Dr. Pimple Popper's Dr. Sandra Lee Talks TV, Fame, And Dermatology - Exclusive Interview

What initially made you want to start posting those videos online?

It kind of happened by accident. Really it was that I started to Instagram, and I really thought I wanted to show a window into my world as a dermatologist. It's a really visual field. And early on, I noticed it was, like, people were interested in pimple popping. I posted a blackhead extraction, and people were tagging their friends. And I thought, "That's really weird. Why are people so excited about this video?" So I did it again, and it happened again.

And really through there, I noticed that there was a thing that people really liked to watch. It was really satisfying. It really kind of eased people's anxiety. They were just entranced by it. So I just literally threw another little pimple on the fire just to see how much it would grow, and look what we are doing now. We have a show on Discovery, wonderful social media, and everybody's so supportive. So it's really lovely.

How were you initially approached by the network, first off?

I think, interestingly, I don't think — I was really busy running around, because I have kids and a husband and the social media here and another and a full-time job too as dermatologist, and they just — I think I didn't know if I was going to be very excited about it, because I was a little scared, because I'm in control of my own videos when I post them. But now we have a show, and then there's going to be cameras there, and I'm not really in control of everything, but it's been absolutely lovely.

They've really taken it to another level and made me feel so lucky that I get to do this for people and that I get to see — like I say all the time, I think that dermatologists or any doctor does wonderful things to change people's lives. And I'm just lucky that I get to see it.

So I guess that brings me to what's the most fulfilling part of your job as a dermatologist?

Oh, everything. I feel really lucky to be in this position right now. I think my husband said it really well a few years ago when I was going to some meeting, some TV kind of meeting, and I was thinking, "Gosh, there's so many things I have to do. I'm just so stressed out," complaining about it. And he said, "You know, you're so lucky that you, in your lifetime here, have one successful job and something that you love, but then you get to pivot and do something that a lot of other people would love to do. And it's really exciting, but actually use that knowledge that you have in your job. You're not completely pivoting to something totally new." And yeah, he's right. That, of course, I'm going to look back at this fondly and just think what an amazing experience that was that very few people get to have.

How does it feel when you get recognized by fans out in public?

It's weird. It's obviously very — I'm so honored, and it's so lovely, and they're all really lovely. They're all so sweet and kind, but it's just weird for me because I don't consider myself to be, you don't really think about that, that people recognize you or people know who you [are] and that usually they say just nice things, that I've done something to — thank me for what I'm doing for my patients or that I really have this show that moves them.

And I just feel like it's weird that I'm — I feel in a way uncomfortable, but also very honored. I don't like to — I'm not the kind of person that really accepts compliments really well. I also feel like it's superstitious. It's not a good thing for me to say, "Oh yeah, thank you. I am this thing," because I'm not. And I think that also helps to ground me too.

No, for sure. You're just out and about. I feel like I wouldn't realize that if I was on TV, because you're just living your daily life.

It's a problem, though, too. Because I tell people, what if you have a wedgie or something, and you can't do anything about it because what if somebody is watching you?

What made you initially want to become a dermatologist? Tell us a little about your journey to get there.

Well, my dad's a dermatologist. So I was really introduced to it at a young age. It was ingrained in me, I guess, or that it was accepted. I knew what dermatologists did at a young age, because my dad was one, and I had acne. I had atopic dermatitis, which is a form of eczema. I had light skin, I had alopecia areata, I had, like, a loss of skin hair when I was young. And so I knew what these names were, and I knew the kinds of things that you treated. And I knew that was what my dad did.

And so, I think once I realized too, when I went to medical school, that it was a very competitive specialty. It was one that was very desired by a lot of people. That probably lit a little fire under me realizing, "Oh, this is really a good specialty. I should try to see if I can become one." And I'm very lucky to be one now. It's a very small group, a small specialty, and it's just a wonderful one, a fantasy, especially as a female, just because you can have a family and a life, you raise kids and things like that. You need to have the time to do that as well. More so. So it's just a really, really wonderful specialty.

And what has been your most memorable case to date?

There's been so many.

Yeah, there've been so many!

I don't have a single standout for sure. I don't. It's a combination of a really amazing pop, that the pop comes out really cleanly. The better is the one that takes five seconds to do. You know what I mean? But it's enormous or something. That the patient, too, who's so funny, yet charismatic and just really a person that you want to meet after you even just hear their voice. That kind of thing.

No pain, no screaming certainly. Not a lot of blood. Not a lot of messiness. Those are all my favorite kind of pops, and there's a lot of them on the TV show. Let me tell you.

Oh, absolutely.

Yeah. They're amazing, amazing ones, and amazing characters, too. The patients are wonderful.

Dermatologists tell us time and time again that we should not pop our own pimples when we're at home. When should someone know that it's time to come into your office for an extraction, whether it be for a pimple or something else?

You know, I feel like in general, if people think about that, they think, "Maybe I should see a dermatologist," they probably should. I think you trust your instinct, especially when it comes to even non-pimples, like moles or strange-looking bumps, that kind of thing. But I absolutely adopt [the idea that] a person should see a dermatologist, if you have severe acne, if you have cystic or nodular acne, or a lot of acne bumps that are deep under the skin, because that has an absolute risk of scarring.

And that's what you're trying to prevent. Because we all know that acne doesn't threaten our lives, but they absolutely threaten your mental strength or your mental fortitude, because scarring can be lifelong and scarring can be very difficult to treat. So you really want to prevent that in the first place.

Absolutely. Yeah, a lot of your patients on the show that come to you, they come to you because I see a lot of them feel very self-conscious about how it's affecting them. Not even threatening their life in any way, but it's just a self-esteem issue.

Right? And that's what dermatology really is too. A lot of it is psychological too, mental. A lot of it is non-life-threatening, but a lot of it is it's like your skin is your armor. It's your shield. It's your way you present yourself to the world. And if that way you present yourself is different or people perceive it as different and you feel left out or you feel very embarrassed about it, it greatly affects your life. There are certainly people from the show that never go outside, never see people because of whatever they have. So that's what I feel really lucky to be a part of.