Dr Pimple Popper reveals how she became the ‘Queen’ of extraction
SHE’S known around the world as Dr Pimple Popper, and while it takes a lot for the Queen of extraction to feel queasy — there’s been one video she can’t watch.
WARNING: CONFRONTING CONTENT
THERE’S a fine line between pleasure and pain.
But for dermatologist Sandra Lee — who goes by the alias of Dr Pimple Popper — the fascination of watching blackheads, cysts, whiteheads and other unsightly bumps squeezed from the skin has made her the “Queen” of extraction.
Boasting more than 2.5 million followers on Instagram, and a similar number of fans on her YouTube channel, Dr Lee found fame by posting daily videos of skin extractions from her surgery in Upland, California.
From popping five-year-old cysts, to blackheads the size of stones — her videos are “addictive” and a “hypnotic phenomenon”.
“My videos make people happy,” Dr Lee told news.com.au.
“They are cleansing, and people find them quite relaxing.”
Dr Lee, a dermatologist for more than 12 years, said she first posted a video to her Instagram account two years ago.
Within a few hours, she noticed a sudden influx of pimple popping fans were intrigued — and her multi-million band of followers started.
“It became a phenomenon,” she said.
“It started as a form of entertainment and education, but has established me as an authority on skin, and how to take care of skin.
“People find it relaxing, and will often watch before they go to sleep or to ease anxiety, which is crazy.
“But it’s like these videos have a hypnotic or calming quality.”
Dr Lee, who is an ambassador for ACZONE topical treatment for acne, which has just launched in Australia, said she’s never put off by any of her patients’ concerns — but watching other videos can make her nauseous.
“My cases don’t turn my stomach because I detach myself,” she said.
“But a few weeks ago, my friend showed me a video of a horse that had an abscess. I couldn’t watch it, it gave me anxiety.
“I guess it’s the same feeling when people are forced to watch my videos.”
Although Dr Lee is famous for popping pimples and other growths on the skin, she said people shouldn’t take extraction into their own hands.
“I know people can’t help themselves,” she said.
“I understand you want it to go — if I’ve got a big blackhead, I do it to myself, I get it.
“But there is scarring and other risks when doing it yourself, so people shouldn’t take pimples into their own hands.”