In an upcoming episode of Dr. Pimple Popper, dermatologist Dr. Sandra Lee helps a woman with cysts all over her body due to a condition called Steatocystoma multiplex. In an exclusive sneak peek clip of the Jan. 18 episode for PopCulture.com, the patient, Audrey from British Columbia, explains her condition and how she has resorted to popping her own cysts at home. Audrey’s condition began when she was born but as she grew older, the bumps only continued growing bigger. Some have grown to the size of a golf ball.
Audrey said her “hot spots,” where she has the most bumps, are around her chest and the back of her neck. One bump on her back makes it impossible for her to look very high. She also has some in her armpits and groin area, which makes bending down uncomfortable. “The burning and pain are so intense,” Audrey said. “It’s like if you had the worst pimple of your life, times that by a thousand of them all over my body. It’s excruciating.” Audrey also recently had a kidney transplant and was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.
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“It is a lot for one person to deal with it,” Audrey said through tears. She said the bumps are getting more infected and she has seen 20 dermatologists. They often cut open the bumps, drain them, and send her on her way. It does not help, and she often does this herself. In the sneak peek, Audrey shows cameras how she does it, focusing on one painful cyst on her arm.
While that takes away some of the immediate pressure, it is only a temporary fix. “It is consuming me,” Audrey said. “My whole life is just popping and pain.” Hopefully, in the rest of the episode, Dr. Lee can help Audrey. The next new episode of Dr. Pimple Popper airs Monday at 8 p.m. ET on TLC. Past episodes are available on the discovery+ streaming platform.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Steatocystoma multiplex is a skin disorder and happens when a patient develops multiple cysts known as steatocystomas. “These growths begin in the skin’s sebaceous glands, which normally produce an oily substance called sebum that lubricates the skin and hair. Steatocystomas are filled with sebum,” the National Library of Medicine’s definition reads. It is a rare condition, and also known as multiple sebaceous cysts, multiplex steatocystoma, and sebocystomatosis.
