Dr. Pimple Popper - General Discussion

[StatisticalOutlier]

Something I noticed was that when Dr. Lee was examining the lady's leg lump, the examining room door was open--I saw somebody's legs walk by. 

I realize there are cameras in the room, but that is edited before being presented for human consumption.  What someone sees just walking by is not edited.  And what they would have seen is something the lady herself hadn't shown her own fiance until she did it for the show.

[AZChristian]

40 minutes ago, Twopper said:

He was 14.  I was folding laundry or doing a sudoku puzzle during the show so I probably heard 12 and thought it was 2012.  

I wondered if she felt so bad about it that she was in denial and overcompensated by pretending he should be happy about it.   I think she has talked herself into believing it is a good thing for him.  The delusion is strong with that woman.  And Dr Lee didn't help with her comment about it being "unique and cool."

Well, I was playing AlphaBetty on my tablet, so I'm not qualified to be the final judge on what was said.  LOL.

As I look back, I wonder if Dr. Lee had a talk with the mother about how long-term the repair would be, with tissue expanders, etc.  Those are not dermatology expenses - there would have been a lot of medical expense, possibly not fully covered by insurance.  Perhaps Mom was not willing/able to spend that amount of money, so Dr. Lee was trying to help her convince the boy that having the birthmark wasn't all that bad.

And I kept wondering why he didn't just let his hair grow longer.  A lot of that could have been covered.

[CrazyMoon]

Dr. Lee did talk about tissue expanders & the time involved...it's a big deal to remove something that big from that location...I'm also a big fan of "Botched" and watched a guy with forehead scarring use tissue expanders so Dr. Nassif could do the repair. He looked like had two huge boobs on his forehead for a couple of months. So what's a 14yo to do? Sometimes it's easier to deal with it as it is in the short term then get it removed as a young adult. 

[readheaded]

20 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I thought the same thing. Its not cute! It could be cancerous! What an idiot! I wanted to smack her. 

When my son was little, he had a mole on his wrist that grew twice it's size in a short time. I hauled him right to the dermatologist who removed it. Thank God it wasn't cancerous. My son (who was maybe 5 at the time) did really well and only cried because he wanted his mole back. 

Seriously!  I think we've all heard a million times by now that if something growing on your body is dark black and so large, it needs to be checked out and monitored.

[readheaded]

As much as I like Dr. Lee and what I see as her sincere desire to help people, I find myself conflicted about the show and her YouTube videos.  It seems a real shame that people have to trade their medical privacy for treatment.  I am happy, though, when people have a good outcome and they feel better about themselves and their lives.

[CrazyMoon]

27 minutes ago, readheaded said:

As much as I like Dr. Lee and what I see as her sincere desire to help people, I find myself conflicted about the show and her YouTube videos.  It seems a real shame that people have to trade their medical privacy for treatment.  I am happy, though, when people have a good outcome and they feel better about themselves and their lives.

No one is forced to be on her show...and everyone signs a release to be shown on camera. Low cost/no cost treatments are available at every medical school. 

[readheaded]

4 minutes ago, CrazyMoon said:

No one is forced to be on her show...and everyone signs a release to be shown on camera. Low cost/no cost treatments are available at every medical school. 

I didn't say that anyone was forced or that they don't know they're on camera, but it seems evident that many of the people on her show feel like they don't have any other options.  And, medical schools aren't located everywhere, nor do they pay patients to travel to them.  

[CrazyMoon]

1 minute ago, readheaded said:

I didn't say that anyone was forced or that they don't know they're on camera, but it seems evident that many of the people on her show feel like they don't have any other options.  And, medical schools aren't located everywhere, nor do they pay patients to travel to them.  

Actually, many people are remarkably ignorant about treatment options. There are medical schools in every state. Same with dental schools...My area in California has access to 3 of the top med schools in the country. However, the one that's 1-1/2 hours from me is also rural on the other side with just as easy access. People don;t do the research. Then along comes a chance to get something, but the price is personal dignity....all about choices.

[Mothra]

21 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Yeah, but, it's all about what the mom likes and that's the large mole. So selfish of her. 

I wondered if because of the kid's age surgery required his mother's permission, and she refused to give it.  Maybe when he is old enough, he can decide for himself to go ahead and have it removed.

[CrazyMoon]

2 minutes ago, Mothra said:

I wondered if because of the kid's age surgery required his mother's permission, and she refused to give it.  Maybe when he is old enough, he can decide for himself to go ahead and have it removed.

Definitely needs parental consent....I'm sure he'll deal with it on his own later on.

[readheaded]

1 hour ago, CrazyMoon said:

Actually, many people are remarkably ignorant about treatment options. There are medical schools in every state. Same with dental schools...My area in California has access to 3 of the top med schools in the country. However, the one that's 1-1/2 hours from me is also rural on the other side with just as easy access. People don;t do the research. Then along comes a chance to get something, but the price is personal dignity....all about choices.

At a minimum, most people have low medical literacy, so I respectfully disagree that people are trading their personal dignity for choices that are easily researched, made, and implemented.

[2727]

I sometimes think about the older woman with a blackhead the size of a quarter on her face, but only because I see her face on embedded ads that follow me around. She went to Dr. Lee and willingly signed the forms, but this wasn't an anonymous lump on someone's thigh. I hope she (and other patients) haven't gotten blowback from giving up their privacy. And have never read the You Tube comments!

[bilgistic]

9 hours ago, readheaded said:

At a minimum, most people have low medical literacy, so I respectfully disagree that people are trading their personal dignity for choices that are easily researched, made, and implemented.

Not to mention that people who lack insurance likely also have jobs they can't plan to take off and/or can't afford to take off. It's a privileged view to say one can--and has a vehicle to--drive x hours/distance to a teaching hospital or medical university. Speaking from personal experience, it's incredibly hard to access "free" healthcare programs, which are always in danger of losing funding. There's so, so much that factors into a person being able to access healthcare.

Navigating the system is nearly impossible and is set up that way for a reason. Acting like it's easy for people to get help is naive at best. The "people can get free stuff" kind of thinking is hurtful and counterproductive.

Edited July 21, 2019 by bilgistic

[CrazyMoon]

7 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Not to mention that people who lack insurance likely also have jobs they can't plan to take off and/or can't afford to take off. It's a privileged view to say one can--and has a vehicle to--drive x hours/distance to a teaching hospital or medical university. Speaking from personal experience, it's incredibly hard to access "free" healthcare programs, which are always in danger of losing funding. There's so, so much that factors into a person being able to access healthcare.

Navigating the system is nearly impossible and is set up that way for a reason. Acting like it's easy for people to get help is naive at best. The "people can get free stuff" kind of thinking is hurtful and counterproductive.

You actually prove my point. How bad do you want to get treatment? It is available. It isn't always easy. However, educating yourself is key

[StatisticalOutlier]

12 hours ago, CrazyMoon said:

You actually prove my point. How bad do you want to get treatment? It is available. It isn't always easy. However, educating yourself is key

I'll pull out the old "Half of all Americans are of below average intelligence," and add to that that the people who say it don't even know the difference between "average" and "median."

Regardless, even average intelligence ain't too swift.  I know what it's taken for me to figure out health insurance options, and I have a law degree and enough free time, and am stubborn enough not to just give up just because that's what they want.  I cast no aspersions on people who aren't up to the task, and in fact feel bad for them because someone with a disfiguring growth has enough problems as it is.

[CoyoteBlue]

On 7/19/2019 at 3:52 PM, libgirl2 said:

I kept wondering why he didn't try a mitten.  He could have made a couple of cuts into the top of the wristband to allow him to get the bump past that.

I can't imagine being a crossing guard in Chicago with a bare hand!

I wondered why he felt the need to use his left hand to hold the sign. Dude, stick that hand in your pocket and use the gloved one!

[SunnyBeBe]

On 7/20/2019 at 2:24 PM, Mothra said:

I wondered if because of the kid's age surgery required his mother's permission, and she refused to give it.  Maybe when he is old enough, he can decide for himself to go ahead and have it removed.

Yeah, unless social services can intervene. 

[Minivanessa]

On 7/19/2019 at 7:17 PM, Arynm said:

That mother has a serious problem with good decision making skills. She not only ignored what is rapidly turning into a much bigger problem than it should have been, she is leaving that child with a terrible speech impediment. That can be fixed in school for free almost anywhere so she can't claim she could not afford it. My son was in speech for years to fix the same speech issue that boy had. He does not have a speech issue anymore. I find that a much bigger issue actually than the mole. He is almost incomprehensible, and I bet he gets made fun of for his speech. That mom is failing her child.

Thanks for the information about his speech issues. I wasn't a fan of his mom already and now that you've pointed out that he has a treatable speech impediment? I'm appalled at his mother's ignorant/willful refusal to get him the medical and therapeutic help he needs. Both for his congenital nevus (see above; not a simple thing to remove but should/could be managed), and his fixable speech problem. 

How horrible that his mom is failing him so badly. I agree: he probably gets ridiculed and even bullied as much because of his curable speech impediment as his birthmark.

Talk about wanting to reach into the TV and slap somebody! That mom is number one on my current list for that. 😠

[SunnyBeBe]

17 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

Thanks for the information about his speech issues. I wasn't a fan of his mom already and now that you've pointed out that he has a treatable speech impediment? I'm appalled at his mother's ignorant/willful refusal to get him the medical and therapeutic help he needs. Both for his congenital nevus (see above; not a simple thing to remove but should/could be managed), and his fixable speech problem. 

How horrible that his mom is failing him so badly. I agree: he probably gets ridiculed and even bullied as much because of his curable speech impediment as his birthmark.

Talk about wanting to reach into the TV and slap somebody! That mom is number one on my current list for that. 😠

ANd what is also unnerving is that the young man has been attending school, where there are teachers, who should have reported it.  Plus, don't they have family and friends who could stepped up and reported it or confronted her.  To me, a child's welfare is everyone's business.    It's just heartbreaking.  Maybe, Dr. Lee will report her. 

Edited July 22, 2019 by SunnyBeBe

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

ANd what is also unnerving is that the young man has been attending school, where there are teachers, who should have reported it.  Plus, don't they have family and friends who could stepped up and reported it or confronted her.  To me, a child's welfare is everyone's business.    It's just heartbreaking.  Maybe, Dr. Lee will report her. 

Sadly, this world sees even worse abuse than this being reported and the understaffed child welfare agencies can only shrug their shoulders and say, "We see worse."

A child with a slight speech impediment and a non-cancerous birthmark that could be almost completely covered with longer hair and shirts with collars is really low on their list of concerns.  Again, sad - but true.

[CruiseDiva]

32 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

Sadly, this world sees even worse abuse than this being reported and the understaffed child welfare agencies can only shrug their shoulders and say, "We see worse."

A child with a slight speech impediment and a non-cancerous birthmark that could be almost completely covered with longer hair and shirts with collars is really low on their list of concerns.  Again, sad - but true.

Very sad. I really feel bad for him.

I wondered why the boy didn't wear shirts with collars or turtle necks to cover that awful looking disfigurement, especially after other kids called him names. It does actually look like poop.

[StatisticalOutlier]

22 hours ago, CoyoteBlue said:

I wondered why he felt the need to use his left hand to hold the sign. Dude, stick that hand in your pocket and use the gloved one!

Good idea, but I think he uses that hand to wave the people into the crosswalk.

.

3 hours ago, CruiseDiva said:

I wondered why the boy didn't wear shirts with collars or turtle necks to cover that awful looking disfigurement, especially after other kids called him names.

But when he tried to do that, the librarian made him take off his jacket. 

[AZChristian]

12 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

But when he tried to do that, the librarian made him take off his jacket. 

I suspected producer hijinks in that librarian scene.  Even so, I can't imagine a teacher would tell him to take off regular shirt with a collar or turtleneck.

[Mothra]

6 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Yeah, unless social services can intervene. 

I don't think it's serious enough to warrant that, but I do think it's a hell of a lot more serious than his dumbass mother seems to believe.  Here's a kid who oozes nerd looks and has a speech impediment, and now he needs to have a monster mole over half his neck?  Removing some of the bumps and shaving the hairs is a step in the right direction, but this mother needs to have the same kind of disfiguring mark on her neck I guess to understand how much her kid is suffering because she doesn't want him to go through the complicated surgery that would make it right.  The deck is already stacked against this sweet kid.

[auntjess]

On 7/19/2019 at 10:00 AM, CruiseDiva said:

Plus, kids bullied him and called him names. I was sad that Dr Lee couldn't do more for him. Maybe he'll be back. Hopefully. His mother needed a smack upside the head.

I was surprised that she couldn't remove it with laser.  Maybe she can reduce it later.
Yep, mom was a POS.
And the TV show I was thinking of for cosplay is on tomorrow, 7/23, 9:30 ET, on Discovery Life.
 

Quote

"30 min|TV-14For the past 20 years, 31-year-old Nicole has been addicted to Pony Play, a form of costumed role play. Meanwhile, 43-year-old single mother of two Heather has been addicted to drinking paint for nearly three years.Pony Play/Addicted to Drinking Paint"

[goldil]

Did they say on the show that he wasn't already in speech therapy at school? 

[Twopper]

5 minutes ago, goldil said:

Did they say on the show that he wasn't already in speech therapy at school? 

I think we are all speculating on the apparent speech impediment.  It is also possible that he has had or is having therapy already and his current speech is an improvement over what he started with.  Who knows?

[auntjess]

On 7/14/2019 at 8:21 PM, satrunrose said:

Do noses keloid like ears? Paging Dr Google!

How about belly buttons, and tongues, too?  I'm getting some pretty disgusting images.

[readheaded]

18 hours ago, Twopper said:

I think we are all speculating on the apparent speech impediment.  It is also possible that he has had or is having therapy already and his current speech is an improvement over what he started with.  Who knows?

He seemed like such a sweet kid; I hope there's a special teacher or two who are looking out for him and maybe guiding him to good places.  

[Sharonana]

I will never understand why people let their growths get so large. Why do they wait so long before they get treatment?

[Wanda]

17 hours ago, auntjess said:

How about belly buttons, and tongues, too?  I'm getting some pretty disgusting images.

People also pierce their, um, bathing suit areas ........

[Galloway Cave]

22 hours ago, auntjess said:

Do noses keloid like ears? Paging Dr Google!

Well, I had bad keloids on my ears and my nose piercing (done correctly at a piercing shop) has not developed one yet  😁

[CruiseDiva]

My DVR recorded a "new" episode last night and when I opened it I realized it was simply the last episode with Gerald, mole boy, and the lady with the leg lump, but it was Supersized! with new content for my viewing pleasure.

I don't know what "new" content was included because I deleted it. I hate it when the network does that to try to trick me into watching a rerun hoping for something different.

[beeziebee]

On 7/19/2019 at 3:31 PM, GaT said:

I thought there was something odd about him too, he definitely had some kind of accent, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

I think it was a speech impediment.  Mom (whom I wanted to slap) probably thought it was cute and couldn't dare engage the services of a speech therapist.  It wasn't enough that he has the birthmark to contend with, he has a speech issue too, which may have contributed to the bullying as well.

[Cowgirl]

I have to go back to Cosplay keloid girl.  I can't believe no one else has commented on this -- she looked just like Fiona from shrek with the colored hair and the ear bumps.  Well, not exactly like her, but that's who I thought of every time she was on screen. (I don't mean this in a cruel way.  I just thought she might be purposely going for that look.)

[goldil]

The "supersized" repeat was actually downsized! They cut out the part where Dr Lee is cutting the finger tumor open and playing with it.

[auntjess]

On 7/23/2019 at 4:03 PM, Sharonana said:

I will never understand why people let their growths get so large. Why do they wait so long before they get treatment?

Money for a lot of people.  They've been told that something's not dangerous, and insurance doesn't cover something that's cosmetic.
And fear for some, fear that something is cancer.
 

[CrazyMoon]

2 minutes ago, auntjess said:

Money for a lot of people.  They've been told that something's not dangerous, and insurance doesn't cover something that's cosmetic.
And fear for some, fear that something is cancer.
 

agreed...although most things can be taken care of by insurance, moles itch, and now things that are disfiguring but not dangerous can cause 'severe psychological trauma' if left untreated, so insurance will often cover them (they may have to be pushed)

[MissT]

4 hours ago, Cowgirl said:

I have to go back to Cosplay keloid girl.  I can't believe no one else has commented on this -- she looked just like Fiona from shrek with the colored hair and the ear bumps.  Well, not exactly like her, but that's who I thought of every time she was on screen. (I don't mean this in a cruel way.  I just thought she might be purposely going for that look.)

I thought the same thing!!!! All I saw was Fiona.  

[GaT]

Why am I always eating something when I watch this show?

[Gramto6]

21 minutes ago, GaT said:

Why am I always eating something when I watch this show?

I know! I am a week behind watching the previous week before the new show...I always forget to view the later showing. I had to turn my head while they were cutting open the finger... 

[Minivanessa]

Last night I watched the new episode my favorite way: waited till the DVR had recorded it, then FF'd through most of the incredibly drawn-out backstories. Watched just enough to get the main points and watch Dr. Lee treat them.

I liked the patients, and thought the guy with the mysterious hand condition was an interesting case. I hope he continues to use those steroid bandages and gets the skin all cleared up.

One bit of Dr. Lee's VO on that guy echoed some of the discussion here. She was talking about patient histories, and said something to the effect that she finds that patients may not remember things correctly, or may have not understood what their prior doctors were trying to tell them, and that memories aren't always reliable. 

I smiled at the guy with the hip lipoma, who was happy to have his swagger back after Dr. Lee removed that lump. 

[Mothra]

37 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

One bit of Dr. Lee's VO on that guy echoed some of the discussion here. She was talking about patient histories, and said something to the effect that she finds that patients may not remember things correctly, or may have not understood what their prior doctors were trying to tell them, and that memories aren't always reliable. 

So true.

Plus, if the patient has had the growth or whatever looked at and been told that there's nothing to be done about it, why would they continue looking for help, especially if they do not receive regular medical care (annual checkups, say) where a different doctor might mention other possible treatments?

Money is of course very important, and so is a certain degree of social isolation which I've noticed is the case with many of the patients, which would only harden the misunderstanding and hopelessness.  And probably very few of the patients make the effort we all would to search Google for answers, or at least for questions we would ask the doctor.

[Twopper]

1 hour ago, Jeeves said:

Last night I watched the new episode my favorite way: waited till the DVR had recorded it, then FF'd through most of the incredibly drawn-out backstories. Watched just enough to get the main points and watch Dr. Lee treat them.

I liked the patients, and thought the guy with the mysterious hand condition was an interesting case. I hope he continues to use those steroid bandages and gets the skin all cleared up.

One bit of Dr. Lee's VO on that guy echoed some of the discussion here. She was talking about patient histories, and said something to the effect that she finds that patients may not remember things correctly, or may have not understood what their prior doctors were trying to tell them, and that memories aren't always reliable. 

I smiled at the guy with the hip lipoma, who was happy to have his swagger back after Dr. Lee removed that lump.  

I mostly ff'd thru last night.  It is one thing for the bumps-on-head woman to tell about them once, but then she has her daughter over to talk about them again, and then she has to tell Dr. Lee about them.  Once is enough!

It boggled my mind that the lipoma weighed over 2 pounds, but I was giddy over the fact that she told us how much it weighed.  Maybe that's a result of watching Dr Now on M600PL too often.

I liked watching her experiment with treatments for the man's hands.  Glad she finally figured out a solution. 

[SunnyBeBe]

Well, I was wrong on my guess of the lady with the bumps on her head.  I thought that the hard one was a Cutaneous horn.  Here's a photo:

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/picture-of-cutaneous-horns

I don't recall Dr. Lee ever using that term to describe it.  Oh well.  My cousin had one once and had it removed by a regular surgeon.  

[StatisticalOutlier]

15 hours ago, auntjess said:

Money for a lot of people.  They've been told that something's not dangerous, and insurance doesn't cover something that's cosmetic.
And fear for some, fear that something is cancer.

And they don't get huge overnight.  People are pretty good at dealing with tiny incremental changes that over time turn into a "why didn't you do something about that"?

[readheaded]

5 hours ago, Mothra said:

So true.

Plus, if the patient has had the growth or whatever looked at and been told that there's nothing to be done about it, why would they continue looking for help, especially if they do not receive regular medical care (annual checkups, say) where a different doctor might mention other possible treatments?

Money is of course very important, and so is a certain degree of social isolation which I've noticed is the case with many of the patients, which would only harden the misunderstanding and hopelessness.  And probably very few of the patients make the effort we all would to search Google for answers, or at least for questions we would ask the doctor.

Also, the quality and availability of medical care varies significantly depending on where a person lives, which people might not realize.

[CruiseDiva]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

And they don't get huge overnight.  People are pretty good at dealing with tiny incremental changes that over time turn into a "why didn't you do something about that"?

I have an appointment every year with my dermatologist to get the tiny white bumps related to rosacea removed from my face and neck and he's also "frozen" several dark spots on my arms and legs to remove them. It's all been covered by insurance. I have the feeling that the patients who turn to Dr Lee simply don't have insurance, which is probably why other doctors haven't treated them.

[readheaded]

4 minutes ago, CruiseDiva said:

I have an appointment every year with my dermatologist to get the tiny white bumps related to rosacea removed from my face and neck and he's also "frozen" several dark spots on my arms and legs to remove them. It's all been covered by insurance. I have the feeling that the patients who turn to Dr Lee simply don't have insurance, which is probably why other doctors haven't treated them.

Insurance coverage varies widely, too, unfortunately, even for what may be necessary care.  And, if a person has a high-deductible plan, they've got a disincentive not to get any care that's not necessary.  

[Mothra]

20 minutes ago, readheaded said:

Also, the quality and availability of medical care varies significantly depending on where a person lives, which people might not realize.

Yup.  There may be only a regional health clinic or visiting nurse where you really couldn't expect a sophisticated diagnosis--some of these growths are mysteries to experienced Dr. Lee, so how could someone used to treating hookworm and pellagra (hey.  I'm from WV and I get to say it) be prepared for a horse hoof growing out of somebody's head?

OTOH, I feel pretty confident that I could diagnose a regular old cyst or lipoma now, thanks to Dr. Lee Medical School, and might even--if the situation were dire enough--take a whack at treating it.  But maybe TLC isn't part of the basic cable package?