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00:00The following program contains medical procedures and treatments involving dermatology. Viewer
00:04discretion is advised. I'm Dr. Sandra Lee. Sometimes people also call me Dr. Pimple Popper.
00:10Oh, that's a pop. I'm a board-certified dermatologist with offices around Southern
00:16California, and I've spent the last 10 years on television and the internet helping my amazing
00:21patients with the craziest bumps, lumps, and lesions you could imagine. So much has changed
00:27for me over the past year. Jeff and I are empty nesters, I moved, and I expanded my practice.
00:35I'm so thrilled and excited for this new phase of my life. Hello. It's time to break out from my
00:41old
00:41life and embrace the future, and I want you to pop along with me. You got an ornery one. I'm
00:47pretty
00:47sure that was the coolest thing I've ever seen. I'm about to look so good. I've treated hundreds
00:52of patients on television, and thousands in my career. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.
01:00Thank you, Dr. Lee. Let's do it again. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go. I have seen things
01:06many
01:06dermatologists have only seen in textbooks. The best teacher really is experience.
01:17So as we break out here together, you'll also see me share my experience as best I can with
01:23young dermatologists and medical students that I've met along the way. We're both learning
01:27today. Yes. In the past five years, dermatology has become the top choice for medical students,
01:32especially women. Pimple popping is not taught in residence. We'll see how they break out from
01:38their comfort zone, seeing things they have never seen, and of course, see how they pop.
01:49On Dr. Pimple Popper, breaking out.
02:04What are we going to do today? Huh? Come on, baby. My name is Dot. I'm 60 years old,
02:11and I have a giant lump hanging on my inner left thigh.
02:19This blob feels like an orange when it's almost rotten. At times, depending on the pants,
02:27it looks like a penis. And so when I get dressed in the morning, I got to lift it up,
02:33adjust it,
02:34and decide, do I want them to see my penis from the side or from the front? We're going to
02:40make some
02:41herbs. I didn't grow up going to doctors. My mother had 17 kids, and we were raised from the garden.
02:48The remedy was from the garden. She could fix anything. So I have not gone to doctors because
02:54I don't trust them. We're going to make some tea bags now. This lump started a decade ago.
03:02I was a vegan at the time, but one day I thought, you know what? I'm going to have a
03:09piece of chicken.
03:10And I did. And then I noticed that the lump got bigger. And I thought, animals are shot up with
03:18hormones. And the hormones made that thing grow. That's the only logical explanation I have,
03:25unless you got one. But I don't know what to do. No remedy can cure it. Natural herbs,
03:32ointments, tinctures, nothing. It will not go away.
03:45Hello. Welcome, welcome, everybody. Are you with this crowd, little one?
03:50I went through a bad divorce, and I've started a new life in Colorado. But I need some money in
03:57order
03:57to live. What can I get you to drink? I like waitressing. But if I'm on my feet for a
04:06long
04:07period of time, the lump gets tired. It feels like a strain. I would like more hours, but I can't
04:16do it.
04:17Everything is gone from that old life, but this lump. Let's do it. I am so happy. I have two
04:25children,
04:26and my daughter is able to come see me here, and I am so excited. Reminds like a room right
04:34here.
04:35When I swim and I'm doing laps, I feel free. However, since the lump on my thigh, I've had to
04:42change how I dress at the pool.
04:45Hey. I'm used to you wearing two pieces. Why you have a one piece on now?
04:51I gotta do what I gotta do.
04:54I know you're a grandma, but you don't have to start dressing like a grandma.
04:58My name is Tiffany. I'm Dot's daughter, and I'm from Detroit, Michigan.
05:01I know she's trying to hide this lump, but my mom was always known as Dottie the Body.
05:07She was always prancing around in her outfits, always walking around in the bikinis.
05:13So I'm surprised to see my mom wearing a tennis skirt at the pool.
05:17You know, you just don't understand. When I go inside the pool, I'm safe.
05:22Nobody can see me underneath that water.
05:23Mm-hmm. As soon as I get out of that pool, the thing stand up like a penis.
05:28Oh.
05:30So I gotta bundle up like an old lady.
05:33You've been doing natural remedies for 10 years, but this thing isn't getting any better.
05:37I really need to see this. I haven't seen this in a while.
05:40And I need to see, has it grown? Has it gotten red?
05:44Let's go see it. I wanna see it.
05:46A year ago, my mom showed me this big lump that she had,
05:50and now I'm just worried because I didn't expect it to still be there.
05:53Cause at a point she said that it was shrinking.
05:56She was trying to keep it from me so that I wouldn't be worried,
05:59but then it ended up backfiring and now I'm worried.
06:06Oh my goodness.
06:08I didn't know it got that big.
06:13You have to do something about this. You really do.
06:17Yeah, I'm ready.
06:19I want my life back.
06:22I have tried my last 10 years with natural remedies to get this thing off.
06:28And I know that I need Dr. Lee to remove this thing once and for all.
06:45We're back. Let's do it guys. I'm so excited.
06:49We've got a new office with new patients, new everything except for my staff.
06:53Of course, they're always still there.
06:55I hear that I got a patient who has a bump in the nether regions.
06:59I was just thinking as I was coming into work today,
07:02like how hard it must be for this patient to even sit to be able to come and drive to
07:07see me.
07:07So let's see what happens. So off to work.
07:10And I hope you guys enjoy the patients we see today.
07:29Hi.
07:30How are you?
07:31I'm good.
07:32Yes. Nice to see you. Where are you from?
07:35I'm coming from Colorado.
07:36Oh, okay.
07:37From Florida, Colorado.
07:38Well, wonderful.
07:39So you have something down here on this lower half here.
07:42Okay. How long have you had this?
07:442013 to 2014. I used to be a vegetarian.
07:48Okay.
07:48And then one day I ate some chicken and then I noticed that it started growing.
07:55Okay. Well, first, I don't know what this is yet. So let's see.
07:57But I don't know of anything in the textbooks that is triggered by eating chicken. So.
08:02But it's embarrassing most of all. I look like I have a penis.
08:05All right.
08:06Or .
08:07Not fun.
08:07No.
08:08No.
08:08And I'm a girl.
08:09Yes. I don't even know how they walk around with those things.
08:12I don't either.
08:13Can you imagine?
08:13Yes.
08:13Well, I guess you can imagine a little bit now.
08:17I know that some people do like having bumps between their legs.
08:21I mean, probably 50% of the population, but Dot and I do not.
08:25Regardless, there are lumps and bumps that nobody wants between their legs.
08:30That's obviously why Dot's here.
08:32So I'm going to take a closer look.
08:34It doesn't feel like it's attached to you. You know what I mean?
08:37Yeah.
08:37And it moves around pretty well.
08:39I mean, it feels like a lipoma.
08:42A lipoma is simply a fat cell that decides to have a little party and really create more of their
08:48friends
08:48and create this world filled with fat cells.
08:51They are in itself benign, but they can grow quite large.
08:54And when they explore deeper areas of your body, that's where I would get concerned.
08:59Okay.
09:00It's not an easy place to get to, but we'll try our best.
09:04So I will see you in a little bit.
09:05Okay?
09:05Okay. Thank you.
09:07Of course.
09:09It seems to me that the reason that Dot hasn't come to see a doctor in over 10 years or
09:15so
09:15is probably because Dot doesn't really like doctors.
09:18So I'm really going to try to figure out what's going on with her, but also not give her too
09:22much information.
09:23I feel like that might scare her a little.
09:25The first thing I'm going to do right now is just put some numbing in there.
09:28Okay?
09:29What kind of numbing are you going to put?
09:30It's lidocaine.
09:31It's like the same thing you get at the dentist's office.
09:33Okay.
09:33That kind of thing.
09:33But we really dilute it.
09:35It's not safe to use a lot of that.
09:37So we mix it with saline.
09:39I don't like anything in my body.
09:41Needles are an enemy.
09:43Why would I want an enemy invading my body?
09:46Let me reach over here.
09:54Have you given me any fluids?
09:56I'm not giving you any fluids.
09:57I be?
09:58No, no, no.
09:59No, we're not doing that.
10:00There is a gall in heaven.
10:01You don't like getting fluids?
10:02Oh, no.
10:03I'm here with Dot and she has this growth on her upper thigh.
10:06She's had this growth for 10 years.
10:08She's got concerns about dyes and chemicals and anything that we might have to put into
10:13her body.
10:14So I'm trying to treat her very carefully so she doesn't get scared and leave.
10:20Make sure we're not hurting you.
10:23Okay.
10:25All right.
10:26Let's see what we have here.
10:30This definitely looks like a lipoma.
10:33It's ready.
10:34It's like crowning.
10:37Well, not every bump in the skin is a lipoma, but thankfully in Dot's case it is because I
10:42think we're going to be able to get it out.
10:44I don't want to use anything sharp if I don't have to.
10:47In fact, my favorite way to get a bump out is just going to give you a good squeeze.
10:56You okay?
10:57Yeah.
10:57Feels weird?
10:58A little pressure?
10:59Yeah.
10:59Like having a baby?
11:01Yeah.
11:02Yes.
11:02Tell me when to push.
11:05Just stuck to you on one side.
11:08Just got to look at it from every angle.
11:10Sometimes they're a pain in the ass.
11:13At first, Dot's Lipoma looked like it was going to pop out nice and clean, but it kept
11:18going and going.
11:19It was huge.
11:20The size of a cantaloupe.
11:22If I have any shot of getting all of this out of here, this birth is going to have to
11:26be a C-section.
11:35Is it out?
11:37It's pretty much out.
11:38There's a piece that's like more superficial that I think could be part of this.
11:43See these little vessels of hers?
11:46Geez, the wheeze.
11:47It's just they're on the surface and I just want to make sure that I keep an eye on them.
11:50You have to make sure those blood vessels are cauterized so that it doesn't want to
11:54ooze on you.
11:55The Lipoma is out, but I am neurotic about bleeding.
11:59If I close Dot up with some oozing blood vessels in there, that can create a water balloon of
12:05blood and that's a problem.
12:06I think I'm pretty good.
12:07Let's put those top stitches in.
12:09I'm really proud of Dot because she was able to handle being awake and me treating this area
12:14and zapping all these blood vessels.
12:16Doing that was key and she's really going to have some fantastic results.
12:22You want to feel where it is?
12:26It's gone.
12:27Yeah, it's gone.
12:29I'm free?
12:30Yes, you are free.
12:32No more bull .
12:33I am so excited that now I only have a vagina.
12:40No more bull hanging near the vagina slapping it.
12:44I love you, Dr. Lee.
12:47I just want to thank you.
12:49Sayonara.
12:50See you later.
12:50Thank you so much.
12:51Bye.
12:52Now, I'm putting everything past me, the divorce, this lump, and I got a new attitude.
13:00Bye-bye lump.
13:01Hello, Dottie the body.
13:03I ain't coming back.
13:05You will never see me.
13:06Love you, Dr. Lee.
13:08Bye.
13:19Are you ready?
13:20Yeah.
13:21My name's Tim.
13:22I'm 68 years old.
13:23I'm from Ventura, California.
13:25I've got rhinophyma.
13:27This is my girlfriend, Reba.
13:32My nose feels rough.
13:34It's very bulbous on the end.
13:36It feels like a big walnut.
13:37The weight of this is heavy enough to restrict my nasal passages.
13:42A lot of times, he stops breathing in his sleep.
13:46So I'm poking him to get him to wake up and start breathing normally again.
13:52I get these pustules, just all kinds of stuff, crap comes out of them.
13:57Almost like a cottage cheese without any of the curd in it.
14:00This condition makes me sometimes feel like a freak.
14:04Eight years ago, I made an appointment with my PCP because I had red nose.
14:09She basically diagnosed me with rosacea.
14:11Really wasn't any treatment plan.
14:13And then my rhinophyma diagnosis probably came about five years ago.
14:18I've been to ENTs.
14:20I've been to plastic surgeons.
14:22I've never received any of the solutions to this.
14:25And I hope that today we do get this behind me and I move on.
14:30Thanks for coming with me.
14:31You're welcome.
14:35When I first met Tim, he was just so handsome.
14:39And we had two kids, got married, had another child.
14:42And then we got divorced.
14:45I'm the one that left him.
14:46But he's been kind over the years to say we had our differences.
14:51And it was our kids that actually set us up for our second, first date about four years ago.
15:00I loved her.
15:01So it must have been meant to be.
15:05Dr. Lee will be right in, okay?
15:07I'd love to move into a second engagement with Reba.
15:10But because of this condition, I kind of pushed off on it.
15:14Because I'd love for our wedding pictures to be what they were back in 1984.
15:19We finally made it.
15:21Yeah.
15:21I've got a little anxiety level because I have heard the stories of surgeons taking on these procedures.
15:27And they really don't know what they're getting into.
15:59That's all the training that you have.
16:01So I've decided that it's time for me to really share a lot of the knowledge that I have and
16:06pass this on to young, up-and-coming dermatologists.
16:10I think this will increase the number of dermatologists that will practice this kind of dermatology.
16:14I hired Dr. Lindsey and I couldn't be more pleased.
16:18She's excited about learning new things and I'm excited to teach her.
16:22So, how is it going here?
16:24It's been a wonderful time here.
16:25Really?
16:26Yeah.
16:26We love having you here.
16:27I'm Dr. Lindsey.
16:30I am a Southern California girl.
16:32I went to medical school at UCLA and then dermatology residency at the University of Michigan.
16:37I started working here at Dr. Lee's office about a year ago.
16:41And I normally see bread and butter cases like acne and melasma.
16:45But I want to push myself out of my comfort zone and start tackling more complicated cases.
16:51So, we're jumping right in.
16:53Okay.
16:53It's a case of rhinophyma.
16:55Okay.
16:56This is a more extensive case.
16:59This is so exciting.
17:00Dr. Lee is one of the leading experts in rhinophyma cases and I get to work alongside with her.
17:05But I am a little bit nervous.
17:07I could make a mistake.
17:08Dr. Lindsey, who has accompanied me today.
17:10Nice to meet you.
17:11I think this may be what you're here for.
17:14You can tell, huh?
17:15Okay.
17:15Well, I've seen a couple of them.
17:17Yes.
17:18Rhinophyma is a severe form of rosacea.
17:22You know, rosacea is pretty common actually.
17:24But the most common forms are the ones with redness or increased blood vessels, flushing.
17:30And in particular, men tend to get more of the thickening of the nose.
17:34You can squeeze it and there's oil that comes out and you have very dilated, what we call
17:39patchless follicles.
17:40There are treatment options.
17:42We numb you up under local anesthesia and we really take, it's like a hot wire loop,
17:47but cuts through that extra tissue there.
17:50My biggest concern is that I don't want to take too much.
17:53You know, if we take too much, I can't put it back on you.
17:55I just got to be able to gauge where your old nose starts and this overgrown tissue begins.
18:01You know, so let me see you lift your nose up here.
18:03You can sort of start to imagine what does his nose look like under there.
18:09I love how Dr. Lindsay is paying such rapt attention.
18:13This reminds me that I have to teach her another really important trick.
18:16You have to be really conscious of everybody in the room.
18:18You have to make sure that they don't get woozy from the oozy here.
18:22You're sticking the needles in his nose?
18:24Yeah.
18:25I don't say it that way, but yes.
18:26I mean, sorry.
18:28I'm just going to put it in my fingers.
18:30Yeah.
18:31I'll probably just go to the waiting room.
18:32Okay.
18:32That's fine.
18:33We'll be right here.
18:34Good luck.
18:36I am hoping that tonight when Tim goes to sleep that he'll breathe easier.
18:42Let me put a little numbing here and let it sit.
18:43Okay.
18:44My plan is now to numb up Tim's nose.
18:47I'm hoping that I only have to numb him up one time because the more you numb,
18:52the more you plump that up, then it distorts the nose and you cannot see all the landmarks
18:57and you can't see what the final result will be.
19:00I'm going to do a little of his nostrils first.
19:04Just a tiny bit on this corner here, just to see.
19:09With the heat of this, it melts it too.
19:12Wow.
19:14It's like sculpting.
19:15It's like butter.
19:16Yep.
19:20I'm really excited to show Dr. Lindsey the Loop Electrocottery.
19:24This is a device that uses electricity to cut through the skin.
19:29And you can really sculpt an area.
19:32It's also good for Dr. Lindsey to see us using this little vacuum
19:35because it's really important we don't inhale too many of Tim's dead skin cells.
19:40Sometimes I try to take it off full, but it's also being conservative
19:44and being careful to take it off a little by little.
19:47Mm-hmm.
19:49It's like bacon on the griddle.
19:53It looks like that burnt skin stains your sinus.
19:57It's smoky.
19:58Yeah, I'm sorry.
20:00It's hard because you can't not smell it.
20:02You know, try to breathe through your mouth, I know, but that's also not easy
20:04since we're blocking your mouth.
20:06Gotcha.
20:10Oh, that's a pop.
20:14One of the wild things about rhinophaima is you can see all that oil
20:18that's unearthed right below the skin.
20:21There's nothing else like this in dermatology.
20:24And so it's a really special opportunity for Dr. Lindsey to see this.
20:28So when I come on that side, I'll have you do a little so you get a feel of what
20:32it is.
20:33I'm almost done with this side of the nose, and so I'm going to start on the other side.
20:36And I think this is a perfect time for Dr. Lindsey to get a try here.
20:40It's kind of a different world when you try it yourself.
20:43You realize doing this is not exactly what you think.
20:46I'm trying to get this flush, you know what I'm saying?
20:49Like, take this volume down a little bit to more of that level.
21:11Yes, yes, but a little, like, that's okay.
21:14I get, no, it's better to be...
21:16Less is, less is more.
21:17Absolutely.
21:18Dr. Lee is showing me how to maneuver the loop cautery.
21:23In the back of my mind, I keep hearing her say,
21:25you can take some off, but you can't put it back on, right?
21:28And I think I did a pretty good job.
21:30I was kind of gingerly with it, right?
21:32That's okay, I get it.
21:32These are the most challenging kind where it's just a big shapeless sort of mass on the front of his
21:40nose.
21:41And you've got to try to reshape that.
21:44I feel that a little bit on you.
21:45A little bit there.
21:48A little numbing right here, okay?
21:51Tim's rhinophyma is really taking over his normal nose.
21:55You cannot trust what you see in this case because I've numbed up that area and really made it thicker.
22:02So is that thickness from the numbing fluid or is that true thickness from the rhinophymatous tissue?
22:08It almost looks like that's where the tip of his nose is.
22:11But I just don't believe that it's back there unless it's just been crushed by all this.
22:19I've got a tough case.
22:26It almost looks like that's where the tip of his nose is.
22:29I'm here with Tim who has a severe case of rhinophyma.
22:32And I've got Dr. Lindsey with me.
22:34And I have to decide where the tip of his nose ends.
22:39And it's becoming more difficult because he's got a lot of numbing in there and the area is swelling too
22:44from treatment.
22:45I want to keep this looking like a real nose and presentable.
22:51So I think I'm going to stop here and reevaluate you.
22:58How are you doing?
22:59Are you still alive under there?
23:01Yep.
23:01I've done a lot of big rhinophymas, maybe more than anyone.
23:05And it's really taught me when you have a feeling like you should hold back, you should probably listen to
23:10that.
23:11But you see what I mean?
23:12It's kind of hard to tell where it ends.
23:14Yeah, that can't be the tip.
23:16That's not the tip though.
23:17It must be under here, you know, maybe like this far under, but it's hard to tell.
23:23And also it's swollen now.
23:25That was pretty incredible standing right next to Dr. Lee and doing the procedure.
23:29But I'm a little bit nervous to perform a procedure on rhinophymas by myself.
23:35But what I learned with Dr. Lee was that patience is a virtue.
23:40So we got to look at it again once it's kind of calmed down.
23:44So you're in progress, but we're getting there.
23:47Progress in the work.
23:48I'm going to schedule a follow up with Tim after the swelling has gone down so that we can do
23:52another treatment on him.
23:54It may look like it's the same size as it was when I began, but believe you me, it is
23:59not.
23:59It is definitely smaller and I really want to reassess this and decide from that point on what more to
24:07remove.
24:07I know Dr. Lindsey has learned a lot.
24:09I mean, we really threw her into a pretty big, complicated case.
24:13So I think there's a lot for her to think about.
24:16I'm going to show you.
24:17It's not going to look that impressive.
24:19But you can see her nostrils.
24:20Look at the, it's lifted up.
24:22Oh yeah.
24:25Work in progress.
24:26We're halfway there.
24:28The procedure went, I think, awesome.
24:30I know we got a little bit more of a journey with this, but we just took the biggest step
24:36today.
24:38Hey, he's still here.
24:40His head's attached.
24:42Still.
24:43I'm going to show you his nose right now.
24:45A little warm nose.
24:45And see what kind of trouble we had there with him.
24:47Oh my goodness.
24:50He's so tough.
24:52I've got somebody very good here that has seen me through this journey.
24:55I don't worry.
24:56This is so huge for both of us.
25:00Now that I've seen Dr. Lee, I definitely feel that the best is yet to come.
25:05I feel awesome.
25:07New man, new nose.
25:10It's all good.
25:24We're almost to the hotel.
25:26And we actually made a really good time.
25:28I'm so excited.
25:30My name is Kreme.
25:31I'm 39 years old from San Diego.
25:33And I have a huge birthmark on my face that looks like a black eye.
25:39My birthmark covers the right side of my face.
25:42And it looks like I got beat up.
25:46Growing up, doctors determined I couldn't do anything about it.
25:50In elementary and junior high kids would just ask me if my parents hit me and I would just
25:56feel horrible inside and anything that I said they just wouldn't believe me.
26:02I have an idea.
26:04What are your thoughts if we go get some ice cream?
26:07No.
26:09What do you mean?
26:11We don't have the kids.
26:12It's a good opportunity for us to do that.
26:13I don't have any makeup on.
26:15I'm not ready to have people stare at me right now.
26:18It would be a great time.
26:20Calm your nerves a little bit.
26:25Okay.
26:26As long as I get two scoops.
26:33Ready?
26:35No.
26:38Hi, I can help you guys whenever you're ready.
26:40Hi.
26:41When I'm out in public without any makeup on, my birthmark looks like a black eye.
26:45I get stared at and get pulled aside to ask if he's hurt me.
26:51And I feel very, very insecure.
26:56Oh, there's too many people.
26:59I'm not comfortable right now.
27:01When it comes to Karimi's birthmark, she's beautiful with or without it.
27:06But it is something that negatively impacts her.
27:10I just feel like this day was never going to come.
27:12I feel like I was so scared to see another doctor, especially from what happened last time.
27:18My first laser treatment was when I was 21 years old.
27:22It was very painful.
27:24It felt like rubber bands snapping multiple times on my face.
27:27And then it just got worse.
27:31I could see brown discoloration underneath.
27:34And then there was a deep wound that was on the side of my face.
27:40That did not go away for about four to five months.
27:43I don't want them to scar my face.
27:46I'm not ready for all that again.
27:48I'm just really nervous, you know, to hear what she's going to say.
27:52Yeah.
27:53I'm hoping that Dr. Lee can help you.
27:56If she can't, you know, it's just...
28:04I hear you.
28:05But just know that if the doctor is able to support you with this,
28:08it's going to be a life-changing thing for you.
28:11I love you.
28:13I'm feeling very emotional because I don't know what Dr. Lee is going to tell me.
28:17I am very scared of lasers because I don't want my skin texture to change
28:22or have another scar on my face.
28:27I don't know if I'll be able to sleep.
28:43We're here.
28:44We're here.
28:47Because I've had negative experiences in the past with laser treatments,
28:51I hope Dr. Lee does something else.
28:54I'm very nervous not knowing what she's going to tell me.
28:57Dr. Lee will be right with you, okay?
28:59You're welcome.
29:00Of course.
29:02There are some conditions that I know in advance that I might need lasers.
29:05Then there are some conditions that are pretty complex
29:07that I know are beyond my skill in terms of this technology.
29:12That's when I bring in the big guns, the big laser guns.
29:17Oh, hey.
29:19How are you?
29:19I'm glad you found your way in.
29:22It's so nice to see you.
29:22It's so nice to see you.
29:23The patient is here already.
29:25You're the expert.
29:26You're the laser queen.
29:27I can't wait.
29:28Come on with me.
29:29Let me introduce you.
29:30My name is Dr. Arisa Ortiz and I am a board-certified dermatologist.
29:35I am currently the president of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery.
29:41Dr. Lee, nice to meet you.
29:43I've got Dr. Ortiz in here.
29:44You've got two dermatologists.
29:46And I specialize in laser procedures and cosmetic dermatology.
29:50So I think I see why you're here.
29:52You have a little darkening around your eye here.
29:55It was slight in my youth and then I went to a dermatologist
29:59and they told me it was a birthmark and it was called nevus of Ota.
30:04So nevus of Ota, it's a problem when the embryo is developing
30:08where the melanocytes are supposed to migrate to the top layers of the skin
30:13and they don't quite make it.
30:15And then there's a gene mutation where they're just always kind of making pigment.
30:20And so they're kind of in the deeper level of the skin in the dermis.
30:25It's kind of like the ocean when you see different parts of the world and the water,
30:28how it's bluer and then sometimes it's darker.
30:30It's because of like the depth of the ocean floor.
30:34So this is like deeper underneath there.
30:36Have you had this treated before?
30:39When I was 21 and saw the dermatologist,
30:41she offered me laser treatments and very painful.
30:45And then after my third treatment, I did get a, it was like a hole.
30:52Was this bluish gray before? No.
30:55I feel like it wasn't even there.
30:56And then after I got this.
30:57And you got something new.
30:58I got scared.
30:59Yeah, I can see that.
31:00Can I take a look?
31:02So what do you think happened here?
31:04I'm guessing they probably used something with what we call like a longer pulse duration
31:08where the energy is delivered for too long and can burn the skin.
31:12So I'm guessing they used maybe the wrong laser.
31:16You want to select which laser is going to target each condition specifically.
31:22So there's different wavelengths that I choose from.
31:26Then there's different settings on those lasers
31:29that you want to make sure are appropriate for your patient.
31:33But like really treating this potentially,
31:35you can lighten that little, the little gray area there
31:38that's underneath where that little ulcer happened.
31:41The laser is going to kind of target those pigment cells
31:44and then it'll lighten over time.
31:47It'll probably take multiple treatments.
31:50Kara May was really traumatized by the last procedure she had.
31:54And you can tell this and you can tell she's pretty nervous about what's going on.
31:58I wouldn't bring in a doctor that I wasn't 100% confident about.
32:02But no matter how good any doctor is, there's always risk.
32:06So it can range like sometimes it's four treatments.
32:10Sometimes it can be like eight treatments,
32:12but we won't really know until we see how you respond.
32:15Okay.
32:16So anytime we use laser, there's always risk of scar.
32:19So, you know, I'm going to be very conservative
32:21and we'll give you a gentle treatment to try to avoid that.
32:25We are so lucky to have her here
32:27because not only does she have like every type of laser at her fingertips,
32:31you know, she does this all the time.
32:33So, I mean, if it was a pimple, I would take over.
32:36But she's the one you want for this.
32:38Okay.
32:39Okay.
32:39All right.
32:40Thank you so much.
32:43I'm concerned that this laser might burn my skin.
32:46Every patient is unique
32:48and I might be that one that gets affected differently.
32:54Hi, are you all ready?
32:56Okay.
32:57You'll be great.
32:58And you've got him in here too.
32:59And we'll talk you through it too.
33:01Okay?
33:01Okay.
33:02For someone scared of lasers, this kind of laser is no joke
33:06because it requires metal corneal shields in your eye.
33:09These shields are extremely important because you need to protect your eye.
33:13If you zap your eye with this Pico laser, it's gone.
33:15So, the first part, I'm just going to put the eye shield in.
33:19Slip this under your upper eyelid and then your lower eyelid.
33:25Oh my God.
33:26Okay.
33:27Oh.
33:29That metal contact inside my eye did not feel good at all.
33:33I'm nervous to go through the entire procedure.
33:36Does it pinching you?
33:37Oh, yeah.
33:38It feels weird.
33:41Oh.
33:45Does it pinching you?
33:46Oh, yeah.
33:47It feels weird.
33:48Okay.
33:48I'm here with Karame, who has a pretty rare type of birthmark.
33:52It's called a nevus of Oda.
33:54I brought a laser specialist, a dermatologist, Dr. Orisa Ortiz.
33:58But Karame is struggling with getting these metal shields into her eyes to protect her eyeballs.
34:06For somebody who's already afraid of lasers, this is a big deal.
34:10I'm just going to put a little more numbing in there, okay?
34:12Okay.
34:13Does that feel a little better?
34:15Yeah.
34:15So, we are ready to laser.
34:19Oh.
34:20You got this, babe.
34:22The Pico laser works by emitting these ultra-short pulses of light energy to destroy that color, no other color.
34:32Ready?
34:36Count of three.
34:38One, two, three.
34:40Is that okay?
34:46Okay.
34:46I'm going to keep going.
34:48Great.
34:48I'm going to go a little faster now, okay?
34:50Okay.
34:51Here we go.
34:57This picosecond laser is very powerful and it's sending out a very strong focused beam of light.
35:04So, it delivers the energy very quickly and it essentially heats up the pigment and then allows the pigment to
35:13kind of exfoliate off.
35:14And essentially, we'll lighten the pigment with each treatment.
35:19All right.
35:20That's it.
35:21You made it.
35:22Yay!
35:25That's a great job.
35:27I'm really proud of Cara Mae.
35:28She did a great job despite having previous bad experience with laser treatments.
35:34The area looks a little bruised afterwards because imagine we pulverized this pigment under the skin.
35:39And we need to do a few more treatments and each time it's going to get a little lighter and
35:43we want this to look like it never existed.
35:45So, I'll probably see you back in about four to six weeks and we'll do the exact same treatment.
35:52For the rest of this week, you're going to notice that there's a healing process and then it should continue
35:57to fade and each treatment will make it lighter and lighter and lighter.
36:00Here.
36:01Okay.
36:02You want to see what it looks like?
36:04Well, okay.
36:06Here.
36:07There's a mirror here.
36:10Just give a look.
36:10Oh, it's not bad at all.
36:12Okay, good.
36:13Yeah, it doesn't look too bad.
36:14No.
36:15Oh, okay.
36:16That makes me feel better.
36:17Good.
36:18Leading up to the procedure, I felt like I was going to get burned, but I learned that I could
36:23trust doctors again.
36:25I'm really excited that this is going to be gone.
36:27It's going to be a life changer.
36:29I'm really excited.
36:34Yes.
36:35I love you.
36:35Love you.
36:48It's been about five months since I first saw Cara Mae at the office.
36:51And since then, she's actually seen Dr. Ortiz three more times for additional laser treatments.
36:57Hi, Cara Mae.
36:58How are you?
36:59That deep blue gray pigmentation on her Neva Sabota is fading pretty slowly.
37:04But Cara Mae does understand her birthmark better now.
37:06And she's excited to do as many treatments as it takes until it's gone for good.
37:11I guess about three to four more.
37:13I'll probably see you in like a couple of months.
37:16I think she is beautiful with and without her Neva and I'm so happy for you, Cara Mae.
37:29After my first visit with Dr. Lee, I came back a second time for another procedure.
37:34Hello.
37:35Hi.
37:35To hopefully get my nose back to its original appearance.
37:40I'm going to let the swelling come down.
37:42I want to see you in a few weeks in my office.
37:44Now it's three months later and my nose looks incredible.
37:49Hey.
37:52How are you?
37:53You look great.
37:55Nice to see you.
37:56Hi, Dr. Lee.
37:57You look fantastic.
37:58You look fantastic.
37:59I'm very happy.
38:00It's amazing.
38:04Just a beautiful job.
38:08It's my old handsome nose that I used to have.
38:11It's back.
38:12What I'm the most impressed with is the loss of the anterior projection where it was really
38:19protruding pretty far off of his face here.
38:23And also, most importantly, I would say is the undersurface.
38:26Now I can actually see his nostrils.
38:27How are you breathing?
38:28Yeah.
38:29Much better.
38:30Much better.
38:31I'll tell you, you look pretty darn good.
38:33I love how you're feeling and how you're doing.
38:36So, I mean, I think we're good to go now, right?
38:39You're doing all right.
38:40Oh, yes.
38:40Thank you so much.
38:42And I've actually got one more thing that I'd like to do today is propose to Reba here.
38:53Oh, my goodness.
38:54Oh, my God.
38:56This is a new me.
39:01And...
39:01Oh, my gosh.
39:06You know, with this new nose and this new me and this new relationship that I have
39:13with you, I would like to ask you now if you would remarry me, honey.
39:18I will.
39:20I will.
39:20Oh, my gosh.
39:21This is awesome.
39:23We got to be a witness to that.
39:25This is so beautiful.
39:27That's amazing.
39:30I love you so much.
39:31Thank you so much.
39:34Before, I wasn't ready to re-propose just because I felt ugly.
39:37Now, I've got this new nose and I'm going to have a new life with Reba.
39:42I was not expecting Tim to propose to me, but I said yes.
39:48Congratulations.
39:49Thank you so much for giving him his self-esteem back.
39:56I want to thank Dr. Lee and Dr. Lindsey from the bottom of my heart for what they've done
40:00for me.
40:01I feel wonderful.
40:03It's the new me.
40:13It's been three months since I've seen Dr. Lee and what was once a penis is no longer.
40:23She did a wonderful job.
40:26The area smooth is soft.
40:28I'm just ecstatic.
40:31You look good.
40:33Daddy with the body.
40:35Daddy with the beautiful body.
40:37Tiffany is happy.
40:38Now, I can wear clothes that I haven't worn in years.
40:42I can be daddy with the five.
40:47I can walk better now.
40:49I just want to go out and socialize.
40:52I feel free.
40:53So, I'm going to live every day like it's my last.
40:56Amen to that.
40:57Dr. Lee really helped change my life.
41:00Though I'm not a big fan of doctors, Dr. Lee would be the exception.
41:07To life.
41:08To life.
41:09Yes.
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