It's Thursday and you know what that means. There's a new episode of Dr. Pimple Popper with Dr. Sandra Lee, MD, for your viewing pleasure.
In episode three of Dr. Pimple Popper 's third season, viewers get a front-row seat to see how Dr. P deals with a mystery bump on her patient's head , a sci-fi looking skin condition , and a huge bump protruding from a patient's hip. Grab you popcorn and get ready!
It all starts with the mystery bump, but surprise there isn't just one. In fact, Rhonda says she has eight or nine bumps growing on her head. The hard mystery bump is certainly the most concerning, though. "It seems like something is growing out of it," she says. She notices a clear fluid come out of it as well as an odor, which she describes as rotten. She styles her hair to cover up the bumps, but the larger ones are hard to hide and she's afraid they could be cancerous. "It's emotional," she shares. "I'm at a point where I need to be free."
View this post on Instagram Hmmm...is it rope? ...is it a makeup brush? ...or will you find out this THURSDAY, 9/8c on @tlc ?! #drpimplepopper A post shared by Sandra Lee, MD, FAAD, FAACS (@drpimplepopper) on Jul 23, 2019 at 12:40pm PDT
When Dr. Pimple Popper saw the bump, she exclaims "it took me by surprise." "This is definitely something that I don't see every day," the doctor adds. And her initial assessment is that one bump alone could take a couple hours to deal with and they are likely pilar cysts. Unfazed, she plans to remove seven of the 10 bumps and won't need to shave her head.
She starts with the biggest bump and works her way around. "It's like you're trying to decide if you want to pop this balloon or not," the doctor says. Dr. Pimple Popper is a pro popper, and pulls this golf-ball sized bump out completely whole. With that out of the way, she proceeds to squeeze through three more bumps that burst open with yellow streams of goo. "Some of these you gotta wrestle with." One was so difficult, the gooey contents came right out of Rhonda's head and plopped on her assistant's arm (thankfully on the glove).
She leaves the best for last, that mystery bump Dr. Pimple Popper now calls a horse hoof. "It might be my biggest obstacle yet," the doctor says. "It's wedged in there. I'm really interested in seeing what happens when I knock this horn off." So are all the popaholics watching attentively.
Dr. Pimple Popper has to use some muscle, and finally gets the last one out. It's out, but there's still a possibility of cancer so Dr. Pimple Popper sends a sample in for testing to be sure. She also slices open "big momma" and a grey mass with an oatmeal consistency mushes out when she squeezes it. In addition to removing all the bumps, Dr. Pimple Popper has more good news for her. All the bumps were pilar cysts, and cancer free.
Next up is Fred who has patches of rough, bumpy skin on his hands. His dry skin slowly spread and worsened over the years. He's been treated by many doctors, but nothing worked. They diagnosed warts, psoriasis, and eczema in the past. He's given up hope on ever finding a cure. Still, his optimistic family encouraged him to try again, so he headed in to see Dr. Pimple Popper. "If Dr. Lee can't take care of me, I don't think anybody can," he says.
After hearing his story and examining his hands, Dr. Pimple Popper says, "I'm going to have to think about you for a little bit." She goes back to the books and devises a scientific experiment. Her approach includes three different treatments on separate areas of the hands. She injects a steroid under the skin to fight inflammation, injects a candida antigen for warts, and applies focal liquid nitrogen to destroy it. "It's pretty intensely painful at the moment," Fred says. Popaholics are rooting for you, and you're in good hands.
View this post on Instagram NEW EPISODE OF DR PIMPLE POPPER ON TLC, TONIGHT 9/8c. Its a SKIN MYSTERY What is YOUR diagnosis and watch how a board certified dermatologist approaches treatment of a condition like this. #skinmystery #drpimplepopper A post shared by Sandra Lee, MD, FAAD, FAACS (@drpimplepopper) on Jul 25, 2019 at 8:41am PDT
"That's it I think I tortured you enough," the doctor says. He agrees, but returns eight weeks later to learn more. Dr. Pimple Popper has a brand new diagnosis that's essentially "picker's bump" and a simple treatment option, this time. She applies tape, which has a steroid in it, to the problem areas to treat and protect them. He leaves with renewed hope, and it starts working quickly.
Last but not least, Kevin has an uncomfortable bump that's been growing for about five years. "Now, it's huge and when I touch it it feels like slime," he says. Getting dressed is difficult for him. The lump restricts his movement, too, so he can't work out like he used to and is confined to a desk job at his business. He wants to be the old Kevin again: "That's the person I want to be."
Dr. Pimple Popper predicts a lipoma, and sure enough she is right on the money when she slices into the skin. "I'm just going to woman-handle it," she says. When she's working on him, Dr. Pimple Popper says the sensation is like a C-section. She yanks on the lipoma and works until it all plops out into her hands, and shows it off to her patient. "This is it, we got it," she says. Kevin is one happy guy. "I feel like 1,000 pounds have been lifted off my shoulder." It wasn't quite that much, the lipoma weighed in at 2 pounds 6 ounces. "I got my swagger back," he says.
Hats off to Dr. Pimple Popper and her mastery of the mystery bumps tonight. I can't wait to see who comes to Dr. Pimple Popper on the next episode.