Dr. Pimple Popper (TV series)

*Dr. Pimple Popper*
Dr. Pimple Popper
Genre	Reality
Starring	Dr. Sandra Lee
Music by	APM Music
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	9
No. of episodes	91
Production
Executive producers	Casey Brumels; Brad Kuhlman; Scott Cooper; Mike Kane;
Running time	42 minutes
Production company	Ping Pong Productions
Original release
Network	TLC; Discovery+;
Release	January 3, 2018 –; August 23, 2023

Dr. Pimple Popper is an American reality television series airing on TLC. The series, starring dermatologist and Internet celebrity Dr. Sandra Lee, follows her as she treats patients with unusual cases of facial and skin disorders at her clinic Skin Physicians & Surgeons in the Inland Empire city of Upland, California. The show started with an hour-long special on January 3, 2018 before the first season aired on July 11, 2018.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Quick Facts Genre, Starring ...

Initially airing at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesdays, Dr. Pimple Popper became the top-rated cable program in its time slot among women between ages 25–54. On August 14, the day before the final episode for Season 1 aired, TLC announced it had renewed the series for a second season, with new episodes set to air in January 2019.^[4] Another hour-long special was aired on December 13, 2018, before the second season began on January 3, 2019 with its episodes moved to 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursdays. Beginning part-way through the fifth season, new episodes became available on the Discovery+ streaming service, before returning to TLC for the sixth season. A spin-off series titled Dr. Pimple Popper: Before the Pop premiered on September 3, 2020.^[5]

The ninth and final season premiered on April 5, 2023 in the program's sixth year.^[6] A follow-up series, Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out, debuted on Lifetime on April 21, 2025.^[7]^[8]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

Season	Episodes	Originally released
Season	Episodes	First released	Last released
1	Special	January 3, 2018 (2018-01-03)
1	6	July 11, 2018 (2018-07-11)	August 15, 2018 (2018-08-15)
2	Special	December 13, 2018 (2018-12-13)
2	10	January 3, 2019 (2019-01-03)	March 7, 2019 (2019-03-07)
3	4	July 11, 2019 (2019-07-11)	August 1, 2019 (2019-08-01)
4	6	December 26, 2019 (2019-12-26)	January 30, 2020 (2020-01-30)
Before the Pop	10	September 3, 2020 (2020-09-03)	October 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)
5	Special	December 21, 2020 (2020-12-21)
5	10	December 28, 2020 (2020-12-28)	March 1, 2021 (2021-03-01)
6	10	July 14, 2021 (2021-07-14)	September 15, 2021 (2021-09-15)
7	Special	December 8, 2021 (2021-12-08)
7	10	February 16, 2022 (2022-02-16)	April 20, 2022 (2022-04-20)
8	10	July 13, 2022 (2022-07-13)	September 14, 2022 (2022-09-14)
9	Special	December 15, 2022 (2022-12-15)
9	20	April 5, 2023 (2023-04-05)	August 23, 2023 (2023-08-23)
Breaking Out	20^[9]	April 21, 2025 (2025-04-21)	August 25, 2025 (2025-08-25)^[9]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original release date	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	–	"Dr. Pimple Popper"	January 3, 2018 (2018-01-03)^[10]	1.11^[11]
Angelina of Sacramento, California has a large lipoma under her left breast that has affected her self-esteem for the past six years. Delano of Houston, Texas has a giant lump on his back that prevents him from getting regular jobs and rendered him homeless on some occasions. Carla from Mississippi wishes to have her pilar cysts removed from her scalp. Brenda of Los Angeles, California has a golf ball-sized lump on her forehead that has hampered her social life and career advancement.
2	1	"The Lipoma Whisperer"	July 11, 2018 (2018-07-11)	1.80^[12]
Melissa of Sioux Falls, South Dakota has lived with a large lipoma on the right side of her neck for years, forcing her to wear sweatshirts to conceal it from everyone. Tyler of Litchfield, New Hampshire has cysts on his forehead, but his family's history of cancer has discouraged him from having them diagnosed. Tahj's body is covered in painful boils. Amber of Los Angeles has keloids on her ears that have given her years of discomfort.
3	2	"The World's Largest Lump"	July 18, 2018 (2018-07-18)	1.83^[13]
Ronan of New York City has a cyst above his left knee that has given him excruciating pain in his job as a flight attendant. Amber of Ada, Oklahoma suffers from hidradenitis suppurativa that leaves her clothes soaked in drainage. Sandy has a golf ball-sized lipoma on her neck that grew back after a previous surgery. Kristy of San Angelo, Texas has what is thought to be a milium on her left eyelid that gives her discomfort and affects her vision.
4	3	"The Cyst Persists"	July 25, 2018 (2018-07-25)	2.02^[14]
Mary of San Antonio, Texas has fatty tumors that makes her left leg disproportionate from her body and wants them removed before the day of her daughter's wedding. Physical trainer Anthony has a grape-sized cyst between his eyebrows that other doctors have refused to treat due to its proximity in the "triangle of death". Shane has a grapefruit-sized lipoma on his back. Brandi of Cincinnati, Ohio has an unusual lipoma above her left breast that has hindered her love life.
5	4	"The Curious Case of the Pooting Cyst"	August 1, 2018 (2018-08-01)	2.37^[15]
Diane of Lake Mary, Florida suffers from hereditary neurofibromatosis, which has prevented her from having children out of fear of passing the disease to them. Will of Hinesville, Georgia has a golf ball-sized cyst on his right shoulder. Anthony of South Bend, Indiana has a tennis ball-sized lipoma in the back of his neck. Kai-Elle, a 47-year-old transgender New Yorker, has lived with spider veins on her legs throughout her life.
6	5	"A Lipoma Jackpot"	August 8, 2018 (2018-08-08)	2.10^[16]
Belinda of Pomona, California has a lipoma on her back that limits her neck and arm movement. Nicole of Portland, Oregon has a lump under her right arm caused by issues while breastfeeding her daughter 11 years ago, and she wants it removed before her wedding. Adela is a 62-year-old woman with over 400 seborrheic keratoses that developed after she gave birth to her daughter. Nick of Seattle, Washington has seven lipomas on his body and needs them removed professionally after he removed one on his own.
7	6	"An American Tail"	August 15, 2018 (2018-08-15)	2.09^[17]
Taylor of St. Louis, Missouri has had a lump on her buttocks since birth that regenerated after a previous operation two years ago, and discovers that it is an extremely rare case of spinal dysraphism. John from Maui County, Hawaii has a breast-shaped lipoma on the right side of his waist. Noelle of Boise, Idaho wants her ear lobes restored after having stretched them to wear ear tunnels for years.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original release date	U.S. viewers (millions)
8	–	"The 12 Pops of Christmas"	December 13, 2018 (2018-12-13)	1.50^[18]
Jaila has keloids on her ears that are constantly affected by weather. Justin from Roxboro, North Carolina has two cysts on his upper right arm that have grown into bumps shaped like a snowman. Christina from Orlando, Florida has steatocystomas on her neck and wants to get rid of them. Farrah has a two-year-old facial cyst that she wants removed. Doris from London, Ontario, Canada has a 55-year-old dilated pore of Winer that is situated in front of her right ear. Randi from Arkansas has xanthelasma deposits around her eyes. Kenneth has had a lipoma for 10 years that has become a large hump on his back. Connie from Miami, Florida has pimples and blackheads all over her face and back, and is discovered to also have steatocystomas. Felix has had a pilar cyst on his head for about 25 years that he has been hiding with hats. Jean Marcus has familial multiple lipomatosis on his arms and chest that have affected his everyday life and caused him to stand differently. Jennifer from Knoxville, Tennessee comes in to have the skin tags around on her neck removed because she cannot wear necklaces, especially a special gifted one from her mother. Nick has a lump of coal in his cheek which he blames on chimneys.
9	1	"Nose No Bounds"	January 3, 2019 (2019-01-03)	2.49^[19]
April of Deatsville, Alabama has familial multiple lipomatosis, which multiplied on her forearms after giving birth to her eldest son Hunter, and she becomes concerned when he develops one on his thigh. Genner from the Philippines suffers from rhinophyma, which has adversely affected his everyday life. Chris from La Mirada, California has a bump on his head and psoriasis all over his body that has put a strain on his marriage.
10	2	"Tumor Takeover"	January 10, 2019 (2019-01-10)	2.79^[20]
Matt from Aurora, Colorado was born with neurofibromatosis type I that has resulted in numerous tumors all over his body that have affected his job as a courier and is concerned that they may be cancerous. Yamileth is an exotic dancer from Los Angeles who has a large cyst on the right side of her neck that has forced her to wear scarves and use her hair to cover it. Pat is a 66-year-old woman who has multiple seborrheic keratoses and wants those on her face and neck removed. Jennifer from Hawthorne, California is an aspiring voice actress who has a "unicorn bump" on her forehead and two smaller bumps on her scalp that have hindered her self-esteem.
11	3	"The Last Unicorn"	January 17, 2019 (2019-01-17)	2.84^[21]
Louis from Superior, Wisconsin is a 70-year-old army veteran with a rare disease that he picked up during the Gulf War that causes his skin to develop hyperkeratosis and ichthyosis, resulting in years of agonizing pain. Irais from Laguna Hills, California has a large pilar cyst on the right side of her head that has affected her everyday life and caused her daughters to be bullied in school. Johnny from Valencia, California has a large lipoma on the left side on his back.
12	4	"Sisters Lumpity Lump Lump"	January 24, 2019 (2019-01-24)	2.99^[22]
Amber from Northampton, Massachusetts suffers from Brooke-Spiegler syndrome, which has resulted in hundreds of tumors on her face and armpits. Antonio from Sugar Land, Texas has a giant lipoma on his back that is near his spinal cord. Cheri and Janice are sisters with lumps on their arms; Cheri has a cyst on her right shoulder, while Janice has a lipoma on her left bicep. Tatiana from Danbury, Connecticut has a nevus lipomatosus superficialis under her buttocks.
13	5	"Every Rosacea Has Its Thorn"	January 31, 2019 (2019-01-31)	3.10^[23]
Patrick from Lincoln, Montana has an advanced form of rhinophyma caused by rosacea that developed from years of construction work under the sun and his use of blood-thinning medicine may affect the operation on his nose. Lauren from Los Angeles and Aziza from Baltimore, Maryland have identical ganglion cysts on their left wrists. Joe from Detroit, Michigan has a large cyst on his forehead that grew over the past year.
14	6	"Popping Popeye"	February 7, 2019 (2019-02-07)	3.43^[24]
Lisa from Litchfield, New Hampshire has a cutaneous horn on the back of her head that has caused her years of pain and she wants it removed before her wedding day. Victor has a large cyst on his chest. Chuck of Costa Mesa, California has a multi-lobulated lipoma on his right bicep that has affected his job in metal works. Jonathan and Christian of South Gate, California are brothers with lipomas - one on Jonathan's right side and one on Christian's back.
15	7	"Scared Cyst-less"	February 14, 2019 (2019-02-14)	2.85^[25]
Taylore from Memphis, Tennessee has keloids on the tips of her ears that have weighed down her self-esteem. Jose from Adelanto, California has a baseball-sized lipoma on the right side of his forehead that requires a CT scan as a precaution before surgery. Ken from Bay Springs, Mississippi has multiple types of cysts on his back, chest, and head, and his fear of needles has him nervous about getting them removed.
16	8	"A Lipoma Is Born"	February 21, 2019 (2019-02-21)	3.17^[26]
Barb from Visalia, California has a large heart-shaped lipoma that stayed on her back after her gastric bypass surgery a year earlier. Bob from Pembroke Pines, Florida has two giant elastofibroma dorsis on his back that require a CT scan due to their proximity under the scapulas. Hilda from South Gate, California has multiple hidrocystomas around her eyes that resulted in her depression that cost her her job and her house. Art from Riverside, California has a unicorn cyst on his forehead that he has kept for nine years due to his fear of doctors.
17	9	"Mic Drop Pop!"	February 28, 2019 (2019-02-28)	2.96^[27]
Josh from Woodbine, Georgia has a golf ball sized epidermoid cyst on the right side of his forehead that developed from a near-fatal car accident 17 years ago. TJ has a pilomatricoma on the left side of his back that has affected his job as a car salesman. Brittney from Memphis, Tennessee has multiple neurofibromatoses all over her body that were inherited from her late mother and she needs them removed before her wedding. Luis from Roseville, California has a large lipoma on his right shoulder that has him concerned it might be cancerous. This episode is followed by a 10-minute preview of the podiatry series My Feet Are Killing Me. Reruns of this episode include a tribute to Brittney who died two months after this episode aired.
18	10	"Runaway Bump, Never Coming Back?"	March 7, 2019 (2019-03-07)	3.24^[28]
Leonard from Holly Ridge, North Carolina has a large lipoma on his left shoulder that has not healed after scraping it, and his fear of doctors has kept him from getting it removed. Brandon from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has multiple pilar cysts on his head, which has him concerned due to his family's history of cancer and he wants them removed before his wedding. Jess from Harford County, Maryland has a bump on her right buttock that grew after she fell on a flight of stairs, but an examination shows no indications of lipoma or any type of growth.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original release date	U.S. viewers (millions)
19	1	"Sleepless in Steatocystoma"	July 11, 2019 (2019-07-11)	3.21^[29]
Jennifer from Philadelphia has large keloids on both ears that have grown for more than a decade, causing headaches and vertigo. Juliet from Bothell, Washington has steatocystomas and eruptive vellus hair cysts on her neck and chest that have greatly affected her self-esteem. Gerald from Chicago has a very large lump on his left middle finger.
20	2	"The Incredible Shrinking Lipoma"	July 18, 2019 (2019-07-18)	2.45^[30]
Gerald has the chondroid syringoma on his finger removed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Lilley at Casa Colina Hospital in Pomona, California. Vinnie from Carbondale, Pennsylvania has a large birthmark on the right side of his neck that has formed a congenital nevus, resulting in bullying and harassment by his classmates. Leta from Montgomery, Alabama has a lipoma on her left thigh that she wants to remove before her wedding.
21	3	"Hips Don't Lie"	July 25, 2019 (2019-07-25)	2.51^[31]
Rhonda from Orlando, Florida has multiple cysts on her head that she struggles to hide with her hair. Fred from Lexington, Kentucky has dry bumps on his hands that cause discomfort, especially when he washes his hands. Kevin from Charleston, South Carolina has a lipoma on his left hip that has given him difficulty in dressing up.
22	4	"Romancing The Lump"	August 1, 2019 (2019-08-01)	2.35^[32]
Heather from Kissimmee, Florida has a lipoma on the back of her right thigh and is concerned about getting it removed, as she also has several keloids on her body. Jesse and Nelda, siblings from Corpus Christi, Texas, have hereditary hidradenitis suppurativa and learn that there is no real cure for their skin disorder. Margarita from Fort Worth, Texas has epidermal nevus behind her right ear that she refuses to show to her children. Paul from Waller, Texas has a large lipoma behind his neck that has hindered his head movement and affected his job in delivering RVs.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original release date	U.S. viewers (millions)
23	1	"The Record Breaking Lump!"	December 26, 2019 (2019-12-26)	2.29^[33]
Tim from Walstonburg, North Carolina has a 12 lb. lipoma on his back that has affected his work as a farmer, as well as his social life. Daniel from Long Beach, California suffers from psoriasis that covers 95% of his body. Gloriana from the Las Vegas Valley has a cyst on her right shoulder while her mother Yolanda has a large lipoma on the left side of her waist.
24	2	"peh-DUN-kyoo-LAY-ted"	January 2, 2020 (2020-01-02)	2.80^[34]
Traci from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho suffers from trichoepithelioma on her face that has impacted her self-esteem since childhood. Ravon from Clarksville, Tennessee has a lipoma dangling on his right thigh. David from Alhambra, California suffers from rhinophyma on the left side of his nose and a bump under his right eye that may be cancerous.
25	3	"Eggs Lipoma"	January 9, 2020 (2020-01-09)	2.67^[35]
David's bump under his right eye is revealed to be a basal-cell carcinoma, which he has removed through Mohs surgery. Nicole from Sacramento, California has multiple steatocystomas all over her body that she struggles to hide, especially on her neck. Steve from Michigan has a lipoma on his forehead that has prevented him from wearing hats to hide it. Allen from Cottonwood, Arizona has a lipoma on his left bicep that he has struggled with in his career as a car restorer.
26	4	"Adventures in Pimplepopping"	January 16, 2020 (2020-01-16)	3.00^[36]
Inoke from Sacramento, California has a 9 lb. lipoma on his right shoulder that has prevented him from participating in dancing with his family and the Fijian community in his town. Delano from the first Special returns to the clinic, as the lymphangioma on his back has returned. Reed from Las Vegas has multiple eruptive vellus hair cysts and steatocystoma multiplex on his chest that has affected his self-esteem.
27	5	"Dr. Lee Nose Best!"	January 23, 2020 (2020-01-23)	3.01^[37]
Tony from Clinton, Tennessee suffers from rhinophyma as a side effect from taking a cardiac medicine five years ago, hindering his ability to interact with people at his thrift store. Kevin from Petaluma, California has an epidermoid cyst on the left side on his jaw that has interfered with his concentration on his job as an electrician and his social life. Marie from New Jersey has a lipoma on her forehead that has affected her relationship with her girlfriend. Tommy from Monett, Missouri grew a large lipoma on his left thigh after suffering a torn leg muscle four years ago, limiting his work as a carpenter. This episode is dedicated in memory of Kevin who died eight months before this episode aired.
28	6	"Warning: Cystem Shutdown!"	January 30, 2020 (2020-01-30)	2.77^[38]
Gerard from Brooklyn, New York has familial multiple lipomatosis on his body that he wants removed, but he also has Factor V Leiden, which may increase the risk of blood clotting during the procedure. Gina from Wilmington, North Carolina suffers from multiple lesions on her body that other doctors have diagnosed as a mental condition, as she constantly picks on her skin. Eric from Cheektowaga, New York developed a golf ball sized pilar cyst on his head from a construction accident eight years ago.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original release date	U.S. viewers (millions)
50	–	"A Pimple Carol"	December 8, 2021 (2021-12-08)	1.03^[54]
51	1	"Lookin' for Love in Lumpy Places"	February 16, 2022 (2022-02-16)	1.64^[55]
52	2	"The Incredible Bulk"	February 23, 2022 (2022-02-23)	1.45^[56]
53	3	"Raw Meat Mass"	March 2, 2022 (2022-03-02)	1.31^[57]
54	4	"The Never-Ending Keloids"	March 9, 2022 (2022-03-09)	1.35^[58]
55	5	"Cyst Pits"	March 16, 2022 (2022-03-16)	1.35^[59]
56	6	"Hard Knot Life"	March 23, 2022 (2022-03-23)	1.45^[60]
57	7	"Bubble, Bubble, Ear's in Trouble!"	March 30, 2022 (2022-03-30)	1.53^[61]
58	8	"Once, Twice, Three Times a Keloid"	April 6, 2022 (2022-04-06)	1.61^[62]
59	9	"Scarry Scarry Night"	April 13, 2022 (2022-04-13)	1.37^[63]
60	10	"My Brainlike Bump"	April 20, 2022 (2022-04-20)	1.64^[64]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original release date	U.S. viewers (millions)
61	1	"Booty and the Beach"	July 13, 2022 (2022-07-13)	1.32^[65]
62	2	"Poop! (There It Is)"	July 20, 2022 (2022-07-20)	1.27^[66]
63	3	"Do Iguanas Get Pimples Too?"	July 27, 2022 (2022-07-27)	1.33^[67]
64	4	"Alligator Arms"	August 3, 2022 (2022-08-03)	1.24^[68]
65	5	"Mötley Cÿst"	August 10, 2022 (2022-08-10)	1.28^[69]
66	6	"A Head of Cauliflower Bumps"	August 17, 2022 (2022-08-17)	1.22^[70]
67	7	"The Wind Beneath My Nose Bumps"	August 24, 2022 (2022-08-24)	1.35^[71]
68	8	"Stucco On You"	August 31, 2022 (2022-08-31)	1.44^[72]
69	9	"Fast Times at Nevus High"	September 7, 2022 (2022-09-07)	1.34^[73]
70	10	"My Octopus Lipoma"	September 14, 2022 (2022-09-14)	1.24^[74]

No. overall	No. in season	Title ^[6]	Original release date ^[6]	U.S. viewers (millions)
71	–	"With Every Cyst-mas Card I Write"	December 15, 2022 (2022-12-15)	1.08^[75]
72	1	"Holy Cyst?!"	April 5, 2023 (2023-04-05)	1.33^[76]
73	2	"Nevus and Bump-Head"	April 12, 2023 (2023-04-12)	1.13^[77]
74	3	"Cyst Over Troubled Water"	April 19, 2023 (2023-04-19)	1.22^[78]
75	4	"Ear Brain"	April 26, 2023 (2023-04-26)	1.12^[79]
76	5	"Bumpshakalaka"	May 3, 2023 (2023-05-03)	1.15^[80]
77	6	"Plum Nose"	May 10, 2023 (2023-05-10)	1.04^[81]
78	7	"Pig Snout"	May 17, 2023 (2023-05-17)	1.23^[82]
79	8	"Amputation Deliberation"	May 24, 2023 (2023-05-24)	1.14^[83]
80	9	"Zombie Skin"	May 31, 2023 (2023-05-31)	1.17^[84]
81	10	"Leaky Legs"	June 7, 2023 (2023-06-07)	1.14^[85]
82	11	"My Demon Bumps"	June 21, 2023 (2023-06-21)	1.03^[86]
83	12	"Troop Lipoma Hills"	June 28, 2023 (2023-06-28)	1.15^[87]
84	13	"Monster in the Mirror"	July 5, 2023 (2023-07-05)	N/A
85	14	"Keloid-Con"	July 12, 2023 (2023-07-12)	N/A
86	15	"Veiny Balloons"	July 19, 2023 (2023-07-19)	N/A
87	16	"Scaly Mermaid Skin"	July 26, 2023 (2023-07-26)	N/A
88	17	"Crazy, Stupid, Lump"	August 2, 2023 (2023-08-02)	1.11^[88]
89	18	"California Bumpin'"	August 9, 2023 (2023-08-09)	N/A
90	19	"Quadripple Nipple"	August 16, 2023 (2023-08-16)	1.27^[89]
91	20	"Tales From the Cyst"	August 23, 2023 (2023-08-23)	0.97^[90]

No.	Title	Original release date	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	"Video Chat, Pop, Splat!"	September 3, 2020 (2020-09-03)	1.01^[91]
2	"A Growth to Remember"	September 3, 2020 (2020-09-03)	1.01^[91]
3	"Mystery Blisters: Diagnosis Unknown"	September 10, 2020 (2020-09-10)	1.34^[92]
4	"A Nightmare on Skin Street"	September 17, 2020 (2020-09-17)	1.47^[93]
5	"Lump Overboard"	September 24, 2020 (2020-09-24)	1.43^[94]
6	"The Enormous Nose Nodules"	October 1, 2020 (2020-10-01)	1.22^[95]
7	"Split Decisions"	October 8, 2020 (2020-10-08)	0.96^[96]
8	"Itchy, Itchy, Ya-Ya, Da-Da"	October 15, 2020 (2020-10-15)	1.27^[97]
9	"Twin Peaks"	October 22, 2020 (2020-10-22)	0.85^[98]
10	"100 Lumps and Counting"	October 29, 2020 (2020-10-29)	0.92^[99]

Series overview

Episodes

Season 1 (2018)

Season 2 (2019)

Season 3 (2019)

Season 4 (2019–20)

Season 5 (2020–21)

Season 6 (2021)

Season 7 (2022)

Season 8 (2022)

Season 9 (2023)

Spin-offs

Before the Pop (2020)

Breaking Out (2025)

Webisodes

This Is Zit

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Where Are They Now

Season 1

Season 2

Reception

Critical response

Ratings

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Before the Pop: Season 1

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Notes

References

External links