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- In a new Instagram video, Dr. Pimple Popper skillfully removes several blackheads speckled across a patient’s back.
- Dr. Lee uses an extractor to push down on the skin, satisfyingly freeing debris from the clogged pores.
- Blackheads, or open comedos, are are filled with dead skin cells and oil, often referred to as sebum.
In a new Instagram video, Dr. Pimple Popper — aka, dermatologist and TLC host Dr. Sandra Lee, MD — removes several blackheads speckled across a patient’s back. Dr. Lee describes the blackheads as “nice and dried up” in the clip, saying they are easier to take out in that state.
The old, crusty blackheads are extracted with a comedones extractor, which Dr. Lee pushes down on the skin, satisfyingly freeing debris from the clogged pores. In some portions of the extraction, you can even see a large dilated pore left behind after removal.
“I would have a field day with those blackheads,” one fan commented on the video. And Dr. Lee certainly did.
Blackheads, or open comedos, are clogged pores that are filled with dead skin cells and oil, not dirt or grime as myth may suggest. Blackheads can only occur where both a hair follicle and sizable pore is present, making the back a possible location for the skin concern, as with this patient. The blackish portion of a blackhead is due to the oxidation of the dead skin cells and oil when exposed to air.
Even when a skin concern isn’t visible to the patient, like blackheads on the back, it can still cause distress and discomfort. Thankfully, this patient has Dr. Lee to pluck out his shriveled blackheads.
Watch the video here to get your dose of gross satisfaction: