Dr. Pimple Popper and the Birth of a ‘Large Arm Shmalz’

Dr. Sandra Lee — better known online as Dr. Pimple Popper — posted a gruesome video on Twitter on Monday showing an enormous lipoma being removed.

The video showed Lee using to hands to remove what her patient called “shmalz” from the swollen lipoma as her assistand dabbed the blood and puss away with gauze. Once it was out, the skin hung loose where it had apparently been inflated for a long time. An incision several inches long was left in place of the lipoma.

“Today.. a large arm shmalz was born!” Lee wrote cheerily in the tweet, which drew some disgusted responses from her followers. As Lee worked, her patient had no trouble speaking coherently.

“No but doesn’t it look like a brain?” wondered the patient conversationally.

“Yeah, it does,” she noted.

A full video was posted on YouTube, where Lee offered more precise dermatological and surgical information on the procedure and the lipoma itself. Lee uploaded 25 minutes of footage, showing her diagnosis and leading all the way up to the removal.

As usual, the video splits the difference between gruesome footage and educational information on skincare and medical science.
The doctor has amassed an enormous following online with her edu-tainment videos. Her work is a source of grim fascination for some. Lee herself says that her goal is to educate the population about skin care, skin health and the profession of dermatology. A surprising number of viewers find themselves hooked on her viral videos.

The videos may find life beyond the internet, as Dr. Lee will soon be appearing on a regular series on TLC. The network ran a special about Dr. Lee’s work back in January, and as of March, decided to pick it up for a full-blown series. The show promises to return some time in 2018, though no exact date has been identified yet. However, the network has an open casting call for Lee’s show on their website, posted at the beginning of March.

According to the post, TLC plans for the series to be similar to the special and the online content Lee is so well-known for. Viewers can watch Lee “poke, prod and squeeze in order to resolve some unusual cases, as well as transform the lives of her patients in the process.”

The series will reportedly have more of a focus on the lives of the patients and how their relationship with their skin affects them on a day-to-day level. The concept is fertile ground for an examination of beauty standards and self-confidence. However, it will also maintain Lee’s commitment to educating the public on her odd job.