Sandra Lee suffers major health scare while filming ‘Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out’ 2: ‘Part of my brain…’
Dr. Sandra Lee had a health scare that led to production being halted on the upcoming season of 'Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out.' The dermatologist became known as Dr. Pimple Popper after starring in the breakout series of the same name on TLC. The series debuted in July 2018 and followed Lee at work, as she treated a variety of patients at her clinic in Upland, California. It had a successful run for nine seasons before concluding in 2023. Lee returned two years later with the follow-up series, 'Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out' on April 21, 2025, on Lifetime. The hit unscripted series was renewed for a second season consisting of 20 episodes on August 14 and began production in September. While filming Season 2 last year, Lee suffered a stroke that led to long-term recovery.
The 55-year-old dermatologist detailed her ordeal while speaking to People magazine. She revealed that her symptoms began in November last year, while she was tending to patients at her clinic. She recounted the incident by saying, "It happened while I was filming. I thought I was having a hot flash. I got super sweaty and didn’t feel like myself." By the evening, her condition had deteriorated, "I just felt very restless. In one leg, I kept feeling shooting pains. I noticed that I was having a tough time walking down the stairs." The next day, things went from bad to worse as the left side of her body could no longer function properly. She said, "I would hold my hand out, and it would just slowly collapse. I noticed that I had a tough time articulating and just enunciating. I thought, 'Am I having a stroke?'"
She quickly went to the emergency room and got an MRI scan, which revealed that she had suffered an ischemic stroke, which is caused when the blood vessels stop supplying the brain with critical oxygen and nutrients. Lee admitted that she found it hard to accept her diagnosis, telling the outlet, "It was just a shock. As a physician, I couldn’t deny that I had slurred speech, that I was having weakness on one side, but I was like, 'Well, this is a dream, right?' What essentially happened is I had a part of my brain that died."
Lee had to undergo extensive physical and occupational therapy to regain control of her hands. During this time, production on her show's second season had to be halted for two months. When she returned to work in January, she had to overcome her self-doubt, which made her question her ability to perform surgeries again, and she even experienced episodes of PTSD. But things got easier with time, and she said she is "pretty much back to normal" with mild slurring of speech. Lee added that she closely monitors her cholesterol, stress, and blood pressure as the experience reminded her to pay attention to her health. "I want to think of it as a blessing in disguise because it reminds you to take better care of yourself. It really makes you realize how precious life is," she said. The second season of 'Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out' is set to premiere on April 20 on Lifetime.
