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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, aka Dr. Pimple Popper. Pretty sure that was the coolest
00:09thing I've ever seen. Come break out with me and all my new patients. Plus, I'll share my expertise
00:15with some amazing young dermatologists. Pimple popping is not taught in residency. We'll see
00:22how they break out, seeing things they've never seen, and of course, seeing how they pop.
00:27I can't believe it's not butter. On Dr. Pimple Popper, Breaking Out.
00:37Tonight, on Dr. Pimple Popper, Breaking Out. The bumps feel like pebbles under the skin. Squishy
00:43on the outside of it. Texture of silly putty, I would say. I have white patches all over my body.
00:49They're very sensitive. Just the sharp shooting pain. I've tried to pop it with my fingers and
00:53countertops and books. I've had friends try to cut it open. If you see my hand, it's totally white.
00:59Being a black woman, that's very devastating. I've had little kids come up to me and ask their moms,
01:05like, what the heck are those? They're like Boston baked beans. I like to call these like an egg yolk.
01:13So we're going to crack it open. Have you ever been looked at with a wood slam? It will make
01:18more stark
01:18some of the areas. They're lipids. They're like, sort of like bacon. And the oil, they'll melt.
01:35So are you ready for this? I guess. Be excited. My name is Lance, and I have a bump in
01:41my head
01:42named Bartholomew. What's the size of a golf ball? Texture of silly putty, I would say, is what it feels
01:49like? Maybe Play-Doh? Play-Doh, too. Yeah, that's a good one. Doesn't really hurt ever. Only when I pick
01:53at it. Why would you pick at it? Because I don't like it. I have known Lance for, uh, what,
02:0120 years
02:01now? We met in high school. We shared the love of hip-hop, mostly Wu-Tang. Wu-Tang's for the
02:11kids.
02:14Him and a couple of our other friends were in a rap group. I started freestyling in high school,
02:19like, mid-junior year. They were really good. I stopped rapping a long time ago because I feel
02:23insecure. Good morning. I had to see Dr. Lee. And your name? Lance. Okay. You can go ahead and sign
02:29in right there, please. Okay. Never gone to see a doctor about this. I've tried to pop it with my
02:33fingers and books and knives. I've had friends try to cut it open before, too. But it wasn't until she
02:41pointed out that it was so close to my brain. Shouldn't you be worried about that? And she's right.
02:46She's always right. I believe he hasn't seen a doctor, mostly because of procrastination. But
02:53also, I do know that he is a little scared. Lance is now 40, so it is time for him
02:59to be
02:59taking his health a lot more seriously. It's time for a pro to give it a go.
03:06Lance? Yes. That's you. There might be a little more confidence there after his bum's gone.
03:11Hi. Hello. Hi. Do another show and not feel so self-conscious about things. Dr. Lee will be in
03:19shortly. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you so much. My cyst is the gist. On my head, it festers.
03:24Unrest. Have Dr. Lee remove this zit for me? Say less. I insist that you assist in removing this
03:30cyst because I can't keep going on with life like this. Peace.
03:43Hi, Dr. Lee. Hey. How are you? Dr. Lindsay is a smart, young dermatologist. She is really interested
03:51in surgeries but hasn't had as much experience doing some of these complex cases. I've seen a
03:56lot of bumps in my career and this is the knowledge that I want to pass on to people because
04:00this is
04:00not taught in dermatology residency or in medical school. Today, I have a patient. It's a bump on
04:06the forehead. Bump on the forehead. I wonder what it is. I've had that in my charts before. And I've
04:11never. Really? Well, that's okay. I do think there's some special things that I feel like I've gained
04:17in knowledge just by taking off a bunch of them. I think this will be fun and interesting.
04:21It feels really nice to have Dr. Lee alongside me and just the fact that she could take time out
04:27and just
04:28impart knowledge. It's incredible. Let's go and see what's going on.
04:32Hello. Hi. I'm Dr. Lee. It's very nice to meet you. What is your name? Lance. Lance. This is also
04:38Dr. Lindsay.
04:39You got two dermatologists. Hi, Lance. It's a pleasure. You should grab that chair and you can sit right down
04:42next to me.
04:42So you found me, I guess, because of this bump that you have on your head. Yes, ma'am. How
04:47long has that been going on?
04:48About 15 years. Have you ever seen a doctor for it? No. Okay. I have not. May I take a
04:54look at it?
04:55Sure. Both of us, if you don't mind. Thank you. So I'm just going to feel it. So you can
04:59sort of feel it.
05:00I'll take a feel okay? Mm-hmm. Is it tender if I press? Not only because I was picking at
05:05it the other day.
05:06I see a lot of bumps on the forehead. I usually want to feel a bump. If it's very mobile,
05:11that's a good sign.
05:12If it's really stuck to a person, that means it's probably attached to deeper structures,
05:17or maybe it's even bone. And that's not something that is in my wheelhouse.
05:22So this could be a cyst. But I think that this is a lipoma, okay? A lipoma is a benign
05:29collection of fat
05:30cells. Of course, I'm not going to know until we get in there. But the main thing that I'm concerned
05:36about here is the fact that it does bleed a lot. So sometimes there's some bigger vessels there,
05:40and that's important for us to keep an eye out. And also that I don't get it all. Because I
05:45think
05:46if we don't get it all, there's a chance that it can come back. Yeah. All right? So I'm going
05:50to make
05:50an incision there. But we hide them along your forehead lines so that it will just be one of the
05:55regular forehead lines. You're going to have a problem finding any of those. I was like, he's got plenty of
05:57those.
05:58Well, okay. So we'll get our stuff ready on our side, and we'll be back in just a couple minutes,
06:03okay?
06:03Thank you. Thank you. You know, we have a lot of faith in Dr. Lee, and that she will be
06:11able to
06:11help us. But if Dr. Lee is unable to help him with this, then I will be frustrated because then
06:17it will show that this was obviously something that needed to be taken care of a lot sooner,
06:22and he waited too long. Can you raise your eyebrows up for me? Okay, relax again.
06:37And what are you looking for there? His horizontal creases where it naturally would be right here.
06:43So this is probably what we're going to do. In the forehead in particular,
06:47you want to hide a excision scar along our natural forehead creases. Planning in advance
06:53is the key to seamless surgery. So I'm going to put some numbing right there, okay? All right.
06:59Okay, a little pinch. Just like that. Just like that. Okay. Just kind of slightly put a little pressure
07:04on there because it's the quickness of administering anesthesia, which is uncomfortable for people.
07:11Dr. Lee has great bedside manner. She makes sure that the patient is comfortable, and that's
07:16really special. And you get a front row seat. You're okay over there, right? I'm about to stand up
07:20so I can see better. When there's a good part too, I will try to let you know, okay?
07:26Make sure I'm not hurting you, okay? Just kind of make our little peek in here.
07:32See if you got like an orange egg yolk.
07:38See how I can pop that out?
07:42I'm bracing myself. It's not going to spray on anybody because it's not a...
07:46It's a cyst. It's a lipoma. There's no way that it could spray on anybody. See how I can watch?
07:51If you push against here, you can move it up and down in there. You can see. You can shift
07:56it.
07:57Oh, wow. See, I can see it under there.
08:00Turns out that it is a lipoma, and it doesn't burst.
08:03Lipomas are just a collection of fatty tissue, so they don't pop out at you. But the thing that can
08:09is blood from blood vessels. This area on the forehead in particular is very vascular,
08:14so there is a higher risk of hitting a blood vessel.
08:18It's always nice if you can get it out whole or it's pretty stuck to him.
08:23So I might just try to take it out in pieces.
08:29You're doing awesome.
08:31So I'm always hesitant to, you know, cut.
08:35Probe in the hidden area. Yes. Which is why, as you see, I'm pretty much pulling it out away from
08:41it.
08:42This is actually an excellent learning opportunity for Dr. Lindsay to see that I'm pulling this lipoma
08:47away from the muscles, from the nerves, from the blood vessels that are down deep, because I don't like to
08:52do things blindly. It's like birthing. It kind of looks like brains. You okay?
08:59Mm-hmm. Got a vessel there? It kind of looks like it could be, so.
09:04We have discovered that there's a pretty significant blood vessel that is feeding this lipoma,
09:09so I can remove the rest of that lipoma, and that's a problem.
09:18Got a vessel there?
09:20It kind of looks like it could be, so.
09:23I'm here with Lance, and I'm removing this lipoma from his head. It is causing a little trouble with
09:29a pretty significant blood vessel. To be safe, I'm using a hemostat that will clamp down this blood
09:35vessel to stop it from oozing temporarily, so I can remove the rest of that lipoma.
09:45See how it's a little like a yolk, kind of? So much breath.
09:48It's gone, dude.
09:49So I go like this, and I pull, and I see if I see anything in the corner. See that?
09:53Mm-hmm.
09:54I don't see anything.
09:55I'm pretty sure that was the coolest thing I've ever seen.
09:57Oh, really?
09:59I'm so glad that Dr. Lindsay was here. I think she learned a lot about removing a
10:04lipoma on the forehead and the cosmetic concerns that are involved, and I think it gave her
10:08confidence to potentially do it on her own. I'm going to let her finish the stitching up here,
10:13because she does such a great job. That's probably like three or four right there.
10:18So this is the most of the lipoma. It does look like a little brain.
10:22Yes. You want to put a glove on and feel it?
10:24Yes. Yes.
10:26Yeah, and then you pull that one. Yep, there you go. Lance, this is your baby.
10:31It's super squishy, dude. Does he get to touch it, too?
10:35Of course he does.
10:36Mm-mm.
10:37Yeah, we're good.
10:38He will touch it. Don't worry.
10:40I don't want to touch it.
10:42That looks really good.
10:44It looks great. Yes.
10:46You did great.
10:47You did great.
10:48Well, thank you.
10:49And it looks really great.
10:51And you did great.
10:51It looks wonderful.
10:51Actually, I could show you what it looks like, too.
10:54There it is, though. It is a little puffy around it, but it's just because there's air in there,
10:58so we're going to push down on it, okay?
11:00But you see how that's going to fit right in your natural, like, little crease there?
11:04For the past 15 years, I've felt like a turtle in his shell,
11:09and now I feel like I don't need that shell anymore.
11:13I'm ready to get back on stage and bust the flow.
11:15If you know, you know, bro.
11:19Okay, nice to see you.
11:20Yes, and nice to meet you, too.
11:21It was a pleasure meeting you guys.
11:23Thank you so much for everything.
11:24Okay, bye.
11:25Bye-bye.
11:26It looks amazing.
11:29Yeah.
11:30It's funny how, like, all those things that I did in my head, that probably made it worse.
11:35I thought I was doing the right things.
11:36Well, you did the right thing this time by coming here.
11:39If it wasn't for her, I would never have gotten this done, and I can't thank you enough.
11:46I just want to give you a hug.
11:47Aw, thank you.
11:50I'm glad I was able to be here for him.
11:52I'm glad that he listened to me.
11:55To see him grow up in the sense of taking things a little bit more seriously is really
11:59going to make a huge difference in him feeling confident.
12:03I'm always right.
12:04Always.
12:05I'm kidding.
12:06I'm kidding.
12:07Always right.
12:21Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.
12:28My name is Shelby.
12:29I'm 30 years old, and I live in Orlando, Florida, and I have bumps all over my elbows and my
12:37knees.
12:43I would say that I probably have somewhere near 50 to 100 bumps.
12:49It's essentially like a red ray circle with white dots.
12:53The bumps feel like pebbles under the skin. They're very itchy. I've tried to pop them,
12:59but no pus, nothing like that. So my bumps are essentially like giant pimples that don't pop.
13:07Was blind, but now I see.
13:13I've been doing theater and singing since I was in fifth grade. It makes me feel happy,
13:19but ever since this condition, I feel like people are staring at me, and I do want to get back
13:24into
13:25the theater, but I've not really put myself out there.
13:31Four years ago, they just started appearing.
13:34All of a sudden, I started getting all these clusters. I went to the dermatologist.
13:38They did a biopsy, and they told me that it was eruptive xanomatosis.
13:44They just said it's essentially due to my type 2 diabetes. I feel so defeated.
13:57I might get a piece of cake.
13:59Okay, let's see what they have. Kyle and I started dating about six years ago.
14:05We are big-time Orlando foodies, so we love going out for snacks and food and sweets.
14:12Oh, I think we want to get some dessert. They all look really good.
14:18Even though I do have diabetes, I cheat on occasion and have cookies or candy.
14:23It's always been a guilty pleasure for me.
14:27I think I'm going to go with the chocolate mousse. Which one are you?
14:30Oh, that one does look pretty good.
14:33Maybe one day the wedding cake over there would be your future dessert.
14:39I think I'm going to go with the Neapolitan this time.
14:45It's definitely been very hard because both Kyle and I want to get married,
14:51but it's because of these bumps that I haven't really wanted to make the leap yet.
15:00It definitely makes me nervous that maybe one day he will wake up and just want to date someone normal
15:07and not someone with as much baggage as I have with them.
15:11And that's very good.
15:13Oh, yeah.
15:13I'm switching you.
15:17I know that it pains you to be like this.
15:23One day I would like to get married and I would like to have a good life with you.
15:30I mean, I would like that too, but with where things are now, it's not going to happen.
15:43I feel frustrated.
15:45I'm ready to propose to Shelby right now, but I can't because the bumps have been affecting her
15:51self-esteem so much that she's not ready.
15:54I mean, you're my best friend.
15:55I love you so much.
15:57Like you are the absolute world to me and I just, I need to get this taken care of first.
16:03When we first started dating, I didn't have any of these bumps and he's been there with me every
16:10step of the way.
16:11I want to be engaged, but literally I don't want to get pictures or any of that done because
16:20I'm self-conscious about it.
16:22These bumps have to go at this point, but I've been to numerous doctors throughout the years and
16:28they just kind of brush me aside and just tell me it'll get better and it doesn't.
16:33Dr. Lee is pretty much my last option at this point.
16:38Take it back to the beginning When life was simple and your heart was pure
16:44Before The world had a chance to break you Beautiful becoming
16:51Okay guys, guess what?
16:53I got my green juice.
16:54It is part of my resolution to take better care of myself.
16:59I have a condition called atopic dermatitis.
17:02You get it kind of in childhood.
17:03I had really, really bad eczema.
17:05It made me miserable and it made my family miserable because it's very hard to
17:09help somebody that is sort of helpless when you're a little kid like that.
17:12But as you get older, you learn to take care of it.
17:14And I guess what I'm trying to say is that our health is in our own hands.
17:19So take control of it.
17:40Dr. Lee, it's very nice to meet you.
17:43Where'd you come from?
17:45Florida.
17:46Oh, you came from pretty far from the other side.
17:50What are you here for?
17:51Mainly eruptive xanomatosis.
17:53Oh, okay.
17:54So what do you know about xanthomas?
17:56That is from my diabetes.
17:58You have diabetes too?
18:00Okay.
18:00Type 1 or type 2?
18:01Okay.
18:02So this looks like xanthomas and they're calling them eruptive because they kind of almost
18:10like they come up all of a sudden.
18:12And they tend to occur on like your extensor surfaces.
18:16Meaning these are the flexural surface where you flex.
18:19And then the outside here.
18:21So diabetes can promote this.
18:23Right, right.
18:23It's a disorder of lipids.
18:25The fats are depositing into your skin here.
18:29And triglycerides and things like that.
18:31Eruptive xanthomas are essentially cholesterol bumps.
18:34Shelby has numerous cholesterol bumps on her elbows and her knees.
18:38They're pretty hard.
18:39They're like little pebbles or sharp stones underneath your skin.
18:42So they're annoying and they're really uncomfortable.
18:45They can be related to diabetes, but they are called cholesterol bumps because they contain
18:50an excess of lipids.
18:52And if you see this, something's going on.
18:55You're either producing too much lipids or fat or you're not getting rid of it sufficiently.
19:01We took a blood panel, right?
19:03Do you know what your triglyceride numbers are?
19:07Oh wait, it says here 5,000.
19:105,000?
19:11It definitely could be better.
19:13Yeah, your cholesterol is high.
19:15It's like in the 800s.
19:16Yeah.
19:17Normal triglyceride levels are about 150.
19:19Shelby's are 5,000.
19:22Normal cholesterol levels are 200.
19:24Shelby's are 800.
19:26It really leads to a high risk of stroke, heart disease, heart attack.
19:31The levels need to be taken down, whether it be with changes in her diet, whether it be medications.
19:36I really want to encourage her to get this evaluated and get this fixed.
19:41Sometimes when you see skin findings, it helps us to diagnose something that's going on internally.
19:47Yeah.
19:47I mean, these bumps wouldn't even be there in the first place if your cholesterol wasn't so high.
19:53Right.
19:54I didn't know that the numbers are very high and I need to get it back under control.
19:58You got to take care of yourself.
20:00That's very important because those are very high levels, you know, that will really put you at risk
20:04for things, not just skin findings.
20:07These bumps are sort of the warning sign.
20:10If she does reduce these numbers, I don't think the existing xanthomas she has are going to shrink
20:15or go away, but she certainly can prevent new ones from coming up.
20:18Let me see this elbow here too.
20:19Yeah.
20:19Is that the worst side?
20:21Yes.
20:22The main issues, they're in bendy areas.
20:24They're in areas of high tension.
20:25Yeah.
20:25When you pull together so you can't do all of them, you have to space them out.
20:31And what I would try to do is maybe excise these two together and then potentially this one here
20:40with a line scar.
20:42This knee, these are small enough.
20:44You might be able to shave some of them down, but you're going to be left with like a star
20:48-shaped scar,
20:49you know, like an open area that's not too deep.
20:53Are you okay with that?
20:54Would you rather hold off on some stuff?
20:55I mean, I've been dealing with them for four years at this point, so it's like I want them going.
20:59I can't remove all of them because you can't remove too much skin because you won't be able
21:04to bend your elbow.
21:05I do think this is going to make a big difference for Shelby, but the most important thing is that
21:10she addresses her high cholesterol.
21:12If we can do baby steps and try to get you control of more things, I think you'll feel better
21:18about it.
21:18Let's give you a head start too by trying to take off some of these.
21:22Yeah.
21:22And all things positive, moving forward and making things better.
21:27Okay.
21:27Okay.
21:28I appreciate you very much.
21:29Of course, of course.
21:29I'll see you in a little bit, okay?
21:30Okay.
21:32Of course.
21:33I'm definitely nervous.
21:34I'm very scared of needles, but I'm hoping for a fresh start.
21:45Shelby has a lot of xanthomas on her elbows and her knees, and some of them are pretty deep.
21:49I have to excise the skin to get them off, but first, I have to numb them.
21:54Okay.
21:54Okay.
21:55No baby pinch, okay?
21:56Okay.
21:57Okay.
21:57Just a little baby.
21:57I'm just going to grab you.
21:58I just don't like needles.
22:01That's a thought.
22:02Ooh.
22:03It's all good.
22:03Hey there.
22:04I'm so sorry that I'm poking you.
22:06No, you're good.
22:06You're doing great.
22:07Shelby is very needle nervous, and I have to numb a lot of areas.
22:11I'm going to squeeze your knee, because that helps to make sure that you don't feel it so much.
22:15Weight Pinscher, get it in there.
22:17That's okay.
22:21I'm going to squeeze your knee, because that helps to make sure that you don't feel it so much.
22:25Weight Pinscher, get it in there.
22:26That's okay.
22:29Okay.
22:29I'm here with Shelby, who has a lot of these cholesterol bumps on her elbows and her knees.
22:34I'm trying to numb her up with a needle, but we've got to squirm her here, and that's really tough,
22:39actually, when you're trying to numb somebody up with a sharp needle, and they jump.
22:43Oh, I'm sorry.
22:44Weight won't pinch.
22:46I know one of the best ways to help Shelby through this is really to distract her.
22:51Do you have any pets?
22:52I don't, just because we're in an apartment now, so I would feel
22:58bad getting a dog when we're not home most of the time.
23:02Yeah.
23:03It's working.
23:04Shelby seems to be more at ease now, and I think she's nice and numb,
23:08and I can remove this patch of skin on her elbow.
23:13Make sure I'm not hurting you, okay?
23:15Okay.
23:17You all right, right?
23:18Yep.
23:19Doing great.
23:24All right.
23:25You're good.
23:25You're doing great.
23:27You're doing great.
23:30If I don't look at it, that's fine.
23:31Don't look at it.
23:34Got it.
23:35Okay.
23:36I put a couple stitches on that side.
23:39The goal now is to sew up this fish mouth shape.
23:43I've got to use a lot of sutures to really create some strength there,
23:46because there's a lot of tension in this area.
23:49Looks good.
23:51Now I got to tackle her right elbow, which has a little bit more complicated distribution.
23:56There's two clusters of xanthomas that I want to remove, and they're surrounded by a lot of smaller
24:01ones.
24:01Is that okay?
24:02Yeah.
24:05And how do you like Florida?
24:07Um, not a fan of the humidity, but I don't have to deal with the snow and the ice that
24:12I had to
24:12deal with in Kansas.
24:14That's right.
24:15Shelby is doing great, and as long as I can keep her distracted, I can successfully remove a bunch
24:20of these xanthomas.
24:21Putting the stitches in and almost done there.
24:23Okay.
24:25I think it's going to do well, the tension in here and stuff.
24:30You did great.
24:31Okay.
24:34All right, I think we'll try to shave some of them on this right knee here.
24:39Okay.
24:39See how those do first.
24:41In this case, I'm going to use a loop electrocautery, which is like a hot wire that just really slices
24:46right through your tissue.
24:47Oh.
24:48I'm going to just do one here first, okay?
24:50Real slow, okay?
24:51Okay.
24:52You okay?
24:52Mm-hmm.
24:53A little bit of an odor here, so that's where it's a suction.
24:56Yes.
24:56Because their cholesterol lipids, they're sort of like bacon and oil, they'll melt.
25:01For real.
25:03Because we're dealing with the knee, which has a lot of tension on it, you can't remove as many
25:07xanthomas in the area if you're going to excise it because you won't be able to bend your knee.
25:12So the better thing to do here is to shave them off and try to shrink the base.
25:17How are you doing?
25:18Oh, the sigh and the relaxation of your muscles.
25:21You did great.
25:23Yeah.
25:24Just to recap here, left arm we remove one, right arm we remove two, right knee we took
25:31off the top of them.
25:34I am absolutely elated that the bumps are gone.
25:37The other dermatologists I've seen in the past, a lot of them just send me away without any answers.
25:42I wasn't even sure if they could be removed, so I am so grateful towards Dr. Lee.
25:48I know that that was hard on you.
25:50Yeah.
25:51So you did a great job, but it's kind of a sign, it's your body telling you that you need
25:56to focus
25:56on yourself and you'll feel a lot better.
25:58Yeah.
25:58I've been affecting my life more than I possibly realize.
26:01I'm sure the people around you want you to take good care of yourself.
26:04Mm-hmm.
26:05We want you to do that too, okay?
26:06Yes.
26:07Adore you.
26:07Thank goodness that I came to see Dr. Lee, otherwise I wouldn't have known how much of
26:12my lifestyle was related to my bumps.
26:14My bumps may be gone, but my journey to a healthier life starts now and all thanks to Dr. Lee.
26:32I like this place, it's so cute here.
26:36Could you see yourself living in Cali?
26:40Yes, I could too.
26:42My name is Jontae, I'm 36 years old, I'm from Atlanta.
26:47My name's Daria and I'm Jontae's daughter.
26:51We're here in California because I have Little Lago, which is white patches all over my body.
27:00Around 10 years ago, I noticed on my hand little tiny white spots that almost look like freckles.
27:06I kind of just brushed it off, I didn't take it serious.
27:09But then those little white spots begin to spread, begin to grow.
27:14And if you see my hand now, you'll see it's totally white.
27:19That's very devastating for me, being a black woman.
27:23Losing all of your melanin, it makes you feel like you're not a part of your culture.
27:28We need this store in Georgia. This store has everything a person with vitiligo could need.
27:34I definitely think that my mom just doesn't see herself the way that others see her.
27:40I think my mom is very beautiful.
27:43It smells good.
27:44I know.
27:44When I was 18, my dream was to come to LA and to be the supermodel.
27:51I was modeling by nine.
27:54So I just always pictured myself coming to Cali to be the it girl walking down Rodeo or something.
28:04So to be here at 36 and my sole purpose is to see a dermatologist for my skin.
28:10You could have never told me that.
28:11We're looking forward to Miracle.
28:13It just helps so that I don't have like really bad breakout.
28:17When it begins spreading, I went to see a dermatologist to try to get some answers.
28:22I was prescribing a gel that I was to put on my skin three times a day, but it didn't
28:27help.
28:28And that's when I began trying to find holistic ways to calm the skin down from having a lot of
28:34inflammation like herbs, oils, things that can help my skin naturally.
28:40It didn't treat it. It didn't stop it. I think it just helped me manage it.
28:44Oh, wow. They have shoes. I'm going to get this one.
28:48We're going to go with this one.
28:50Impossible. Oh, this is a turmeric as well.
28:53You need to get somewhere?
28:54I was just looking at the juices.
28:56Okay. What juice you looking at?
28:59You.
29:00You looking at me?
29:01I was looking at you.
29:02Oh, okay. Okay.
29:05Before Vitilago, I was always told you're a pretty girl or, you know, just being hit on.
29:11But after Vitilago, not so much.
29:14You fly.
29:16Oh, I think so.
29:16And so you naturally, you know this, you know this.
29:21If you and I went out on a date somewhere, what do you think our reaction would be?
29:26There's definitely going to be a lot of desire and desiring eyes.
29:32I get a lot of stares in public, and a lot of times it's very hard.
29:37Like, I've been through depression because of it.
29:38I always go to, they're staring because I have Vitilago.
29:42And it could not be that.
29:44But that's just where I always see.
29:47And I know that now, it's like a fashion trend with Winnie Harlow being one of the biggest models
29:53in the world.
29:54But for me in everyday life, I do not see it that way.
29:58She walks down the runway, she gets stared at.
30:01I walk down the aisles at Kroger and I get stared at.
30:05Two totally different things.
30:07I'm still trying to be comfortable with Tay having Vitilago.
30:12What does that look like for me?
30:13Going in the store, going places with you.
30:16I don't want you to feel uncomfortable.
30:18And a lot of times I feel like you feel uncomfortable because I feel uncomfortable.
30:22Does that make sense?
30:24Yeah.
30:24Yeah?
30:25What's wrong?
30:26Why you look sad?
30:27Because I don't want you to talk about yourself like that.
30:31And I'm sorry.
30:33I didn't mean to make you cry.
30:35When I see my mom, I don't see her as just a person with Vitilago.
30:41All I see is my mom.
30:43And my mom is always going to be beautiful to me, no matter what.
30:48I'll be lying if I told you I liked the way I look.
30:52It's not true.
30:53I hate my skin.
30:54You know that.
30:55But see how it's affecting you?
30:57This is why I need answers.
31:14We're here.
31:16I love you.
31:17I know.
31:18I'm entering Dr. Lee's office today with the hope
31:21that she can give me something to stop the spreading and to try to save what little
31:26melanin that I have left.
31:29Jonte?
31:30Hi.
31:31All right, we're going to be right through here.
31:33With Vitilago spreading so rapidly, I'm racing against the clock with this.
31:38This is my last resort.
31:40If Dr. Lee doesn't help me, where else am I going to get help from?
31:45How you feeling now?
31:47Anxious.
31:52Hello, look at these gorgeous people in here.
31:55Hi, how are you?
31:55How are you?
31:56Nice to meet you, Jonte.
31:58I'm Dr. Lee.
31:59You look beautiful, first of all.
32:01Both of you.
32:02Gorgeous.
32:03But I'm guessing-
32:05Don't feel so beautiful.
32:06I'm getting stared walking in Kroger.
32:07Yes.
32:08I don't like the stairs.
32:09I'm kidding.
32:09So you have Vitilago, first of all.
32:12When did this start for you?
32:14Nine years ago.
32:15I started seeing little tiny white spots that look like freckles.
32:19Right.
32:19Where did you see those?
32:20On my hands.
32:21Okay, like kind of at the creases and things?
32:23Yes, exactly in the creases.
32:24You have almost full loss of pigment here on your hand.
32:27The little spots I had, they just got bigger and bigger and bigger until what you see now.
32:32Almost like day to day, you can kind of see them expand.
32:34Hour to hour.
32:35Crazy.
32:35I might take a nap and there'll be a small die by the time I wake up.
32:39It's crazy.
32:40Yeah.
32:41Vitilago is a chronic autoimmune disorder where your own body is attacking your own skin
32:47pigment cells and it's destroying them.
32:49And the darker your skin is, the more noticeable Vitilago is because there's a higher contrast
32:55between your normal skin color and a complete loss of pigment.
32:59So what kinds of doctors have you seen for this?
33:02Um, I went to go see the dermatologist originally about nine years ago.
33:05They gave me cream.
33:06That kind of made it worse.
33:08And I haven't been to a dermatologist since.
33:10There's a lot of different treatments for Vitilago.
33:13There have been some recent advances, but I need to take a look at Jonte first and see
33:17how extensive her Vitilago is.
33:19And I also want to understand what parts bother her the most.
33:23So there's a lot of different things that we try to improve Vitilago.
33:29There are some laser devices that we use that are UV light treatments that try to tan that skin
33:35or trigger that.
33:36Um, there's even surgeries.
33:38So there are different things that have certainly been tried.
33:41Some work for some people, some don't work for them.
33:44So it's not easy to treat, but have you ever been looked at with a woods lamp?
33:48Have you ever been into like a club where they have that black light?
33:52And then do you see how your skin is like that kind of light?
33:55Helps us to determine whether something has a complete loss of pigment or not.
34:00The reason that I'm using a woods lamp is to determine the extent of her Vitilago.
34:06Sometimes when you use the woods lamp, you see more white patches.
34:09So sit tight, I'm going to go get a woods lamp, okay?
34:11Hold on a minute.
34:12Okay, sounds good.
34:13It gives us a starting point so we know if we treat the areas,
34:17whether they're getting better or not.
34:19So I don't want this to depress you or anything.
34:21I don't think it should depress you, but it will make more stark some of the areas.
34:25You know what I mean?
34:26Like you might think that this is pretty, like you might see like lighter spots within it.
34:30Okay, here we go.
34:31Turning the light off.
34:35It will make more stark some of the areas.
34:37You might see like lighter spots within it.
34:39Do you know what I mean?
34:40Okay, here we go.
34:41Turning the light off.
34:42I'm here with Jonte who has Vitilago and I'm about to look at her skin with the woods lamp.
34:46I'm hoping that we'll find that there's still some pigment left in some of these areas,
34:51but it could do the opposite.
34:52It can highlight areas that she didn't even realize that there's loss of pigment.
34:56Let me see your feet.
34:58You can see like complete loss of pigment because if there wasn't, it wouldn't be so white.
35:04Sometimes you may notice an area that is actually pigmenting again,
35:07and you might not have seen it before.
35:09So look at your hands.
35:11Actually this hand.
35:12Let's see that hand because that one had re-pigment.
35:14Yeah, look at that.
35:16Yeah, even here.
35:17See?
35:18So those are areas that actually you're probably gaining pigment again.
35:22Yeah, I'm definitely.
35:23Or it hasn't been totally lost there.
35:25I'm shocked.
35:26I didn't realize my hands had new spots on it because you can't really see with just the naked eye.
35:33But when she put me under the wood light, she was able to point out,
35:37hey, you see that?
35:38It's forming.
35:39You see more brown spots.
35:40So your skin is not just totally lost.
35:43Oh, I can see even more trying to come.
35:46So that means my skin is almost trying to re-pigment.
35:50Yes, it is.
35:50To be able to magnify and see that on that light, it gave me a sense of hope.
35:56Maybe I can restore my melanin.
35:58Yes, and I think that there's new medications out there that we,
36:01I definitely think we need to try.
36:02I just haven't tried anything.
36:04Yeah, so let's get it for you so you can try it.
36:06I'm going to give you Ruxalinib.
36:09It's a cream and it's going to possibly help you with re-pigmentation.
36:12Probably try it, yeah, here on your forehead and around,
36:15but don't put it too close to your eye you're not supposed to.
36:18Okay.
36:18Okay.
36:19And it might not be something that we can find the answer right away.
36:23You know, we might have to try a few times, but you got to play to win, right?
36:26But hopefully we'll hit it in the first try.
36:28We're going to try a topical medication called Ruxolitinib.
36:31What it does is it blocks the inflammatory process.
36:35And we've really seen some success with this medication.
36:38So if we can help to improve it and make this less noticeable,
36:41I think that will make her happy.
36:43All right, so I cleared out all my samples for you.
36:45So we're going to figure things out, okay, because you're beautiful inside and outside.
36:50For sure.
36:50So many people in here already remarked, they're like, have you seen the last patient?
36:54She's just stunning.
36:56She's just gorgeous.
36:57She's just beautiful.
36:57And you are in both ways.
36:59You're just from your appearance, but also your heart, you know?
37:03I know that's not like what you want to hear necessarily, but there is, you know what I mean?
37:07Because a lot of times I don't hear that.
37:10It really just made me, it just made my day to talk to you.
37:13You're a strong woman.
37:14I see it, you know?
37:16You're going to persist and you're going to do great, whatever you do.
37:19But let's see if we can help you along and feel better.
37:21This was a start.
37:23Yes.
37:23Today was the first day.
37:24Let's say day one.
37:26That's right.
37:26That's right.
37:27Yeah.
37:28Right.
37:28Okay, beautiful.
37:30Give me a hug.
37:31I'm feeling hopeful after my visit with Dr. Lee.
37:34We'll be in touch, okay?
37:36Okay.
37:36So never stop keeping the faith, hold on, oh.
37:40I'm leaving today actually being able to see myself in a different light.
37:45Being able to see my imperfections, but also being able to see that I'm actually perfectly imperfect.
37:52Oh, that was good.
37:54It's really nice to hear her talk about herself in a very positive light.
38:00I did not come in here with that expectation of I'm going to walk out here feeling better about
38:05myself, feeling better about my condition, and have some hope for treatment.
38:09I'm excited about the future now.
38:11I'm excited about next week, next month, next year.
38:18There's gonna be a brighter day.
38:26When Jonte came to my office three months ago, I prescribed her a new topical vitiligo treatment
38:31that we were hopeful would work.
38:34Since then, her skin has made an incredible transformation.
38:38I'm even shocked at how fast and how effective this has been.
38:41As you can see, I have made so much of a progression with my skin.
38:46It's getting better and better by the day.
38:48I have been more confident.
38:50I have been out more and just enjoying myself.
38:54Not only does she look great, but she feels as beautiful as she looks.
38:58I am my girl looking great.
39:01I'm just super, super grateful and happy.
39:04Congratulations, Jonte. I look forward to seeing even more progress. You are beautiful.
39:12Hey, it's Lance. Check it out. No hat.
39:15It's been three months since I saw Lance in his forehead lipoma.
39:18His scar has healed up beautifully and settled right into the natural lines of his face,
39:23just like I planned. He's moving forward with his life and career,
39:26and I don't think he'll ever stop rhyming and stealing.
39:30Here's the recap. As you can see, no cap. Toes tap because the dome's flat because the DPP.
39:37My flow is back. No slack. I'm on track. Oh, yes, NDD. It's fact. I feel the impact.
39:43Thank you, Dr. Lee, for helping me finally get my life back.
39:47Looking good, Lance.
39:51Take me out to the candy store. Take me out for some treats.
39:57So it's been about three months since Dr. Lee removed my xanthomas, and I am feeling great.
40:05The bumps that were there before were really painful, and now they're feeling so much better.
40:10I think I'm going to do the Mediterranean salad.
40:13Dr. Lee taught me so much about my condition. I had no idea that my blood numbers were that high
40:18in causing the condition. It was a real wake-up call.
40:22Yeah, seeing those triglyceride numbers, it really got me scared, and I mean, salads really aren't that bad.
40:29Thanks to Dr. Lee, I am more motivated to get my triglycerides and my cholesterol down.
40:34I'm so grateful that Dr. Lee was able to help me. I feel like my elbow and my knee, too,
40:39is looking a lot better.
40:41I have seen a lot of changes in Shelby. He's more outgoing, more energetic.
40:51I really like the three. I think I definitely want the gold.
40:55We're not officially engaged yet, but with a lot of my bumps gone, we're moving in that direction.
41:01I'm definitely excited to see where things go from here.
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