Good (and gross) news for popaholics everywhere: The second season of Dr. Pimple Popper is practically here. Come January 3, the medical-mystery reality-show phenomenon that rocked the world — and became the highest-rated freshman series to hit TLC's cable network in the last five years — will grace your TV screens once again. As the last season taught us, you'll want a jumbo box of Kleenex ready on the coffee table, because the real stories in each episode will have you holding back tears (in addition to trying not to gag).
As a refresher, the Dr. Pimple Popper series follows the practice of dermatologist Dr. Sandra Lee, and the devastating skin conditions she treats in the field. (Take a peek at her YouTube channel for an idea of what you're in for.) But fans will tell you that it's not the weight of the bulging neck tumors or the satisfying scenes of pus finally busting free of a 10-year-old cyst that keeps them invested in the show. Rather, it's the patients' emotional backstories — like the 22-year-old girl from St. Louis who tears up getting dressed each morning, trying to yank a pair of jeans over the massive mystery lump on her lower back — that really reels you in.
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For fans — and the curious uninitiated — we have your exclusive first look at the highlights from the soon-to-come season, below, and the teaser clip proves that the new episodes are going to be even more heart-wrenching than anything shown in season one. Press play and see for yourself.
Whether you're left slack-jawed from the lumpy sack one girl pulls out from behind her ear, the shoulder welt herniating calcified blood, or the stringy charcoal-colored pus spewing out from under the skin — it's clear this season is going to be like nothing you've ever seen before. We'll have to wait for the hour-long premiere episode on January 3 to get to know the patients behind these big boils and full-body rashes, but we have our fingers crossed that Dr. Lee will deliver the happy endings once again.