Where is Debbie Gibson now? 'Dr Pimple Popper' Sandra Lee's patient returns to ziplining after getting shoulder lipoma removed
UPLAND, CALIFORNIA: Debbie Gibson was concerned that the bump on her shoulder might cause her to age prematurely. Dr Sandra Lee stepped in during the finale of Season 9 of 'Dr Pimple Popper' and spared her from early retirement.
Watching Dr Lee slice, scrape, squash, and squeeze her patients' troublesome skin on TLC's 'Dr Pimple Popper' is satisfying. The dermatologist expresses similar sentiments but for different reasons.
She's already helped a woman with a terrible rash, a grandfather with a "plum-sized nose," a guy with 400 tumors across his body, and a woman who had a piece of pencil lead trapped in her hand for 45 years in Season 9. Debbie sought Dr Lee with a similar problem in order to find a permanent solution.
Who is Debbie Gibson on 'Dr Pimple Popper' Season 9?
Debbie, 63, revealed to the TLC cameras that she had a jellyfish-like bump on her shoulder. The blood vessels were so large that she wasn't even sure what they were connected to.
She feared it because it made her wonder if it would travel to her heart or if it would just explode. The blob started developing about 25 years ago. It was about the size of a grape.
Debbie, at the time, saw a doctor, and she told her that it was a fat deposit and that it would probably just remain the way it is now. But in the last 15 years, it's really grown.
She was scared because she could not find a doctor who thought that it was important enough to remove it. The blob started getting in the way of the fun activities she wished to do with her husband of 15 years as it grew larger.
What happened to Debbie Gibson on 'Dr Pimple Popper' Season 9?
Debbie told Dr Lee that she saw a doctor for the first two or three years that she had the bump. From afar, Dr Lee said it looked like a lipoma. The veins, Dr Lee said, could be a matter of concern during surgery.
Dr Lee concluded that Debbie's lipoma was really firm and bumpy. It didn't feel like a normal lipoma. But there were also really large vessels in the vicinity, which could make things very problematic.
Dr Lee was certain that it was a lipoma, but what was bothering her was the fact that it felt very hard and deep. She wasn't sure if it was just calcification of the lipoma or something else.
Once Dr Lee planned out how to go about the surgery, she sliced the bump open, which looked like it was caught up in a little net. It was kind of wound around Debbie's regular fat.
As it broke apart, it was difficult for Dr Lee to take the whole thing out in one pop. It was a triple threat, starting with the blood vessels that Dr Lee had to steer around. The second thing was the deeper, firmer component that she couldn't seem to identify, and last but not least, it was coming out in pieces.
The evacuation of Debbie's lipoma proved to be quite a feat for Dr Lee. The firm area that she was very concerned about, she couldn't even find that through all the fat. Finally, Dr Lee was able to identify the firmer, or harder, area of Debbie's lipoma, and she was able to remove that. It looked like a bit of older lipoma material.
Since it was just really packed very tightly in the arm it felt deeper during the examination. With a little bit of time and patience, Dr Lee got to remove Debbie's lipoma in its entirety.
Debbie Gibson returned to adventurous life after 'Dr Pimple Popper' surgery
After the removal of the lipoma, Debbie was able to get back to her adventurous life with her husband Jack. Six weeks after the procedure, Debbie had a flat arm with the scar from the surgery almost gone. The shooting pain from the blob had disappeared, and Debbie thanked Dr Lee for giving her and her husband the life they actually wanted.
Who is Dr Sandra Lee?
Dr Sandra Lee, a board-certified dermatologist in Southern California, is better known as Dr Pimple Popper.
Dr Lee began an Instagram account in 2015 to give people a glimpse into her life as a dermatologist. She thought it would be interesting to show people what she sees on a daily basis — during consultations, operations, and in-office treatments — because her profession is so visual.
And, while she had a feeling that others would be interested, she quickly realized that there was an entire community of individuals who watched "popping" films and shared them with one another over the internet.
Season 10 of 'Dr Pimple Popper' has not been confirmed by TLC yet.