[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey, popaholics.
Dr. Sandra Lee here, AKA Dr. Pimple Popper.
Today, I have some never before seen footage
of a patient with steatocystomas and eruptive vellus hair cysts.
They're covering her abdomen area.
I can't wait for you to see.
So let's jump right in and get popping.
So these look like steatocystomas.
PATIENT: Mhm. SANDRA LEE: OK?
See how they're like a little bluish color?
PATIENT: Mhm.
SANDRA LEE: That's kind of where they are under the skin, sort
of like in the ocean likes different ducts
and different colors of the water because of the depth.
But also, too, a lot of these might
be what are called eruptive vellus hair cysts,
because they're like little cysts
with little hair rolled up in it.
PATIENT: Mhm. SANDRA LEE: So you'll see it.
We'll put one of the microscope and you
can see there's like little hairs,
kind of like the hairs that are on our face,
like the little vellus hairs, the fine hairs.
PATIENT: Mhm.
SANDRA LEE: Are there ones that bother you the most right now?
PATIENT: Right here.
I think it's because, you know, sweat.
SANDRA LEE: The bras rubbing it? PATIENT: Yeah.
SANDRA LEE: OK.
PATIENT: And I just-- they get inflamed obviously.
SANDRA LEE: OK. Let's pick some of those, OK?
OK, so you shouldn't feel anything
other than us touching you.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
So if you want to take a look if you want to see.
Hold that side here.
See the stuff that?
You've probably seen that come off before,
that buttery kind of thing?
PATIENT: Uh-huh.
SANDRA LEE: OK.
Another one-- sometimes they're like different ranges of that.
I'm just going to use these tweezers, here.
PATIENT: OK.
SANDRA LEE: And see if we can't pull out the sack.
See the little sack that it's in?
PATIENT: Mhm.
SANDRA LEE: There.
We're trying to get that all the way out, because if we
get that out, it's very flimsy.
That probably won't come back.
See? It came out.
There you go.
A tiny little spreader.
Just like other cysts on the body,
it's really important to take out the whole sack.
You can't just drain it out and call it a day.
When I'm removing the sack, well, I carefully
use my tweezers in a slow, sweeping motion,
trying to only extract the thin layer that contains the cyst.
Hairs like this.
Some are more like the eruptive vellus
hair cysts I was talking about.
They're like steatocystomas.
OK.
So this one you can see a little hair in it, actually.
See the hair?
PATIENT: Oh, wow.
SANDRA LEE: See?
It's almost black.
You see a little black line in there, too?
See little hairs in it?
PATIENT: Is it just [INAUDIBLE]?
It's like little vellus hairs.
Yes, it's like wound up in there.
See that?
A bunch of them?
Are you OK?
PATIENT: Yeah.
So is it just like the hairs just never pop out?
SANDRA LEE: Yes.
It's not like they grow with there.
It's like a cyst they creates them.
So they're in this little casing, I think.
Or, you know, I think because I'm
pretty sure that it's a cyst that's derived from these hairs
that we have on us.
PATIENT: Mhm.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SANDRA LEE: It's a little--
I wish I could show it to you up close.
PATIENT: That's a big one.
SANDRA LEE: Yeah.
I was explaining to her how these are interesting-- how
these conditions, though they're benign and a lot of times
you see doctors and they reassure you
that people truly want to have them treated
because it bothers you, right?
It makes you feel different.
It makes you not feel--
PATIENT: Yes.
Especially because you have to look at it every single day.
SANDRA LEE: Yeah, and it's like you'd rather have a scar there
than have this because of what it sort of
represents or makes you feel.
PATIENT: Mhm.
SANDRA LEE: And I think even having a scar,
it's like you've done that, and it's
not something-- these things don't own you, in a way.
And it's like people will say, well, why?
You can't really see them?
Well, you can feel them even more than you can see them.
PATIENT: Yeah.
They get inflamed, too and you can definitely feel them.
SANDRA LEE: (WHISPERING) There's the hair.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Mhm.
PATIENT: Mhm.
SANDRA LEE: (WHISPERING) While you're there,
you can see that one.
See the hairs on that?
PATIENT: Yeah.
The last one was very, very yellow.
And now this one's a cream--
SANDRA LEE: That's why we call them rainbows steatocystomas,
because they're kind of all different colors
of the rainbow.
We've had one that look like little rubber bands.
PATIENT: Oh, my.
SANDRA LEE: Like a rubber band.
One in black, we've seen it black.
PATIENT: Oh, wow.
SANDRA LEE: Yeah, different colors.
PATIENT: Why would they turn black?
SANDRA LEE: You know, I'm not sure.
I think it has to do with-- he was he was African-American.
Maybe the pigment in your skin, too,
stains it, like the melanin.
But, you know, it's cells that are kind of composed
of hair cells, because your hair is different color, you know,
darker.
You might be able to, since you have dark hair.
You might be able create some like that.
I don't think it was anything abnormal.
It's just a part of it.
I think it's just the fascinating world of skin.
PATIENT: How long do they usually take to heal?
It just depends?
SANDRA LEE: I don't think it's anything crazy.
It's sort of like when you get a pimple, and it gets-- you know,
it just heals over.
But I think because we would keep sutures in there
for a week, I would say like a week.
You might still have a little fine scab there,
but it's going to be--
You know, and you might darken sometimes
a little bit, like your hyperpigmentation that you get.
PATIENT: Mhm.
SANDRA LEE: But that will fade, too.
So they are going to be darker and more noticeable,
but hopefully they won't get a scar like this one
that you have.
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While I love squeezing out the eruptive vellus hair cysts,
it's actually really tough on my hands
and they will start to hurt after a while.
My staff always jokes that I have the strongest hands
and no one would win in a pinching contest with me.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
See some of that?
It's more inflamed--
PATIENT: Oh, [INAUDIBLE].
SANDRA LEE: --the red mixed with all the blood.
PATIENT: Yeah.
It's OK.
SANDRA LEE: So I'm going to put a little steroid in there, kind
of like we put into pimples that are inflamed,
that I inject into my own pimples on my face
when if get them.
They can calm it.
I can calm this down a little faster.
That should hopefully be getting better, there.
Keep that up, and then you're done here,
I think, actually, for now.
PATIENT: OK.
SANDRA LEE: Wait.
Let me get this one [INAUDIBLE] this one here.
It's actually flattened down.
That's good.
OK.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
One of my favorite parts of extracting vellus hair cysts
is being able to look at the little hairs
under the microscope.
I love geeking out over these things.
The skin is absolutely fascinating.
Thanks for watching "This is Zit!"
See you next time.