Dr. Pimple Popper Credits Success to Selena Gomez: Interview

It’s safe to say that when you think about pimples, Dr. Sandra Lee (a.k.a. Dr. Pimple Popper) might come to mind. Since her first blackhead extraction posted to YouTube in 2010, the dermatologist has amassed a following of 3.4 million followers on the ‘gram, her very own TV show on T.L.C., a book and a children’s pimple-popping game.

And now, the derm is adding a new gig to her highly impressive resume: promoting Bioré Pore Strips, which aligns with her devotion to all things disgustingly mesmerizing. She spoke to Us about her journey to success, how you might be using a pore strip wrong and which celebs are proud “popaholics.”

If you’re one of the few who hasn’t witnessed a blackhead extraction performed by Sandra Lee, let us ease you into it without the vids. Some people are revolted and horrified by Dr. Pimple Popper’s graphic clips, while others find them “oddly satisfying” — soothing, even. On the show (and in real life) she tackles extreme cases of cysts, lipomas, fatty tumors and even more skin disorders that will keep you up at night.

Some of Dr. Sandra Lee’s fan are celebrities. “Selena Gomez saved me on Instagram,” Dr. Lee explains. “A lot of people were upset that these sort of videos were on Instagram and in an interview years ago, Selena was asked about the most fascinating page on social and she said my page! Instantly I was saved from being kicked off of Dr. Pimple Popper Instagram page.” According to Dr. Lee, Gwenyth Paltrow is also a proud Dr. Pimple Popper fan. Paltrow mentioned Dr. Lee in a podcast and how she wanted to best best friends. Gwyneth, Dr. Sandra Lee’s ready to meet you for a drink!

“Be sure not to apply [your pore strip] to dry skin — it probably won’t work at all,” Dr. Lee explains. The key is to wet the skin on your nose and prep it like an expert would at a facial by cleansing your face, steaming it and/or running a warm towel over it. When picking up your next set of strips, steer clear of ones that use adhesives to remove your blackheads so as to avoid the product sticking to your skin like a vacuum and potentially damaging your skin. Thankfully, Bioré pore strips don’t use adhesives to remove your blackheads, they use cationic bond technology so you can be sure your skin is safe with them.

When you’re not pore stripping like it’s your job, Dr. Sandra Lee swears by powder sunscreen to keep skin safe from the sun. “They do a great job reminding you to reapply throughout the day because a lot of us that wear makeup don’t want to mess it up.” You can find a reliable powder option in Dr. Lee’s skin-care line, SLMD, (yep, that’s a thing) called UV Bounce.

Since starting her career, the derm has been pleased to see an uptick in pimple knowledge — that goes for kids, too! A portion of that education can likely be credited to the Dr. Pimple Popper Pimple Pete Game. The celeb derm reflects, “Last Halloween, one kid got dressed up as Dr. Pimple Popper and carried around a zip-lock bag with a chicken breast in it and called it a lymphoma. […] That’s my favorite part of all — these kids want to be the next Dr. Pimple Popper and I’m so proud of that.”