Dr. Elise Brantley, M.D.
Practicing for almost 15 years, Brantley established Scissortail Dermatology in 2021.
Story by Van Mitchell, Staff Writer
Dr. Elise Brantley, M.D., owner of Scissortail Dermatology, 3030 NW 149th in Oklahoma City, says one of the biggest concerns her patients have this time of year is dry, itchy skin.
“To improve dry skin, it is important to focus on restoring the quality of the top layer of the skin,” she said. “Use soaps/body washes only in areas that need deep cleansing such as under the arms or in the groin. Moisturizers are most effective after a shower or bath. Pat dry, but leave the skin somewhat damp in the areas that are the driest. Apply the moisturizer to damp skin, being careful not to slip. Many patients find it safest to do this step while sitting down.”
She said creams like CeraVe and Cetaphil are great examples of effective and well-tolerated cream moisturizers.
“Creams are more effective than lotions in keeping the skin moisturized,” she said.
Scissortail Dermatology was established in 2021, but Dr Brantley has been practicing for almost 15 years, over 10 of which have been in the OKC metro area. Her clinic provides care to both North and South OKC. She has several hobbies including creating quilting patterns, which she has turned into an online business.
“My mom was a quilter,” she said. “I wasn’t really that interested in it until I saw this random sampler, crazy quilt that was just wild. It blew my mind.” She dove into the craft and now sells quilt patterns online.
Brantley’s other hobbies of long-distance running, reading, and playing piano keep her busy.
“I took piano (before), but quit in sixth grade,” she said. Now as an adult, her 12-year-old daughter Isabella is following her path in developing her own piano skills. After seeing how much she enjoyed watching her daughter perform in recitals, her husband encouraged her to start taking lessons again at the same time. She and Isabella now enthusiastically perform side by side.
Brantley said her husband Steven, an orthopedic sports medicine physician, and her Scissortail team are the key to her ability to pursue her endeavors.
“My husband’s very supportive.” The staff in the clinic are highly efficient and organized, which allows her time to develop her other interests on her days off.
Brantley is board-certified and has been practicing dermatology since 2009. Her practice focus is evaluation and treatment of growths of the skin with emphasis on skin cancer.
She is a native of Broken Arrow, graduated high school from the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, and attended the University of Tulsa for undergraduate studies.
She received her medical degree from the University of Oklahoma and completed her residency training at the University of Cincinnati where she served as chief resident.
While her husband was completing additional training in orthopedics, she served on the faculty of both the University of Cincinnati and Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia before returning to Oklahoma.
Brantley initially went to school to become OBGYN, but then did a dermatology rotation and was blown away at how fun it was to make a diagnosis.
“It was cool,” she said. “It’s fun to use your own visual skills to make diagnoses where you don’t always have to rely on labs. It’s just really fun to figure it out with your brain. It’s really fascinating to me.”
Brantley said diagnosing is a learned skill.
“We spend years learning a method of how to look at something (on the skin) and know what it is,” she said. She likens it to car enthusiasts being able to instantly recognize the make model and year of a car. She explains that learning to recognize a car by its characteristics such as bumpers, taillights, hood ornaments can become second nature to someone who observes them on a regular basis. “You just know you, and you don’t even think through why you know it. You just know it.” Brantley named her clinic Scissortail Dermatology to suggest something recognizable.
“I wanted something that felt comfortable and familiar,” she said. “I have scissortails on my kitchen wall, and I was Facetiming with my brother.” Brainstorming together for a name for the new clinic, he noted the bird hanging in the background. He suggested the name Scissortail and it stuck
Brantley said building a doctor-patient trust is important to her.
“It’s important for them to trust me that I have their best interests in mind,” she said. “I talk a lot to my patients about what kind of things interest them. We talk about their grandkids, we talk about their hobbies, we talk about their sun exposure, of course, what they’re doing outside. We actually catch up, they ask me about my daughter, I ask them about whatever projects they’ve been working on. If they’re quilters, we swap quilt pictures. I truly believe that’s the magic of what makes a practice like this work. I know them and they know me, and that builds a trusting relationship where we can actually make good decisions together. The fact that you can take care of someone through their lifetime is really appealing.”
For more information about Scissortail Dermatology call (405) 562-6222 or visit
www.Scissortaildermatology.com
