Dedicated to changing lives through her comprehensive approach to care, Indianapolis dermatologist Dr. Sonya Johnson offers a wide variety of medical and cosmetic treatments.
Passionate about helping women look and feel their best at every stage of...
Dedicated to changing lives through her comprehensive approach to care, Indianapolis dermatologist Dr. Sonya Johnson offers a wide variety of medical and cosmetic treatments.
Passionate about helping women look and feel their best at every stage of life, Dr. Johnson’s expertise extends from non-surgical facial rejuvenation to advanced solutions for women's health and hormonal imbalances.
A true problem solver, Dr. Johnson excels at diagnosing the root cause of hair loss and skin conditions and giving women hope by showing them there are options.
To learn more about Dr. Sonya Johnson
Follow Dr. Johnson on Instagram @dermassoc
ABOUT MEET THE DOCTOR
The purpose of the Meet the Doctor podcast is simple. We want you to get to know your doctor before meeting them in person because you’re making a life changing decision and time is scarce. The more you can learn about who your doctor is before you meet them, the better that first meeting will be.
When you head into an important appointment more informed and better educated, you are able to have a richer, more specific conversation about the procedures and treatments you’re interested in. There’s no substitute for an in-person appointment, but we hope this comes close.
Meet The Doctor is a production of The Axis.
Made with love in Austin, Texas.
Are you a doctor or do you know a doctor who’d like to be on the Meet the Doctor podcast? Book a free 30 minute recording session at meetthedoctorpodcast.com.
Dedicated to changing lives through her comprehensive approach to care, Indianapolis dermatologist Dr. Sonya Johnson offers a wide variety of medical and cosmetic treatments.
Passionate about helping women look and feel their best at every stage of...
Dedicated to changing lives through her comprehensive approach to care, Indianapolis dermatologist Dr. Sonya Johnson offers a wide variety of medical and cosmetic treatments.
Passionate about helping women look and feel their best at every stage of life, Dr. Johnson’s expertise extends from non-surgical facial rejuvenation to advanced solutions for women's health and hormonal imbalances.
A true problem solver, Dr. Johnson excels at diagnosing the root cause of hair loss and skin conditions and giving women hope by showing them there are options.
To learn more about Dr. Sonya Johnson
Follow Dr. Johnson on Instagram @dermassoc
ABOUT MEET THE DOCTOR
The purpose of the Meet the Doctor podcast is simple. We want you to get to know your doctor before meeting them in person because you’re making a life changing decision and time is scarce. The more you can learn about who your doctor is before you meet them, the better that first meeting will be.
When you head into an important appointment more informed and better educated, you are able to have a richer, more specific conversation about the procedures and treatments you’re interested in. There’s no substitute for an in-person appointment, but we hope this comes close.
Meet The Doctor is a production of The Axis.
Made with love in Austin, Texas.
Are you a doctor or do you know a doctor who’d like to be on the Meet the Doctor podcast? Book a free 30 minute recording session at meetthedoctorpodcast.com.
Dedicated to changing lives through her comprehensive approach to care, Indianapolis dermatologist Dr. Sonya Johnson offers a wide variety of medical and cosmetic treatments.
Passionate about helping women look and feel their best at every stage of...
Dedicated to changing lives through her comprehensive approach to care, Indianapolis dermatologist Dr. Sonya Johnson offers a wide variety of medical and cosmetic treatments.
Passionate about helping women look and feel their best at every stage of life, Dr. Johnson’s expertise extends from non-surgical facial rejuvenation to advanced solutions for women's health and hormonal imbalances.
A true problem solver, Dr. Johnson excels at diagnosing the root cause of hair loss and skin conditions and giving women hope by showing them there are options.
To learn more about Dr. Sonya Johnson
Follow Dr. Johnson on Instagram @dermassoc
ABOUT MEET THE DOCTOR
The purpose of the Meet the Doctor podcast is simple. We want you to get to know your doctor before meeting them in person because you’re making a life changing decision and time is scarce. The more you can learn about who your doctor is before you meet them, the better that first meeting will be.
When you head into an important appointment more informed and better educated, you are able to have a richer, more specific conversation about the procedures and treatments you’re interested in. There’s no substitute for an in-person appointment, but we hope this comes close.
Meet The Doctor is a production of The Axis.
Made with love in Austin, Texas.
Are you a doctor or do you know a doctor who’d like to be on the Meet the Doctor podcast? Book a free 30 minute recording session at meetthedoctorpodcast.com.
Dedicated to changing lives through her comprehensive approach to care, Indianapolis dermatologist Dr. Sonya Johnson offers a wide variety of medical and cosmetic treatments.
Passionate about helping women look and feel their best at every stage of...
Dedicated to changing lives through her comprehensive approach to care, Indianapolis dermatologist Dr. Sonya Johnson offers a wide variety of medical and cosmetic treatments.
Passionate about helping women look and feel their best at every stage of life, Dr. Johnson’s expertise extends from non-surgical facial rejuvenation to advanced solutions for women's health and hormonal imbalances.
A true problem solver, Dr. Johnson excels at diagnosing the root cause of hair loss and skin conditions and giving women hope by showing them there are options.
To learn more about Dr. Sonya Johnson
Follow Dr. Johnson on Instagram @dermassoc
ABOUT MEET THE DOCTOR
The purpose of the Meet the Doctor podcast is simple. We want you to get to know your doctor before meeting them in person because you’re making a life changing decision and time is scarce. The more you can learn about who your doctor is before you meet them, the better that first meeting will be.
When you head into an important appointment more informed and better educated, you are able to have a richer, more specific conversation about the procedures and treatments you’re interested in. There’s no substitute for an in-person appointment, but we hope this comes close.
Meet The Doctor is a production of The Axis.
Made with love in Austin, Texas.
Are you a doctor or do you know a doctor who’d like to be on the Meet the Doctor podcast? Book a free 30 minute recording session at meetthedoctorpodcast.com.
Dedicated to changing lives through her comprehensive approach to care, Indianapolis dermatologist Dr. Sonya Johnson offers a wide variety of medical and cosmetic treatments.
Passionate about helping women look and feel their best at every stage of...
Dedicated to changing lives through her comprehensive approach to care, Indianapolis dermatologist Dr. Sonya Johnson offers a wide variety of medical and cosmetic treatments.
Passionate about helping women look and feel their best at every stage of life, Dr. Johnson’s expertise extends from non-surgical facial rejuvenation to advanced solutions for women's health and hormonal imbalances.
A true problem solver, Dr. Johnson excels at diagnosing the root cause of hair loss and skin conditions and giving women hope by showing them there are options.
To learn more about Dr. Sonya Johnson
Follow Dr. Johnson on Instagram @dermassoc
ABOUT MEET THE DOCTOR
The purpose of the Meet the Doctor podcast is simple. We want you to get to know your doctor before meeting them in person because you’re making a life changing decision and time is scarce. The more you can learn about who your doctor is before you meet them, the better that first meeting will be.
When you head into an important appointment more informed and better educated, you are able to have a richer, more specific conversation about the procedures and treatments you’re interested in. There’s no substitute for an in-person appointment, but we hope this comes close.
Meet The Doctor is a production of The Axis.
Made with love in Austin, Texas.
Are you a doctor or do you know a doctor who’d like to be on the Meet the Doctor podcast? Book a free 30 minute recording session at meetthedoctorpodcast.com.
Dedicated to changing lives through her comprehensive approach to care, Indianapolis dermatologist Dr. Sonya Johnson offers a wide variety of medical and cosmetic treatments.
Passionate about helping women look and feel their best at every stage of...
Dedicated to changing lives through her comprehensive approach to care, Indianapolis dermatologist Dr. Sonya Johnson offers a wide variety of medical and cosmetic treatments.
Passionate about helping women look and feel their best at every stage of life, Dr. Johnson’s expertise extends from non-surgical facial rejuvenation to advanced solutions for women's health and hormonal imbalances.
A true problem solver, Dr. Johnson excels at diagnosing the root cause of hair loss and skin conditions and giving women hope by showing them there are options.
To learn more about Dr. Sonya Johnson
Follow Dr. Johnson on Instagram @dermassoc
ABOUT MEET THE DOCTOR
The purpose of the Meet the Doctor podcast is simple. We want you to get to know your doctor before meeting them in person because you’re making a life changing decision and time is scarce. The more you can learn about who your doctor is before you meet them, the better that first meeting will be.
When you head into an important appointment more informed and better educated, you are able to have a richer, more specific conversation about the procedures and treatments you’re interested in. There’s no substitute for an in-person appointment, but we hope this comes close.
Meet The Doctor is a production of The Axis.
Made with love in Austin, Texas.
Are you a doctor or do you know a doctor who’d like to be on the Meet the Doctor podcast? Book a free 30 minute recording session at meetthedoctorpodcast.com.
Eva Sheie (00:03):
The purpose of this podcast is simple. We want you to get to know your doctor before meeting them in person because you're making a life-changing decision and time is scarce. The more you can learn about who your doctor is before you meet them, the better that first meeting will be. There is no substitute for an in-person appointment, but we hope this comes close. I'm your host, Eva Sheie, and you're listening to Meet the Doctor. Welcome back to Meet the Doctor. My guest today is Sonya Johnson, and I did it wrong. My guest today is Sonya Johnson. I just asked if it was Sonya or Sonya, and then I immediately said the wrong one. Welcome to the podcast.
Dr. Johnson (00:46):
Thank you. Thank you, Eva.
Eva Sheie (00:48):
Now you're a board certified dermatologist in Indianapolis.
Dr. Johnson (00:52):
Yes, I am.
Eva Sheie (00:54):
I don't know if I've ever had anyone from India on the podcast. So let's start there. What does the aesthetics look like in Indianapolis?
Dr. Johnson (01:04):
We're a very busy aesthetic practice as well as the community in itself. We have a lot of plastic surgeons here and a lot of the dermatologists are all doing some type of aesthetics also or they offer that in their practice.
Eva Sheie (01:17):
And it's not such a big place that you don't know. Are you all friendly with each other? You all pretty much know everyone who's there?
Dr. Johnson (01:23):
We do, and really a lot of doctors are very good. Everyone does very well and we have enough patients that we all are busy. And so at the end of the day, it's the patient's decision who they feel most comfortable with. But they do have an option as far as who they want to see.
Eva Sheie (01:38):
And do your colleagues send people to you for any specific things?
Dr. Johnson (01:42):
Yes, I have done that and vice versa. I've sent my patients to certain colleagues for certain things also.
Eva Sheie (01:48):
Is there anything that you're known for in particular?
Dr. Johnson (01:52):
Discoloration, hair disorders. I do cosmetics, so everybody's in that spot. So when it comes to cosmetics, no one person is known for one thing in a sense, but when it comes to medical hair loss as well as skin discoloration, yes.
Eva Sheie (02:12):
I kind of learned the hard way that dermatologists are known for more than just skin. And you actually also specialize in nails and hair.
Dr. Johnson (02:21):
Yes.
Eva Sheie (02:21):
Is that right? Yeah. And so you mentioned two really interesting things there, hair disorders and discoloration. So I wonder if you can expand on each of those.
Dr. Johnson (02:30):
Sure. For hair disorders, we have a lot of women, especially of ethnic origin who I see because they are losing the hair, the crown of their scalp. They are losing a lot of hair and a lot of them cannot get it to grow back. And so that's my job to figure out what's caused the problem and how can we get it to grow back. Because as we know, that is a significant part of unfortunately define who we are for a lot of women. And even though we do have a lot of options to hide areas of concern, when you have hair loss, people still want their natural hair. And we found that when we do biopsies, a lot of biopsies to figure out what exactly is the problem. Then we give them the options for treatment. As far as discoloration or pigmentation disorders, I see a lot of patients who have discoloration, they don't care for dark spots. And so my job at that time, a lot of times is just to even out the skin tone, get rid of the pigmentation issue and then to even out the skin tone.
Eva Sheie (03:29):
When women lose hair in particular, I think this is very different from when men lose hair, right? Men, it's sort of socially acceptable. But what kinds of things do you see women do to hide hair loss?
Dr. Johnson (03:40):
The things they do to hide it? One, of course they wear wigs, you know sew-ins, they have clamps now you can put in your hair. A lot of times they use that to make it fuller or longer. But women, if you have enough hair to hide the thin area or the bald spot, then they can use a clamp again to hide that even more.
Eva Sheie (04:03):
Is that like a permanent barrette, like a barrette that just won't come out?
Dr. Johnson (04:07):
Well, no, this comes out, it's like a little micro clamp is impressive actually. And they just clamp it to their hairs and it makes the hair fuller longer. Yes. So there's a lot of options. And then not to mention, you can get a type of powder over the counter that is colored. And so I had an opera singer who get on the stage and she said the light just shows so much. And so even though she had hair, it was thinned. She would put a little microfiber in her hair, the color of her hair, which was black, and you couldn't tell it looked fuller even though she did have thinning in that area.
Eva Sheie (04:44):
It's like dry shampoo, but more substantial.
Dr. Johnson (04:48):
Exactly, in a sense. And you can keep it in a couple of days from what I can tell, but they wash it out and they just reapply. But it helps the hair, it hides that area so it doesn't look so thin.
Eva Sheie (05:00):
It's still a lot of work. It's kind of a production and there's an emotional component to losing your hair. And I wonder if your patients confide in you about the kinds of things that they feel about losing their hair too. Does it end up being a little bit like therapy when they come to see you?
Dr. Johnson (05:17):
It is. And really the therapy session is let's get to the core of what's really the problem. And then once we realize the problem, you see all the options you have. And of course we always start off with insurance based options and then we go into cosmetic based options unless they want to move much faster. But at the end of the day, some women, they accept what is, and I tell them the goal here is to really save money because if there's something we just do not have treatment for, then there's no need to continue to seek therapy or to get the next best treatment that it's not going to work anyway. And so that's the goal is to at least get an answer so then they can see all their options. And with that, for some women, it's a sigh of relief because then they know, okay, well then knowing this is the only option I have for now, then I can just go this route instead of keep looking for the next best thing and then they can move on.
(06:18):
It's almost like it is a letting go of something and acceptance. So that's some of the reasons why I prefer to get to the core of it, the diagnosis, but also for other women to give them hope to let them know there is something we can do. And with that, it is almost like they feel like there's a renewal ness there and not a depression. And then there's other cases where it's a realistic situation where, okay, let's put this into perspective. It's not like you have cancer or something that can be detrimental. And I understand hair's a lot. This is important, but we have so many options to cover it up. If you cannot grow your hair back.
Eva Sheie (07:01):
Is hair loss ever a symptom of another problem that doesn't seem related?
Dr. Johnson (07:07):
It can, yes. And that's why we do blood work to see is a do your thyroid or hormones or medication can be the cause of it. But yes, it can be due to other reasons. And then not to mention anemia, something as simple as that can cause hair loss.
Eva Sheie (07:23):
When you go about approaching hair restoration, what do the options generally look like? You don't have to go into great detail, but what do the usual treatments look like?
Dr. Johnson (07:35):
In general, once we get a diagnosis, the treatments can include things that are topical that we can try oral medications as well as injectable medications. And then if that doesn't work, we go on to your non-insurance covered options, which is again, injectables. But with your PRP or with exosomes, there are lasers you can try. Some people try the laser caps and then of course there's grafting that we can do too.
Eva Sheie (08:04):
Do you do transplants? Is that the same as grafting or different?
Dr. Johnson (08:07):
No, I do not do transplants, but yes, that is the same as grafting. Yes.
Eva Sheie (08:11):
So do you ever have to send people away or can you pretty much handle just about anything without going to the transplant route?
Dr. Johnson (08:19):
A few go on to transplants, but very few don't want that. And a lot of patients, we actually get the hair to grow back. So yeah, it works out well what we do offer. Yes.
Eva Sheie (08:30):
That's great. And so when you do hair and then we can move on to something else, are you usually seeing women with hair loss or men or is it about 50/50?
Dr. Johnson (08:40):
No, it's a lot more women. Like you said men, they can go totally bald and look even bette sometimes.
Eva Sheie (08:47):
Yeah, that's true.
Dr. Johnson (08:47):
Society accepts that. I have a lot of women, don't get me wrong, a few, well not a lot, but a few women who are very much okay with natural short hair and they look really good. So it depends on the comfort level of that person.
Eva Sheie (09:02):
All right. Well let's switch to something else. Hair is, it's easy to talk about hair all day because everybody has it and it's super important.
Dr. Johnson (09:11):
Exactly.
Eva Sheie (09:12):
What other kinds of cosmetic procedures and treatments do you like to do?
Dr. Johnson (09:19):
We do, of course, Botox, fillers. I like those. A combination of things, we do threading, also different devices such as Morpheus8, laser hair resurfacing. We also have the body contouring laser. We have a laser for empowering women such as something for it is Morpheus8V. But VITONE and Formiva all helps with urine incontinence, stress incontinence or dryness as well as some medical conditions that affect women in the private area that it will help with that. But those are the types of services we offer besides hormone therapy and IV and weight loss.
Eva Sheie (10:02):
Oh, interesting. Okay. So Morpheus8 and the Morpheus8 V, these are very popular treatments. People look for them. And I think we have the Kardashians to thank for some of the brand recognition here. Not that I think they've done great things in the world, however, this is one of the things that's been useful to lots of us because the Morpheus8 is a great treatment, right?
Dr. Johnson (10:25):
Exactly, exactly. It is a great treatment. Yes, it is.
Eva Sheie (10:29):
So can you use Morpheus8 on any skin type?
Dr. Johnson (10:33):
You can. That's what I like about it. We can use it on various skin types. And so that's the reason why we purchase it because I can use it on my ethnic skin clients as well as my Caucasian skin clients. And for my ethnic skin, we really haven't had anything that's going to produce more collagen or help you to regenerate collagen that is a device. And so it was nice that this came on the market.
Eva Sheie (11:01):
Lots of things I think start as treatments for the face and then it takes doctors about five minutes to go, I wonder what happens if I do it on this other part of the body whatever that happens to be.
Dr. Johnson (11:13):
Exactly.
Eva Sheie (11:13):
You can use a Morpheus8 anywhere?
Dr. Johnson (11:16):
I mean for saggy knees, how you have a lot redundant skin around the knees as we get wiser, you can use it there, you can use it on the arms. I mean it's a wonderful device. It really is. And it's done well for us. And so I am really happy for my patients when they are willing to get that service done and they see the outcome of that. So I think so far everyone has been really happy with it and it's done a really good job.
Eva Sheie (11:46):
And you liked it so much that you went ahead and got the feminine rejuvenation device, the Empower RF, which also has the Morpheus8 V on it. And so how did you decide you were going to venture into that part of the body when you're usually on the outside of the body, now you're going on the inside.
Dr. Johnson (12:04):
Explain that, right? As a woman and as again as we're getting wiser, we are going through changes. So I mean this is what you call aging gracefully. And as we are getting wiser, we still look good. We're still very active. And so why have problems that you don't have to have? And the problem with that device is people don't want to, you know we don't openly talk about that. That's not a conversation you have at the dinner table. So unless you're with your girlfriends and someone bring it up. But that's not a common conversation. But it helps women when they get this service done, it's the world of difference for them. They don't feel like they need to put on the pull-ups that are offered your depends. I mean really this is what I hear. And so what we do, we give people a questionnaire to fill out because otherwise it's a conversation nobody really talks about, especially in the dermatology office.
(13:02):
So with that, they fill out a question and they'll mention, oh, you have something for this. We say, yes, we do, and we talk about it, and they want that. They want something for the urine incontinence. And when you talk to them, you realize how their life has been really altered because of it. They're not sleeping well at night because getting up several times at night or during the day, they have to make a dash for the restroom and Heaven forbid they need to put on extra gear, clothing or extra protection in case they laugh or cough. So you get something, a procedure performed that's going to mitigate that, slow it down or just stop it all together. For some women that is a significant help for them. And then they feel younger, they feel a little youthful because not only does it take care of the urine incontinence, but we also can rejuvenate that area and they produce more moisture and they can enjoy their sexual lifestyle again without feeling uncomfortable.
Eva Sheie (13:59):
I had the great privilege of learning all about this device earlier this year and I worked with the doctor who created some of the components of the device and I learned two really big things and they're so big that I am bringing them up here. One is that injuries in this part of our body often happen 15 to 20 years before we even are aware that it was injured. So for instance, we have a baby and some part of the pelvic floor is injured in the process of having a baby, but it's not something you can feel. So you don't even know it was injured. And you just go on with your life and don't realize that something happened and he's saying 15 to 20 years later, which is incredible. Imagine if you could get it treated right when it happened instead of waiting until you're wiser.
Dr. Johnson (14:48):
Yes.
Eva Sheie (14:49):
And the other thing that I learned from that experience was that, and he had a sort of aha moment himself was he would tell his patients to do Kegels, like sitting at a stoplight and doing a kegel and they'd think they were. But when an injury causes a muscle to be damaged beyond the point where you can feel it, then you think you're doing it. You think you're activating a muscle, but you're actually not. It's just gone. The feeling of doing it is not there. So that's relevant because I think it's the Vitone or however, whichever one has the biofeedback in it shows you you can't even feel this muscle and now we can fix it. So before that, how could you fix something that you didn't even know was injured because you couldn't feel it. So I wonder what your experience has been with those two things. Have you seen that yourself with your patients that they didn't know?
Dr. Johnson (15:45):
A lot of patients so far, the ones that have mentioned to me, they're talking about more incontinence and really, like you said, how would they even know? They just know now they're having a problem.
Eva Sheie (15:56):
We don't know what the problem is.
Dr. Johnson (15:58):
Exactly. You have no idea to what degree is it just the muscle need to be tightened or is it that you need rejuvenation of that tissue around that area? You really don't know. And so I do know that all we can go by is their symptoms is what they're telling you as far as the problems they're having. And then you make the comparison after they get their treatments, is it getting better? And then they can tell you, yes, I am. A couple people after one episode they see a marked difference, which is impressive. And of course because we are still aging and see, and this what it goes to, like you said, damage could have happened right after childbirth. And that's a case with a lot of women. They don't realize it, but as we're getting wiser, then our body doesn't heal. It used to, it doesn't rejuvenate like it used to.
(16:49):
And so therefore you starting to see have the problems that you're having with women do have incontinence or dryness or what have you. And so because the tissue is not rejuvenating itself and then we come in and treat that area, it gets better. But the situation people understand is, and this is even with cosmetics that we see when we get facial procedures done, we're still aging every day even though we rejuvenate that tissue and we take you back in time, some things we actually take you back in time. Other things, you have a duration, Botox lasts, what, three months and some now six months. Same with fillers. There's a duration, but with Morpheus and some other techniques that we do offer, you're actually taking a person back in time and they get to start over in a sense that makes sense. And so that's what you're doing with when you're using this device to help with the private area. We're taking you back in time, but just remember because you're aging every day, eventually you're going to need to get another treatment and keep that in mind. And that's what people sometimes forget. Maybe a year later or two years later, I may need another treatment, nothing as extensive as I had, but still do something so I can stay in a state where I am doing fine without the symptoms that I had previously.
Eva Sheie (18:07):
It's really remarkable and it's so wonderful that you're able to offer it to your patients. And I think you also have a unique advantage in that you're seeing people for clinical things and you get a chance to talk to them about all these great things that we can do that have nothing to do with the old systems of insurance and the silliness that all the hoops we have to jump through just to get basic things taken care of.
Dr. Johnson (18:32):
You're right. And not just that, but insurance only covers surgeries for this.
Eva Sheie (18:38):
That's right.
Dr. Johnson (18:38):
And everyone doesn't want to get cut on and it really doesn't fix the problem. That's another thing.
Eva Sheie (18:44):
That's right. So let's keep spreading the word.
Dr. Johnson (18:47):
Yes.
Eva Sheie (18:48):
I love that. I'm on team empower all day long.
Dr. Johnson (18:52):
Yes. I'm really excited when women are like, wow. And you see that wow factor. It is so nice to see how you can change people something that you don't think nothing of, but some women are really suffering in that department and they're not talking about it, but yet when they realize, oh, there's something for this. That's what it comes down to, educating people so they know they have options for treatment and it's not always surgery or not always creams that may not work, but something that actually works and unfortunately your insurance don't cover it, but at least you have an option.
Eva Sheie (19:32):
And then are you combining these treatments with hormone replacement too?
Dr. Johnson (19:37):
Yes, we do offer that, and that's another factor. The hormones really plays a big role in our getting wiser aspect of life in a sense that it affects the skin over. So if you're going to spend a lot of money into your Botox and fillers and rejuvenation with resurfacing or lasers, why not look into your hormones and work from within to at least slow down the process, if not, help your skin look a little better. That's one, but also even with that part of the body, the female part of the body, it helps in that area too. Testosterone does a wonderful job as well as your estrogen, and so of course you want to make sure you're the right candidate as far as the patient is concerned, but still, there's again, options. And so you can take care of your concerns that you have with your body by just making sure everything is optimized. And so even with hair loss, hormones play a role in that. So we do do blood work to see what are your hormones, how are they showing up for you? Is it low? You may need replacement to help with the hair loss, but we test a lot of that to hormone levels to make sure if a woman is interested in that, to make sure we optimize the person overall basically.
Eva Sheie (20:57):
Do you do blood work pretty much with everyone then?
Dr. Johnson (21:01):
For hair, yes. But for other conditions we offer it and a lot of times we do what the doctors haven't done and usually it's not the hormones, but in some cases thyroid play a role. We look at that, but other hormones that we think we need to check, we will offer that. And so far everybody is getting it done. So yes, if we see how hormones can affect that part of the body, yes, we do offer it.
Eva Sheie (21:29):
The data is so helpful, even if you don't necessarily know how to read it, if you start keeping track of it, I've found that it really makes a big difference.
Dr. Johnson (21:39):
Well, I feel that once we do check, we educate the patient on what we're looking for and what the labs entail, and sometimes we find other problems that they, and even if we find something that we can address, we still have them to talk to their doctor so we all on the same page and then go forth from that.
Eva Sheie (22:01):
That's a great time for me to ask you about your team. Who is helping you with all of this wonderful work?
Dr. Johnson (22:07):
I have physician assistants and so they've been a really plus to the office and definitely we're hiring more, so that's where we are. Yes.
Eva Sheie (22:18):
On your website, I can see that you have three offices around Indianapolis, so where can we expect to find you on any given day?
Dr. Johnson (22:26):
Well, I'm mainly at the main location of course, but I have two other locations that we go to, and of course my physician assistants go there also, but mainly in the Indianapolis location.
Eva Sheie (22:39):
What do you like to listen to when you're driving in the car to one of those far away offices?
Dr. Johnson (22:46):
Good question. I really listen to well about anything really, but usually I am having a conversation with someone, a family member, checking on family to see how everybody is doing phone time. That's my time. I have my earbuds in and we're talking, so it makes it really short. But usually I check on family during that time of my commute.
Eva Sheie (23:08):
Then what about your team at home?
Dr. Johnson (23:10):
Well, I'm an empty, well, not an empty nester, but you might as well say that I have two grown young men, and so one is still with me. The other one moved on, and significant other. My mother will be moving in the next week, so that's going to be good.
Eva Sheie (23:26):
That's a big change.
Dr. Johnson (23:28):
It is. It is. But I'm looking forward to it. She took care of me, so it's my time to take care of her.
Eva Sheie (23:34):
What do you like to do with your spare time, with your free time?
Dr. Johnson (23:37):
Oh, I love to travel, to read, shop. I like to do creative things, actually tap into that creative spirit of mine, but a little bit of everything. I try something once. Usually I like concerts. I'm not into sports that much, but I'll go if somebody invite me, but love to bike ride. So yeah, a little bit of everything.
Eva Sheie (24:01):
Well, and you have four seasons in Indianapolis, so I would bet you're taking advantage of the summer.
Dr. Johnson (24:07):
I love all of it. Actually. The fall and spring is my favorite.
Eva Sheie (24:11):
Is there anything you want to add that we didn't hit? Did we cover it all?
Dr. Johnson (24:16):
No, I think we covered it all. Oh, we can talk about I love to do fillers and Botox. Yeah.
Eva Sheie (24:23):
Okay.
Dr. Johnson (24:24):
I like to offer fillers and Botox because first of all, they're just simple procedures that people don't need to know what you had done. They just know you look good. And I guess I like to do that because you can see how it changes a person instantly. And like I said, nobody know what they had done. They can decide to share if they want to, but if they don't, that's okay. And they're so happy because what I do when I inject them, I do one side first, and so they can see the difference.
Eva Sheie (24:53):
Instantly?
Dr. Johnson (24:54):
Especially if it's their first time. Oh yeah, I do one side of the face.
Eva Sheie (24:57):
There is nothing like that first time, iit is the best.
Dr. Johnson (25:00):
And then I show the other side and they're like, oh my goodness. And it's just so nice when that happens. Another procedure that's really popular for us is getting rid of those little brown moles on the face. A lot of people have them, and we call 'em DPNs for short, dermatosis, papalosis nigra. And when I remove them, it's like I just took eraser, just erased them off their face. I had one lady, it was so funny during Covid, oh my goodness. One of my clients, she made the statement, she said, I was looking, so any other woman, she's put herself taking care of herself off for a long time, and now that everyone is grown, she's realized, okay, I need to do something for myself. And so sure enough she came in and we did them for her and she had a lot of zoom meetings like everybody did during Covid and she made this statement, I was so busy looking at myself, I didn't care about the meeting. And I laughed at her, you can just tell she was so in love with herself again, and it was so nice to see that.
Eva Sheie (26:01):
What do you use to take those off?
Dr. Johnson (26:04):
I use a cautery. We numb them up. We have really good numbing product we use, and once that's taken effect, then we just cauterize it and I have them to clean and circle of motion so they don't lose their pigment, but it comes back in a week or two. And so a majority of people there has come back even as if I did nothing and a few, about 10% would need some type of lightener to blend the skin better. But like I said, there's a few patients, and I do this in the fall to the springtime, so I don't want to have the sun as a factor. But yeah, it's a simple treatment, but it makes a world of difference.
Eva Sheie (26:43):
How does the sun interfere with a treatment like this to change the color of your skin or remove specific colors?
Dr. Johnson (26:51):
It makes it darker as the pigment is coming back. Not even only in the spot, just overall. If you go out in the sun in the summertime, you tend to tan even if you walking to your car, because I have a lot of people who say, well, doc, I'm not out a lot walking past the window, walking into the car. People don't think about that.
Eva Sheie (27:09):
Yes. Even in the car with the windows rolled up and I have a dark brown arm and a regular arm from living in Texas for so long.
Dr. Johnson (27:17):
Exactly, exactly. And so people don't think about that, and so I just tell 'em, no, I don't want to do it. You work harder and you don't need to. Your skin is easier for you to just do it in the fall. You don't have to worry about the sun, and therefore you may not need anything. Like the majority of patients don't need anything after they heal, so it works out well.
Eva Sheie (27:37):
Yep. That's great. What three things would you tell somebody if they were about to have Botox for the very first time that they need to know?
Dr. Johnson (27:47):
Well make sure the doctor knows about all their medical problems. That's one, but number two, relax and enjoy. That's it.
Eva Sheie (27:56):
I want to give you a number four.
Dr. Johnson (27:58):
Four, okay.
Eva Sheie (27:59):
It's not as expensive as you think it's going to be.
Dr. Johnson (28:02):
Yeah, you're right. It's not at all.
Eva Sheie (28:06):
Yeah. I would think even if you're a certain age, if you're a certain level of wisdom that you could say, I want to give you $250, how much Botox can I get? And you might actually be surprised how well you can do with that, right?
Dr. Johnson (28:24):
Exactly. You're absolutely right. And some people don't even need that much. I have a person who they get crinkling of the chin area that doesn't take much at all, and they're like, oh, that's all I need to spend a day. I say yes, but especially for new people. You're right. And like I said, those procedures, they're simple. They take no time to do. Like you were saying, it takes longer to drive there sometimes.
Eva Sheie (28:50):
It definitely does.
Dr. Johnson (28:53):
To drive there and get situated, but the Botox technique itself takes no time unless they mix it up when you first get there. But yes, otherwise it doesn't take long. And like you said, it's not that expensive.
Eva Sheie (29:06):
You mix it before your patients get there.
Dr. Johnson (29:10):
We wait till the person come and then we mix it. But if we don't use it up, we have more people that day. We have some left. We use the rest of it that day, so it works out.
Eva Sheie (29:19):
Yeah, I'm wondering why am I sitting here during mixing time every time? This is 17 minutes. I could,
Dr. Johnson (29:25):
Welll you were probably the first one she had that day. For the first one, yes. But for everyone that's coming in that same day, no, unless you run out of Botox, you have to mix another bottle of course.
Eva Sheie (29:36):
Just a great mystery of the universe, I guess. If someone is listening today and they want to follow you, find you or connect with you, where should they look for you online?
Dr. Johnson (29:48):
You can follow us on our Facebook page, which is Dermatology Associates, PC. Instagram is D-E-R-M-A-S-S-O-C, Derm Assoc. And always you can go to the website dermassoc.net.
Eva Sheie (30:02):
I'll put all those in the show notes so they're easy to find, of course. And I just want to thank you for such an enjoyable conversation. It was really truly a privilege to get to know you today.
Dr. Johnson (30:14):
Thank you so much. It was definitely an honor being here, and hope this helps, and thank you again for allowing me to be here.
Eva Sheie (30:22):
If anybody listens and they come in and say, I heard you on the Meet the Doctor podcast, and you are required to tell me.
Dr. Johnson (30:27):
I sure will. Thank you, Eva.
Eva Sheie (30:33):
If you are considering making an appointment or are on your way to meet this doctor, be sure to let them know you heard them on the Meet the Doctor podcast. Check the show notes for links including the doctor's website and Instagram to learn more. Are you a doctor or do you know a doctor who'd like to be on the Meet the Doctor podcast? Book your free recording session at MeettheDoctorpodcast.com. Meet the Doctor is Made with Love in Austin, Texas and is a production of The Axis, T-H-E-A-X-I-S.io.