Dr. Pimple Popper, the zen TLC dermatologist who went viral for her nitty gritty pimple and pustule-popping videos said the road to becoming a household name was a steady climb.
Returning for a new season of Dr. Pimple Popper, Dr. Sandra Lee revealed that while some video viewers simply can’t get enough of the videos featuring explosive oozing, others get a little freaked out. In fact, some of her videos are branded as “graphic content.” And they almost got her booted off of social media.
Dr. Pimple Popper started with 1 blackhead video
Lee said she started by posting just one blackhead-popping video and traction quickly rose from there.
“I do much more than just popping pimples in terms of the realm of dermatology but I couldn’t get here if I didn’t have that knowledge and that experience and that training,” Lee recently told Daily Mail.
“But it really was a crazy road to get here… Just starting with a blackhead, the simple, beautiful blackhead that popped out of the skin and we posted it on social media and it took off and people just fell in love with it.”
She explained why the Dr. Pimple Popper videos seem to be so satisfying to watch for some people. “There’s a sense of satisfaction, where you’re getting rid of something that shouldn’t be there,” she told Insider. “A lot of people focus on it because of this big splash that can happen or this craziness that occurs, but a lot of people actually watch my videos to calm them down.”
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Lee also believes that fans appreciate her gentle and sometimes humorous approach to some of these pretty intense cases. “You’re standing over somebody with a knife on a table, so part of it is making things light-hearted,” she noted.
But not everyone appreciates seeing the combustible videos. She told ABC News that she was on the brink of being removed from social media and is always on the verge of possibly being shut down. However, her fan base has grown to millions of followers across different social media platforms that she seems to have more staying power.
“I think … a good part of that was due to the fact that these were gross or shocking videos,” she said. “This was new to people.”
Dr. Pimple Popper compares her viral videos to a ‘car accident’
Lee told Showbiz Cheat Sheet she worried about fan reaction when she first posted Dr. Pimple Popper videos. “When it first came out I was really worried about it. Because it’s different from my YouTube channel and my social media,” she said in a 2019 interview. “I hoped people would like it. But it’s been beyond my wildest dreams.”
“I think the reason is people are initially attracted to it like a car accident, where you can’t look away,” Lee added. “Like something really strange and different. But in fact, it ends up being where people are actually proud to be part of something that is so heartfelt. It makes people feel good, which is so interesting.”
A new season of Dr. Pimple Popper premieres on Wed. April 5 at 9 pm ET on TLC.
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