Meet Dr. Pimple Popper, the YouTube dermatology sensation
“People who have compulsions to pick their own skin report that they watch my videos to help decrease their own urges”
Sandra Lee, MD (@drpimplepopper) is a board-certified dermatologist practicing in Upland, California. She is a fellowship-trained Dermatologic Surgeon and Cosmetic Surgeon. Dr. Lee is a regular guest on the TV show The Doctors, Fox News, and other talk shows and news networks. She is widely known as “Dr. Pimple Popper,” with over 2 million combined followers on her YouTube channel and Instagram.
On April 14, @drpimplepopper answered questions from our community of over a million healthcare professionals. You can read the entire Q&A on Figure 1.
On Popaholics, Skin-Picking, and Being Grossed Out
Dr. Lee gracefully answers questions about her videos and how satisfying they are for viewers: “I think in general, [watching my videos] makes people happier… some people say they watch these vids to decrease anxiety, relax before bed, decrease their compulsions to pick their own skin, that it’s ‘gross but oddly satisfying,’ that it makes people feel cleaner/lighter, that it’s atavistic (grooming behavior similar to monkeys/apes)…”
A user from the Popping subreddit wrote in to ask whether popping was as popular among healthcare professionals as it is with the general public, to which Dr. Lee replies:
“Popping knows no age, sex, race, background, or socioeconomic status. Popaholics are EVERYWHERE.”
As to whether she encounters cases that gross her out, Dr. Lee writes, “I really try not to mention smell, or to let on that I’m grossed out by something, b/c this would make my patients feel bad/self-conscious. But sure, some things have grossed me out before. I personally don’t like abscesses, don’t like to do incision and drainages. Give me some good blackheads or a nice clean cyst — those are the best!”
To a user that asks whether pimple popping hurts the patient “as bad as it looks,” Dr. Lee says,
“Absolutely I give local anesthetic. I don’t like to see anyone, especially my patients, in pain.”
Login to Figure 1 for the full Q&A with Dr. Sandra Lee and read what her favorite pimple-popping videos are.
