourself before anyone else. If you need someone to take care of your skin or you want a special treat then you should come see us at Johnson Dermatology. We have a LOT of exciting things coming and August is going to be our huge 10 year celebration month so I hope to see you all at the clinic.

“And I saw on this hill, since my eyesight’s so keen, the two biggest fools that have ever been seen! And the fools that I saw were none other than you, who seem to have nothing else better to do than sit here and argue who’s better than who!” -Dr. Seuss

#humblebrag away people, Nina

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There are certain things in life that make you feel good; make you want to turn the music up in the car and dance your whole drive home. On Friday I got my hair done(shout out to my girls at Roots hair salon). I love it! It put me in a good mood. I wanted to celebrate how great it made me feel. Maybe the older you get in life the more small things grow in importance and significance and I have reached the age where a great cut and color is the highlight of my week. Or maybe when you look good you really do feel good. Whatever the reason, I know that my mood can go from great to dancing in the streets after a good haircut,massage, date night, girls night out or filler (last time I had filler to contour my cheeks I took approximately 500 Kim Kardashian style selfies). That’s the real reason we all get botox, laser, invest in skin care, color our hair, get a pedicure, shop the new styles or even use make-up. We want to look good to feel good.

Laser hair reduction is probably the most universal cosmetic skin procedure. Men and women of all ages can benefit from laser hair reduction. If you have unwanted dark hairs we can do laser hair reduction on your upper lip, chin, underarms, abdomen, bikini area, legs and back. We have recently upped our game of laser hair reduction at Johnson Dermatology so I thought we should do a re-cap overview.

1. We have three lasers for hair reduction. We have the YAG which is the safest laser on the market for dark skin. The Elos is a machine that has different pieces for different things. We have a hand piece for painless hair reduction and then another piece for larger areas so it won’t take as long and it won’t hurt as much.
2. You can’t get lasered when you are tan. It can cause discoloration.
3. You have to have dark hair. If the hair is blonde the laser won’t work. The laser targets dark and if there is nothing to target it simply won’t work well. This is why you can’t wax nor pluck two weeks before being lasered, it needs that target. Don’t fret, you can shave.
4. It requires 3-5 monthly treatments for semi-permanent results.
5. Laser hair reduction of the underarms (we say axillae in the fancy medical world) can also help with excessive sweating.
6. Laser hair reduction can solve the problem of “razor burn”. If I’ve said it once I’ve said it 100 times, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
7. Think of all the money you will save in razors, shaving cream, aftershave, waxing appointments, threading and all the other lotions and potions you use for hair reduction.
8. It makes a great gift. Give it to your guy with a hairy back or who hates his beard and wants it forever gone. Give it to your bridesmaids-it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Honestly, everyone has somewhere they would probably like laser hair reduction.
9. There is no downtime. I can have my upper lip lasered (maltese girl problems) and go see patients 5 minutes later and no one can tell. I might be a little red but it covers with make-up, no biggie.
10. With the new painless laser hair reduction, Motif, it doesn’t hurt. If you had laser hair reduction 5 years ago this will change your experience 100%.

Laser hair reduction can be life changing. Upper lip hair used to embarrass me, razor burn hurt and itched. If you or someone you know could benefit from laser hair reduction I highly recommend you call and ask for Tasha, Alice, Dani or one of our amazing laser technicians who can walk you through any questions and get you an appointment to learn more and be treated, safely!

Thanks to Roots hair salon and my hair dresser Caroline I got to dance around all weekend feeling super fly. I hope you will let Johnson Dermatology help you feel like you can dance in your own skin with pride. I look forward to getting to know you and getting to know my current people even better.

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

I hope you can all hear the tune I’m carrying, Nina

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Have you heard of the Kylie lip kits? They are a lip gloss and lip liner package designed by Kylie Jenner and they are super hard to get in your hands. They are only available online and every time the site restocks they sell out within minutes. You have to know exactly when they restock and be available to buy right then if you want one. So they must be amazing, right? I’m not a Kylie Jenner super fan, I don’t need another $40 lipstick. I wasn’t super excited about the shades BUT I felt I had to have one. I had to know what all the hype was about. I wanted to feel that success of getting something other people couldn’t, being a winner having the best lip product out there. So I fell for it, I bought her app, I was notified when they restocked and I bought one. Pathetic? Or way cool for a 32 year old? Don’t answer that rhetorical question. That’s how the world of beauty products works. Everyone wants a Louis, not a knock off. Everyone wants Oreo cookies not the knock off chocolate sandwich cookie. But why? Could you tell the difference in a blind folded taste test? Maybe not. It’s called marketing and it is made to train you what’s great and what’s not. On the other hand, a Louis Voutton purse is made with higher quality leather than its knock off so in some instances you pay for what you get. How then in the world of skincare do we know if we are getting what we pay for (spending more money to get a product that works) or are we paying for a name brand that’s been marketed into our heads as changing our skin but is the same as dollar general brand lotion behind the label? I don’t know if I have a good answer because quite frankly I love my Kylie lip kit. And I don’t know if it’s because the world convinced me to love it before I even had it on my lips or if I really love it, but I want it in every color. Either way I feel like it is my job to steer my uneducated patients towards products that will change their skin. It is my job as your skin care expert when you come to see me for your skin to make sure you know which products to use and where to get them. That’s the reason we sell skin care products at Johnson Dermatology. That’s the easiest way to help you deciefer through the sea of choices, just hand you what you need. So above all else know that you are always welcome to walk through our doors and talk to somebody about our products and which ones will or won’t work for you needs. We are here for you. But until that time here are a few tricks to help you decide what to get and what not to get.

1. Some of my favorite brands are Jane Iredale, SkinMedica, Elta MD, Vanicream, Cetaphil and Cerave.
2. Never buy a product that costs more than $300. Unless your money grows off trees in the back yard and in that case, what’s your address?
3. Avoid products that have more than 10 ingredients (Shelly taught me this and I live by it, LIVE BY IT)
4. Sunscreen every morning and Retinol everynight-bottom line must haves.
5. Avoid fragrances, colors, additives and the so called “froo froo” products.
6. Natural isn’t always better. I LOVE coconut oil. It has anti-inflammatory properties and it is very moisturizing. But here lately I have had so many patients that have found out they are allergic to it! It’s causing rash even though it is a natural oil. Don’t think just because organic is on the label that it can’t cause you problems.
7. Question yours and your sellers motives. Why are you buying this product? Is someone selling it to you to make money off you? Is someone recommending it because it worked for them? Did you see the commercial? Did your dermatologist recommend it? Think about these things because sometimes it saves you from a bad impulse buy.
8. Does it promise overnight results? This always deters me from a product. Anyone that knows skin knows your skin cells only turn over every 28 days therefore to produce real results you should give a product 3 months to work.
9. First do no harm. If a make-up has talc in it it could flare your acnes. If your soap has a heavy fragrance in it it could cause eczema or backne. Only buy gentle products, simplicity is usually the ticket.
10. Nothing harsh. If it burns when you put it on probably a bad idea, if it feels like sandpaper on your skin, not okay. People often want to “feel it working” but this could often be causing problems for you skin. An example would be alcohol based toners that burn when you apply them, they can be very drying to the skin and cause rashes, redness and irritation.

Hope these tips help you out next time you are at the beauty counter, hope next time you are at OUR beauty counter because we have actual dermatologist in the building recommending our products it isn’t just some bogus label that says “dermatologist recommended” just sayin’….. This week is the last week of June otherwise known as Acne Awareness Month so make sure you are following us on instagram and snapchat because everyday we are posting before and after photos and live video of tips, tricks and procedures. JDermatology is how you find us on both outlets. See you there!

XOXO, Nina

P.S. I found a Jane Iredale lip liner and color that copy cats the Kylie lip kit I got and it’s much more comfortable on the lips plus WAY easier to get your hands on…. I will snap it and IG it this week!

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June is acne awareness month and coincidentally, it’s also wedding season. This weekend I will be heading to NYC for my sweet dear cousin’s wedding. As a tribute to her celebration, this week’s blog is dedicated to her. I love you Jackie and I am excited to welcome Matt to the family. I know you will be an absolutely stunning bride but just to help you out in the derm department here are your do’s and don’ts for your skin the week of your wedding!

1. Do use HA5. I generally tell patients they need to give skincare products 3 months before they decide if they are “working” because our skin cells only turn over every 28 days. At this point we don’t have time for that so use HA5, it has immediate (within 15 minutes) plumping of the skin. It will help with redness, fine lines, dullness and those sleepy eyelids. So use it before the wedding as your super moisturizer and then keep using it because over time it will make you more collagen!
2. Do wear sunscreen and don’t forget it on your lips! Nobody wants tan lines, sunburn or chapped lips on the big day. And might as well add a floppy hat, sunglasses and sunsmart clothes to that order because you’re my cousin and I said so.
3. Don’t go get a facial where you’ve never had one. New products that could cause a reaction or could irritate your skin aren’t a good idea this week. If you get a rash or irritation it will be much harder to treat then it is to just prevent!
4. Do treat acne ASAP at a dermatologist. It’s too late for a lot of the effective medications but if you have an emergency pimple we can inject it with a little steroid or laser it with the pulsed dye laser to get the red out. If you are acne prone consider a blu-u light treatment. It’s quick and painless. Go twice this week and sit under a blu-u light for about 16 minutes. That will kill all the P. acnes (the bacteria associated with acne) and decrease the inflammation. This will calm down your acne and prevent additional acne.
5. Do moisturize your hair, nails and skin. Don’t go swim in a chlorine pool this week and let your hair dry and frizz. Try a leave in conditioner or condition as soon as you get done swimming. Don’t forget to moisturize your nails and cuticles. This will help prevent unwanted breaks and hangnails and promote a healthy beautiful nail for that famous ring photo! And please don’t let them push back or cut your cuticles when you have your nails done this week-cuticles are there to protect and prevent damaged nails and infection. Obviously if your skin dries out this week it could look dull, wrinkled and aged. Not to mention could crack which could introduce infection and we just don’t want to go down that path. I like a big jar of vaseline or try a jar of Cetaphil or Vanicream or even some olive oil if you want to celebrate our Maltese roots.
6. Don’t go get fillers and procedures. That was a last month or at least last week idea. Anywhere a needle goes there is the possibility a bruise can be left behind. Although bruising is unlikely, chances are you will get one because that’s how fate treats us \and explaining a bruise on your face at a wedding can get interesting.

Hope this helps anyone that has a big social event this weekend. If you have any skin emergency needs you know where I am. Come by the clinic and let us fix you up! Happy acne awareness month everyone!

“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” -Dr. Seuss

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When you are a licensed skin expert, you know, someone who walks into a building every day and the word Dermatology is on the front door, absurd skin advice gets under your skin (pun intended). Social media is so fun, it’s addictive, it’s connecting us all the time, even when we may not be close by or get to visit each other as often as we’de like. Every single day as I scroll through my various social media feeds I see all these crazy skin hacks that people recommend or are sharing from a blog or wherever else. I’m not talking about your run of the mill pyramid selling skin care line products (that’s a whole different blog post) I’m talking about those things that make you say “Really?!?!” or “gross!” or WHY?!?”. You know what I’m talking about, you’ve seen them and sometimes even for a brief moment wanted to try them. Although some of them may not help your skin, that’s really not too bad a loss. Some of them could hurt your skin-BOO! Here are some of the more infamous skin hacks and their safer, scientific based alternatives.

Crazy skin trick #1: Toothpaste on acne. It’s not called skinpaste for a reason, it’s for your teeth. I love toothpaste on my teeth but most of them have dyes and irritants that cause the skin to be dry, red and inflamed-no good. Although these symptoms will camouflage a pimple I think you are better off to treat the pimple.

Scientific Alternative: Pulsed Dye Laser. Instead of freaking out when you get that pimple the day before a big interview come see us and let us laser it. The PDL will help get rid of the red in that pimple instead of camouflaging it with more red.

Crazy skin trick #2: Cannabis Facial. Okay first of all marijuana oil is illegal in the state of Arkansas so unless you enjoy jail time or want to move to Colorado or Washington I’de find an alternative. But second of all there is no science (yet) that the THC in old Mary Jane actually has any anti-inflammatory effects topically.

Scientific Alternative: Moisturize. Yeah a cannabis facial may make you “feel younger” as some have recently claimed but so will slapping on a good thick moisturizer. Moisturizer will instantly plump fine lines and help with dullness and overall skin health. Try something plain like Cetaphil.

Crazy skin trick #3:Urotherapy (applying your urine to your skin). I can’t even stop laughing as I type this. Really? Google it, Ur-In-therapy, pee for pimples, the urine facial…. I mean you can’t make this stuff up. How many online reviews that encourage it and say it works is even more mind blowing. I recently read an article of kids that were getting infections because they were keeping pee in a jar for weeks that would grow bacteria (shocker) and then they had infections all over their face on top of acne.

Scientific Alternative:Benzoyl Peroxide. It’s over the counter, not as free as pee but cheap. You can get it as a leave on cream or as a wash. It’s been researched and is an old tried and true. It has a bactericidal effect on P. acnes (the bacteria associated with acne) and is actually very effective, cheap and easy. Warning-can cause irritation and will bleach towels on contact.

Crazy skin trick #4: Rubbing a penny on a hickey. Who thought penny’s would get rid of hickeys? Weird. If you rubbed hard enough with that penny you could cause redness, inflammation and even more bruising.

Scientific Alternative: Don’t let someone suck your skin so hard you get a bruise. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. But just in case that didn’t work for you come let us laser it to go away quicker or try some Arnicare gel.

What crazy skin tricks have you guys tried? I so remember putting toothpaste on my face before Woodland Junior High dances….. not the worst thing I ever did to my skin, but not the smartest either! I had fun reading all the wild advice on the internet and it just made me appreciate you all so much. There are too many options out there and you choose to trust us at Johnson Dermatology with your skin. Thank you.

Hope your Memorial Day long weekend was as excellent as mine! Hope to see you all this week at the clinic, XXOO, Nina

“I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.” Lee Greenwood

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