'Dr Pimple Popper' Season 9: Where is Felipe now? Dr Sandra Lee treats patient's painful dry skin condition to prevent him from losing his job
UPLAND, CALIFORNIA: Dr Sandra Lee aka 'Dr Pimple Popper', is no stranger to gruesome conditions. However, on the July 19 episode of her TLC series, she was astounded to meet a photographer who suffers from such terrible dry skin that he risks losing his job.
Even though Dr Lee is specifically well-known for her astounding cyst and blackhead-popping videos, the dermatologist is much more than just a pimple squeezer, as evidenced on her show. The Season 9 of the TLC series 'Dr Pimple Popper' has so far included a range of jaw-dropping pops and interesting skin concerns. The latest episode revolved around one man's severe, scaly skin condition and his stunning, tear-jerking improvement from a few weeks of therapy.
Who is Felipe on 'Dr Pimple Popper'?
On this week's episode, Felipe was seen informing the TLC cameras about the strange scaly texture on his hands and feet. The patient compared his skin condition to a "thick layer of Parmigiano cheese" and mentioned that his skin has a lot of fissures. He mentioned that, at times, the cracks get so extreme that it causes inflammation and bleeding. "Feels like my feet are burning," he said, revealing that it has reached the point where he must stop walking. Felipe, who shoots a lot of models for magazines and print, struggles to do his job as his hands get very dry and begin to burn profusely while holding his camera, so he often has to rely on taking multiple breaks in the middle of a shoot.
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What happened to Felipe on 'Dr Pimple Popper'?
Dr Lee used a punch biopsy to diagnose Felipe, advising him and his partner, Karl, on a new skin-care program to follow while they awaited the biopsy findings. She referred to the method as "wet wrapping" and said it helps "put moisture back and keep it there in the skin." Wet-wrap therapy procedures vary, but the basic concept is to apply moisturizer or topical treatment to the skin before wrapping it in a layer of wet bandages besides an additional layer of dry bandages. Eczema and other irritating disorders are often treated with this strategy. To demonstrate the procedure, Dr Lee applied petroleum jelly to Felipe's feet and hands before covering the region with a moist, sock-like fabric tube and wrapping it in plastic wrap and a cloth bandage.
Felipe and Karl returned to the dermatologist's office several weeks after their initial appointment to get the diagnosis, leading to Dr Lee stating that Felipe has ichthyosis, a group of skin disorders that are characterized by dry, scaly, and thick skin. Notably, there are almost 20 varieties of ichthyosis, with some being hereditary in which the symptoms emerge at birth or during the first year of a baby's life. Whereas in the case of acquired ichthyosis, the symptoms show up later in life, and it's usually associated with another disorder, such as an underactive thyroid, renal disease, and Hodgkin's lymphoma, or it may be induced by certain drugs. Having said that, Dr Lee informed Felipe that it was difficult to determine the cause of his ailment but that it's possible that his problem is genetic because he had it since he was just seven years old.
Where is Felipe from 'Dr Pimple Popper' now?
Dr Lee inspected Felipe's extremely dry skin for evidence of improvement after many weeks of the wet-wrapping routine during the follow-up session, noticing that his cheeks and arms were less flaky. The greatest surprise of the episode was when Dr Lee removed Felipe's sock to reveal his soles. Felipe's skin, formerly thick, white, and flaky, was visibly smoother and pinker. Dr Lee described it as "spectacular," while Felipe stated that his discomfort had also subsided.
'Dr Pimple Popper' Season 9 airs every Wednesday on TLC at 9 pm ET.