Pop goes the pimple
I’ve learned that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who love to watch pimple-popping videos and those who don’t understand why anyone in their right mind would take the time to watch these kinds of videos. You’re either on one side or the other. There is no grey area.
I happen to be obsessed with pimple popping videos. I’m a self-proclaimed “popaholic.” Whether it’s the pop of a pimple, the squeeze of a blackhead or the eruption of a cyst, I’m captivated and can’t help but feel like I’ve hit a goldmine when I come across one these videos.
I’ve been known among my friends and family to send videos that I find on YouTube of blackhead extractions and abscess drainages without warning or explanation. I’m rarely met with the same excitement and enthusiasm that I had when watching the video. I usually get the response of “ugh why Delaney? Whyyyyyy?”
But my question to them is: what do you mean you don’t want to watch the best pimple popping compilation of 2017? How could you not want to watch the pus ooze out of that man’s back? You really don’t think that was the best pop you’ve ever seen?
Although we may not all enjoy watching pimple popping videos there is one thing we can all agree on: Pimple popping is gross. But it’s this exact reason that makes it so irresistible to so many people like me.
Pimple popping has become a cultural phenomenon with millions of fans worldwide. California-based dermatologist Sandra Lee has been nicknamed “Dr. Pimple Popper.” She has a TV special on TLC, over three million subscribers on YouTube, and 2.7 million followers on Instagram. Dr. Lee’s 1,047 YouTube videos that show her daily work routine such as extracting blackheads, popping pimples, draining cysts, etc. have over one billion views.
A big reason for the strange popularity of watching other people pop pimples may come from the innate feelings the videos provoke.
Dr. Lee first created her Instagram in 2014, she figured people might be interested to see what she did on a day-to-day basis. In “Welcome to My Channel! Dr. Sandra Lee (aka Dr. Pimple Popper), a video on her official channel, Dr. Lee mentioned that she noticed that when she posted a blackhead extraction video clip, there was a noticeable jump in attention, likes, and shares. Dr. Lee did a little more searching and discovered the Reddit subreddit channel labeled: “Popping.” That’s when she realized that people actively sought out these popping videos.
Dr. Lee receives hundreds of comments on her Instagram videos daily. “Oh look at this gold,” one viewer writes on a video of a cyst being popped. “What a beauty,” writes another on a blackhead extraction video. “Had I known growing up I could do this for a living I would have taken school more seriously,” admits another.
But why do you so many people enjoy watching these disgusting videos?
“I think watching popping is similar to seeing a scary movie or riding a roller coaster for some,” Dr. Lee told Refinery29. “You get a rush of euphoria and excitement.”
Dr. Lee told The Daily Mail, “People were watching under a closet, almost like it was porn, and people are now embracing it. It’s become less guilty. People were hiding this issue, but now they are announcing it to the world, they are proud of it.”
Neuroscientist and assistant professor Heather Berlin, PhD, told Refinery29, “When you are extracting your own pimples, your brain releases dopamine, the happy-feel-good neurotransmitter. When a pimple is popped, you feel a combination of physical pressure-relief as well as a mental sense of relief. Even if you aren’t supposed to do it, your brain and body like it when you pop a pimple.”
Joycy Lamcombe, a licensed mental health counselor, told me she thought it was linked with having a fetish.
“It’s a strong and unusual need for something,” Lamcombe said. “It’s like those people that watch autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) videos. Pimple-popping viewers get the same pleasurable sensation when they watch those videos.”
“It seems to be a natural instinct for people to want to watch it,” Dr. Stevenson said. “People seem to watch it because they think it’s funny as well as disgusting. It’s an act that doesn’t cause pain.”
I asked Board Certified Dermatologist and Fellow of the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology Dr. Paul Stevenson about popping our own pimples, what he thought of this popping phenomenon and why people get satisfaction from watching pimple popping videos.
Dr. Stevenson described people who pop their pimples as being control freaks. The moment we spot a blemish on our face we instantly feel the need to do something about it. So we use our fingers and begin to pick and pop away. Seeing the dirt and pus emerge from our pores gives us the immediate gratification we were looking for. We feel as if we have taken care of the situation and the problem is solved.
Watching a pimple-popping video gives people the rush and satisfaction they are craving without having to worry about the fear of discomfort or possible infection.
Dr. Stevenson said that watching these types of videos brings great pleasure and a feeling of calmness to people who deal with obsessive compulsive tendencies.
“It’s like watching a dirty thing become clean again. You go from seeing gunk on your face to suddenly having nothing but clean, empty pores,” Dr. Stevenson said.
The satisfaction I get from scrolling through my phone and watching pimple popping videos is something a few will never be able to understand. Sure the blemishes being purged can be ooey, gooey, clumpy and disgusting, but as a loyal “popaholic” I’ll continue to watch them all.
