If you haven't been keeping tabs on viral beauty videos as closely as we have, you might not know who the wildly popular Dr. Pimple Popper is. (But we bet you can guess what she does.) Here's a crash course: Dr. Pimple Popper, or Sandra Lee, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist, as well as a skin cancer and cosmetic surgeon, and an unlikely internet star who rose to fame by recording the epic extractions she does on the reg.
Dr. Lee, who joined YouTube in 2010, has over 1 million subscribers who tune in to watch as she tackles the biggest, most shocking pimples and cysts. Seriously, the headlines on articles with her videos in them are never exaggerations — each new challenge she takes on really is more terrifying than the last. If you're wondering why the hell anyone would want to watch that, you're not alone — but there are a ton of people who do.
Pimple-popping often walks the fine line between fascinating and revolting. "Watching popping is similar to seeing a scary movie or riding a roller coaster for some,” Dr. Lee told Refinery29. “You get a rush of euphoria and excitement.” In an attempt to understand, we decided to create an extraction challenge that didn't involve lancing or prodding our own faces.
In the video above, two R29 staffers are challenged to pop faux pimples — each filled with random mystery ingredients like yogurt, water, or food dye. The results are hilarious. If you do insist on doing your own at-home extractions (please don't!), check out this handy guide for more information on how to do so without messing up your skin.
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