• In a new YouTube video, Dr. Pimple Popper extracts a massive lipoma from a patient’s head.
• Lipomas are fatty growths that sit between the skin and the muscle underneath.
• They tend to be small, benign, and therefore mostly a harmless nuisance to people unless they suddenly increase in size.
Many people who struggle with blackheads and whiteheads might think they have it rough, but as Dr. Pimple Popper’s videos tend to remind us, those relatively minor breakouts can pale in comparison to the challenges posed by larger growths such as lipomas.
For those who need a refresher, lipomas are fatty lumps that grow slowly and tend to be situated between your skin and the muscle underneath, according to the Mayo Clinic. Important to note: They’re generally benign and small—usually around two centimeters in diameter—and therefore pose no harm to the patient other than being somewhat unsightly.
In her latest installment, however, Dr. Pimple Popper—aka, dermatologist and TLC host Dr. Sandra Lee, MD—reminds us that lipomas can grow in a hurry, and it’s understandable why patients hustle to the nearest dermatologist to have them dealt with.
In the new YouTube video, Dr. Lee sees a patient with a massive lipoma protruding from the side of her head, one that she says she’s had for about five years, but that recently grew bigger. The patient wonders if it’s because she’s been touching it, but Dr. Lee quickly dispels that myth, and moves on to explaining why she can’t remove the lipoma all at once.
“Sometimes lipomas tear more easily,” she says. “So I can’t just grab it and grasp it and pull it. But that’s okay, we just need to work on it.” With some gentle encouragement—and some snipping and tugging—she manages to free the growth, and disposes of it with a parting shot: “Hasta Lipoma, baby.”