Ever heard of the super popular reality TV series, Dr. Pimple Popper? Or have you ever seen those ~ super ~ satisfying videos on social media of dermatologists popping *extra* pesky pimples? If yes, then you’ve definitely heard of Dr. Sandra Lee (AKA Dr. Pimple Popper,) the best in the biz.
Dr. Sandra started off on Youtube and Instagram of her skin extractions, and soon enough garnered almost 2 billion views. Although most of the content may seem unsightly, to some it was addictive to watch. In 2018 she signed with TLC to have her own series where she deals with patients with special cases – and since then, she’s been *the* pro pimple popper.
Cosmo ME spoke to the star dermatologist about her career journey, her ‘hero cases,’ and some of her greatest challenges. Scroll down to read more…
Cosmo ME: Did you always know you wanted to be a dermatologist?
Dr. Sandra Lee: I guess I sort of fell into dermatology, but it wasn’t surprising because my dad is a dermatologist, and I knew about dermatology and knew what a wonderful specialty is. It was interesting to be given textbooks at home with skin conditions in it, so it was like a normal thing in my life and that’s part of why maybe I developed a good bedside manner per say or connection with my patients. I took over my parents’ practice, my dad’s practice that is, he retired and yet there are so many patients that love him still. Now when I see them, they’d be like, “Oh, I miss your dad, I loved him.”
So, for me, I had to make sure that they love me just as much as they loved him. I think that that was maybe a part of it and that trained me to really connect with people.
C: If you weren’t a doctor or derma you’d be…?
Dr. S: I always have ideas, but they’re all ideas that are not going to probably take off. I mean, I would love to be a professional potato chip tester. I like potato chips and I like flavours. I also really like doing crafts. Right now, I’m building a miniature. I get into a lot of things, and I like to do things with my hands. I’m also going to start creating rugs. I’m building a modern doll house kind of thing, a modern miniature dollhouse, but I don’t think such things are going to really, you know, make me any money. So, I don’t know if I could survive off of them.
C: How did you get into pimple popping?
Dr. S: Certainly, if you had told me years ago that people would know me internationally as a pimple popper, I would think you were insane. But it is so. What has been most stressful when I first started this is two things: making sure that my patients are treated with respect, that I’m not feeling like they are vulnerable because of all this. And treating their conditions as professionally as possible.
C: Do you have a hero case that is your most-talked-about pimple popping moment of all time?
Dr. S: I get asked this question very often and I actually don’t have an answer for that. It’s because I feel like I have many cases that stand out in different ways. For example, Leonard with the chip on his shoulder. He was in a previous season where it almost looked like he had an extra arm hanging off of his arm, like an extra appendage. I think for a case to be special, it’s a combination of how critical/weird the case is, and the actual personality of the patient.
C: You have a combined social following of over 10 million. What do you think it is about popping pimples that people are so interested in?
Dr. S: It’s really fascinating to me that people are so interested in this. People actually say that it’s satisfying, and it relaxes them. Some people even watch it on a nightly basis to help them sleep after a hard day at work. And I think that that was the main driver. I also think the show makes people feel good about humankind and especially now in this day, this time right now, where there’s so much sort of stress and negativity in the entire world.
C: What has been the best thing, and what has been the most challenging thing, about becoming famous off the back of your work?
Dr. S: Oh, the most challenging thing to me is being recognized. It’s very strange because I don’t feel that I sort of deserve it. I was never looking to become like an actor or a celebrity in that sense that you’d be recognized. Of course, it’s only lovely, like people who come up to me or see me, they’re so sweet and lovely and it’s just a wonderful experience, but it’s also very weird. Like, I feel I don’t really deserve it, you know?
I think it’s just such a wonderful ride, how awesome is it that I get to treat these patients, that I get to see how it changes their life. How I get to talk to people and just get to be a part of people’s lives like that. This is truly a blessing and I’m so lucky.
C: Do your friends and family watch your show? What do they think of your career?
Dr. S: I actually don’t talk to them about it very much. I mean, maybe my husband, I do, who’s a fellow dermatologist, because he’s part of the business. He’s my manager, he helps me out with everything. I don’t really talk about it with close family or any close friends, I just don’t want to feel like I am this person that is so different than everybody else.
C: What do you want your legacy to be in the beauty and healthcare world?
Dr. S: I hope that people know and understand that I’m trying to put out information there that I know is as true as I know it to be. I think there’s so much misinformation out there and there’re a lot of people that are certainly even selling things, are duping people into getting treatments or spending a lot of money on something that is not real or that doesn’t work.
I know that I have this power here to be able to help people with their acne, with their skin that I never will meet on the other side of the world. So, I want to do that responsibly.
The latest season of Dr. Pimple Popper is airing on TLC (OSN Channel 212) every Wednesday at 9:00 pm KSA, and can be streamed on discovery+ via the STARZPLAY app.