Alex Lefkowitz
- Updated March 28, 2024
For many people, there are few things as satisfying as popping pimples. Although watching other people pop them may come in a close second.
Over the last few years, dermatology YouTube channels have proliferated. Here, professional dermatologists – and a fair number of amateurs – film themselves getting to grips with lipomas, cysts, blackheads, whiteheads, steatocystomas, and pilomacritomas.
Among all the dermatology channels out there, Dr. Pimplepopper and Loan Nguyen Acne Treatment are two of the most successful. Here’s everything you need to know about them – and why watching pimple popping draws in such huge numbers of viewers.
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Who is Dr. Pimplepopper?
Dr. Sandra Lee, aka. Dr. Pimplepopper, is a board-certified dermatologist, cosmetic surgeon, and YouTuber based in California. After an undergrad degree at UCLA, she attended Drexel University College of Medicine, then completed her internship at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh and her dermatology residency at Southern Illinois University.
Dr Lee was one of the earliest dermatologists on YouTube, starting to post informative videos of dermatological procedures and skin care treatments in 2010. In late 2014, she first started showing her work on cyst extractions for educational purposes, and to raise awareness of various skin conditions.
Within months, she started to amass a huge following of ‘popaholics’ hooked on great clips of Dr. Pimplepopper attacking a big bump in a patient’s skin, breezing her way through countless hours of blackhead removals, or squeezing a lipoma for all it’s worth. Now, Dr. Lee’s channel has over 8 million subscribers and counting. She also maintains a presence on other social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
Dr. Pimplepopper is one of the most commercially successful dermatology YouTube channels. Not only does she maintain a subscription-only YouTube community (since YouTube restricts advertising on her videos), she also launched her own line of skin care products, SLMD, in 2017. Plus, she has her own TV series on TLC and TLC Australia, which also streams on Hulu and Prime. Here, she shows not just her signature pops, but also gives the audience expert advice on how to take care of their skin.
What’s in it for the patients? In exchange for letting her use footage of their procedures, Dr. Lee offers treatments for free, or at hefty discounts.
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Who is Loan Nguyen?
Loan Nguyễn Acne Treatment is another popular dermatology YouTube channel. Unlike Dr. Pimplepopper, though, it rarely features life-altering growths. Instead, it focuses on attacks on acne, and how to get to grips with skin concerns.
Based in Viet Nam, Loan Nguyen is a beauty salon and spa in Da Nang City, run by dedicated specialists who focus on battling acne. The fact that there’s an entire team working with patients and creating content means that Loan Nguyen uploads frequently – three to four times per day, in fact!
Like Dr. Pimplepopper, the channel offers a monthly subscription option and maintains a presence on Facebook. In fact, there’s even a Facebook fanpage. Also, like Dr. Lee Loan Nguyen has launched a line of beauty products, including moisturizer and specialized acne treatments.
Why is it so satisfying watching pimple popping?
So what makes these dermatology channels so incredibly successful?
While many people are squeamish content that shows the less aesthetic sides of the human body, pus and all, countless others find it incredibly satisfying.
The reason behind it is likely dopamine, the feel-good hormone.
People who pick at their skin feel a rush of satisfaction every time a pimple pops successfully between their fingernails. And they can get the same dopamine rush by proxy, by watching pimple popping content!
All things considered, it’s little wonder that pimple popping content is such a huge hit across social media.
FAQs
Popping pimples – and watching others pop them – can give you a rush of dopamine, the feel-good hormone.
Popping pimples – and watching others pop them – can give you a rush of dopamine, the feel-good hormone.
People who are hooked on pimple popping are often referred to as popaholics.
Dr. Pimplepopper and Loan Nguyen Acne Treatment are two of the best pimple popping YouTube channels.
Dr. Sandra Lee, aka. Dr. Pimplepopper, is a board-certified dermatologist, cosmetic surgeon, and YouTuber based in California.
Alex Lefkowitz Alex Lefkowitz is the founder and CEO of Tasty Edits. He's an experienced video editor, having edited hundreds of videos for dozens creators before turning to entrepreneurship and launching his own video editing company. Since then, he has directly managed thousands of video and thumbnail orders. Now, he draws on his experience working with professional creators to write about video editing, the creator economy, and video marketing. You can also read his work on Hackernoon and Medium. Plus, he's contributed several expert opinions in interviews and articles as a guest on platforms like Jotform.
