Want to get a pimple popped? Here's how much Sandra Lee of 'Dr Pimple Popper' charges
You'd be hard-pressed to find a person with porcelain skin, sans any pimple, cysts, or blackheads, and the many other skin conditions that plague nearly all of our skins. So, on our quest for attaining that flawless skin, we all turn to our dear old friend, Google, and before you know it you're spiraling down the rabbit hole of Dr Pimple Popper's gross yet oddly satisfying and addictive videos featuring the renowned dermatologist, Dr Sandra Lee skillfully extracting pimples, blackheads, cysts, etc from her patients face and bodies, leaving them with beautiful and healthy skin.
We wouldn't blame you if you decide to seek Dr Lee's help to get rid of that pesky acne that seems to have made your face its permanent address or those annoying blackheads that have taken over your entire nose and chin area. So, how much would this treatment set you back by? What does 'Dr Pimple Popper' charge the patients who are featured on her popular YouTube videos and TLC show? If all these questions keep running in your mind, then we got you covered.
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How much does 'Dr Pimple Popper' charge her patients?
Considering Dr Lee's popularity one might assume that the treatments being offered to the patients who appear on 'Dr Pimple Popper' must be costing them an arm and a leg. However, it might come as a surprise to many fans to learn that Dr Lee offers several of these patients the treatment free of charge, and also these patients featured on the show are very well taken care of although they don't receive any appearance fee from the network of the showrunners.
In an interview with Refinery 29, Dr Lee revealed how many of her patients never got their skin condition treated due to the tricky medical insurance laws. "Medical insurance is complicated. The rules of what dermatological procedures are covered under certain insurance plans differs state to state. Sadly, I find that the reason a lot of my patients haven’t had their condition treated is because they don’t have the money to have it done. If you have to cover a complicated surgery out of pocket, it can be very expensive.”
So, Dr Lee offers the patients who appear on 'Dr Pimple Popper' free treatment, but in exchange, they have to agree to be filmed for the show or for her YouTube videos. In an interview with Forbes, Dr Lee shared how it's a 'win-win' situation for all the parties involved. "It’s good for my patients that have blackheads, because insurance doesn't cover the removal. So, many dermatologists we won’t remove them, they say, “You have a blackhead there but don't worry about it.” But now, I’ll do the extractions for free if my patients let me videotape and use the video. Of course, I make them anonymous and remove anything identifying."
"Literally, they all say yes. A lot of these people really want these things to be removed. They’re benign and they’re not anything that needs to be removed medically, which is why insurance won’t pay. So my patients win, because they get the blackheads removed for free," she points out. "I win, because I get to take it out and put the video on YouTube. At least I get some sort of payment for that, as opposed to me doing it totally for free. And all of these people who love popping videos win because they get to watch it on YouTube. There’s some kind of obsessive quality, because when you watch it sucks you in. I don't exactly know what it is either, but you do get addicted to it. I see that all the time. People say, “This is so gross yet oddly satisfying. This is so nasty that I cant stop watching", she adds.
The patients whose cases manage to make it to the show not only receive free treatment from 'Dr Pimple Popper' herself but also get their accommodation and travel expenses covered by the production. "The production company foots the patient’s bill for their travel expenses as well as my fees,” Dr Lee told Refinery29.
How much does 'Dr Pimple Popper' charge for consultations off-cameras?
In case you aren't comfortable being filmed or prefer a more private consultation with Dr Lee then you can always schedule an appointment with her at her Physicians and Surgeons Clinic. According to Showbiz CheatSheet, all potential clients are required to shell out an initial consultation fee of $120. This amount will act as a deposit for the bill of treatment that might be prescribed by Dr Lee such as laser treatments, cosmetic surgeries, or even extractions.
But does every acne popup need a visit to a dermatologist? Dr Lee shared with The List when a person needs to seek professional help, "if you have severe acne, if you have cystic or nodular acne, or a lot of acne bumps that are deep under the skin, because that has an absolute risk of scarring."
'Dr Pimple Popper' Season 6 premieres on Wednesday, July 14, at 10/9c on TLC.