Dr. Pimple Popper cut into a woman's forehead 'nipple' to remove a lipoma that looked like a shrimp
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Julia Naftulin
Jan 21, 2021, 01:17 IST
Hollis Johnson/Insider
Dr. Pimple Popper treated a woman with a three-year-old lipoma on her forehead that resembled a nipple during Monday night's episode of her show.
The woman, Felicia, had squeezed the lipoma often which led her skin to become thick and scarred.
But Dr. Pimple Popper perservered and was able to remove the insides of the growth, which resembled a cocktail shrimp.
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During this week's episode of "Dr. Pimple Popper," dermatologist Dr. Sandra Lee helped three patients including Felicia, a 47-year-old from Detroit, Michigan, who had bouncy ball-sized lump in the center of her forehead.
She said the lump, which she had for three years, felt soft out the outer edges, but hard on the inside.
When Felicia first noticed the bump, she said she tried to squeeze it like a regular pimple, but only a small amount of clear liquid came out.
"That's when it went downhill from there," Felicia said during the episode, because now she picks at the growth any chance she gets, which in turn makes it appear darker and more pronounced.
To hide the growth, Felicia used her wardrobe of colored wigs, all with bangs. Though she wanted the lump removed so she could pursue an acting career, Felicia said she had a fear that the removal process would leave an obvious scar in the center of her forehead.
After examining Felicia's Dr. Pimple Popper, she guessed it was a lipoma, or a type of growth that sits between a person's muscle layer and skin layer. Typically, lipomas grow slowly and are fairly small - about two inches in diameter according to the Mayo Clinic.
"It almost looks like a little nipple," Dr. Pimple Popper said, describing the lump.
She explained that she'd have to remove just the right amount of discolored tissue from the area - enough to make the discolored area imperceptible to others, but not so much skin that a large scar develops post-surgery, Lee said.
To start, Lee created a tiny incision with a surgical blade on the top of the lump. Then she used scissors to snip away the "nipple" part that was hanging off of Felicia's forehead.
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At this point, Dr. Pimple Popper knew some of the dark and discolored skin would remain. She said it would likely heal and lighten up over time to match Felicia's natural skin color, but only if she stopped picking and squeezing at the area.
Dr. Pimple Popper used her scissors to cut deeper into the lump, since thick scar tissue prevented her from getting to the lipoma after her first incision.
After a bit more snipping, Lee was able to confirm Felicia did have a lipoma.
"Oh, it's a cute one," Lee said when she was able to pull it out in one piece with scissors. She said it resembled a "piece of shrimp."
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Last, Dr. Pimple Popper stitched up the area and reminded Felicia to avoid touching it in order to prevent more discoloration.
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