Steve Johnson

[altria123]

This is to warn those who get treated by or plan to go to Steve Johnson at TN for rosacea. He misdiagnosed my dermatitis as rosacea and gave me numerous agressive Txs leading to severe damage. This has been verified by top dermatologits whom I which I had seen before.

Please think twice before you see him. I speak this with in good faith...enough of these laser surgeons.

DC

[phlika29]

Altria

I have amended the title of your thread. I will PM you to explain why in more detail.

I am sorry tht you have had this problem. Unfortunately rosacea often overlaps with other skin conditions and confuses many.

[arb161]

Wow!
I gues every doctor can't be 100% with their practice. I have nothing but the highest regard for Doctor Johnson. I went to a lot of doctors who were rated "best of" in various publications who were terrible. I found him to be the best informed, most compassionate and helpful doctor I have ever encountered. I would highly recommend him to any one who asked.
Arlene

[WrinkledClue]

I'd have to second Arlene's post. Dr. Johnson has been wonderful for me. From my experience, he is a compassionate and informed physician who thinks hard about your treatment and really cares about his patients. I've had many laser treatments with him and I continue to improve under his care. Both Dr. Johnson and his wife have rosacea, so he understands how disabling this condition can be.

[Brady Barrows]

Dr. Johnson is a well respected physician and has graciously volunteered to serve on the board of directors for the Rosacea Research & Development Institute. His integrity is without any question and I know him to be an honorable and caring physician.

It is not uncommon for rosacea patients to find that their 'rosacea' is later found to be misdiagnosed for another skin condition. This is because rosacea has become a 'catch all' diagnosis since there are so many rosacea like skin conditions and diseases that mimic rosacea and it is difficult to diagnose. The NRS has tried to sort out some of this confusion with categorizing rosacea into subtypes and recognizing one variant. However, medical literature continues to debate what actually constitutes rosacea, what are rosacea subtypes and phenotypes, and discuss many rosacea variants. Diagnosis of rosacea can sometimes be a difficult and troubling problem for physicians and it should not be a surprise to an educated rosacean that their rosacea later turns out to be another disease, like dermatitis. Because a physician may misdiagnose a skin condition does not mean that his integrity is in question. Diagnosing rosacea is not an exact science since there is no clinical test for rosacea. Diagnosis of rosacea is done simply by an examination, a history and treatment. The treatment may later confirm a different diagnosis which was initially 'rosacea.' Ruling out different skin diseases sometimes requires different treatments. I hope this helps understand why so many rosaceans report misdiagnosis. Sometimes it is the other way around. An initial diagnosis might be dermatitis and later found that it was misdiagnosed for rosacea.

[Melissa W]

It is also possible to have more than one condition existing at a time hence confusing the diagnosis. I was first diagnosed with eczema on my face and treated with a steroid and a few months later I was diagnosed with rosacea. I have no doubt that I had rosacea when I was diagnosed initially with eczema but it took a few months to diagnose that as well. For me the steroid did not cause the rosacea as I know (looking back) I definitely had rosacea coexisting with the eczema.

It is a complicated process at times getting all the correct diagnoses and just because my doctor didn't diagnose it all correctly at once did not change my respect for him as the good physician he is. I wish every diagnosis and treatment could always be straightforward but it cannot and is not. Sorry for what you have gone through Altria and I hope you have a speedy recovery

Best wishes,
Melissa

[boyandhisdog]

At the risk of joining the fray a bit late as I was out of town and away from the site for a few days.... and this doesn't speak to the actual text of your post, but rather the title that my fellow moderator has already changed.

I am truly sorry for you or indeed anyone who has a bad experience with any physician, technician or practitioner of any kind but I feel it is a disservice to use the forum to perceivably slander a doctor behind a cloak of invisibility. In this litigious era, it is wise to for us all to be concerned about what we write about others and choose our words judiciously.

Unfortunately, I think the internet offers too much anonimity and it is oftentimes very easy to misinterpret things and over editorialize. I feel that it is a disservice to besmirch a doctor's reputation (or "webutation" as someone recently put it) when we ourselves are unwilling to even divulge our real name or location on the forum.

One of the benefits of this site is affording an opportunity for people to voice their opinions and share information on doctors and treatments but we must treat that as much as a responsibility as a right and try to do it in the most constructive way possible.

Just my opinion,
Rob (not my real name)

[belindah]

I completely disagree with Rob. People don't just come on here to randomly Doctor bash. They come here because they have something to say, they actually want to protect people from harm. Perhaps you should not talk about the lasers and doctors that you have had a great experience with. When you have done that, then it's appropriate for you to tell others what they can and can't say on this forum. I cannot understand why you have such difficulty allowing people to express their negative opinions on doctors and lasers. Personally, i find it rude and offensive and a little like bullying.

[phlika29]

As has been stated before it is important to give a balanced view regarding the potential benefits and disadvantages of using lasers. No one has a problem with this, but care must be taken to not slander people in the process. Boyandhisdog was commenting on this issue as until the title of this thread was changed it was inappropriate.

Whilst it appears the a few people have seen side effects from having lasers/IPL there have been many more that haven't and indeed many that have seen signifcant improvements in their rosacea. I think that it great that there is a dedicated forum for people in similar situations to you and this has already been advertised. However no one is going to stop talking about how useful lasers can be.

[belindah]

I feel like i am being bullied here for daring to say that i had a problem with lasers. I never asked you to stop saying you have had a most marvellous laser experience. I just wish you and boyandhisdog would stop jumping on people who say they have had a bad experience. Sorry, but we aren't going to stop saying how we have had a bad experience, no matter what you say or do. We won't be silenced! I personally feel i am doing a service providing people with a balanced view and giving them the chance to weigh up the pros and cons, whether lasers are worth it, whether they want to take that kind of a risk with their face. I know that if i had been given the opportunity to learn about the side effects, i would never have had ipl. Can't you just let people express their opinion? There is an entire community of people whose lives have been devestated by lasers, just like there is a community of people whose lives have been enhanced by lasers. The question is, are you prepared to take a risk, because there are real and serious risks. And people need to be informed of them. So please stop dismissing people who have had bad experiences as one off freaks, who are crazy. If someone says they have had a good experience, you and boyandhisdog are right in there with the "yeah, great man, good for you". If someone dares to say they had a bad experience you say "oooo, its a one off, stop doctor bashing behind a cloak of anonimity". These people are in pain. Their lives and faces have been devestated. They don't need a further bashing from you. Also, you say "whilst it appears the a few people have seen side effects from having lasers/IPL there have been many more that haven't", pray tell me your figures to back this up? I would love to see them.