Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • (humming)

  • (upbeat instrumental music)

  • - Hello everybody, it's me Dr. Sandra Lee,

  • aka Dr. Pimple Popper.

  • I am a board certified dermatologist

  • at private practice in Southern California.

  • And you may know me more for my pimple popping these days.

  • So I did a video called "Go to Bed With Me"

  • and today we're going to react to the comments

  • from the video.

  • And a little bit later I'm going to answer

  • some of your questions that you guys have about acne.

  • (upbeat instrumental music)

  • Here we go.

  • Okay Margarita says,

  • "Her, so cleansing wipes,

  • "me, screams in pain." In parenthesis, okay.

  • Cleansing wipes, I know there's a lot of debate

  • and there's a lot of controversy on the internet

  • about cleaning wipes.

  • There are a lot of people that are strongly against them.

  • I use cleansing wipes and I do know a lot of dermatologists

  • a lot of professionals use cleansing wipes

  • and I think that they're fine to use.

  • I don't use them on a daily basis.

  • I think that they can be rough on your skin.

  • I definitely pat my skin with them

  • and I don't use them solely to clean my face.

  • They're sort of used if I have heavy make-up on,

  • if I'm on the run, if I'm traveling

  • and I really want to get some make-up off

  • and clean my face, but I don't have a sink in front me

  • and I can't completely wash my face.

  • People complain too that it...

  • Or they say that it could be really bad for our environment

  • and I know that we're all doing the best we can

  • to save the environment and so I understand that.

  • So if you're against cleansing wipes, don't use them.

  • I mean if you feel better about not wasting something

  • I completely understand that.

  • But I do think that there is a place for them in a routine

  • because they do make life a little easier for us.

  • Okay so here's the next question, Lisa Rose says,

  • "I thought micro-tears were a myth."

  • Well anything can cause tears in your skin

  • I mean even if you rub your rough finger on your skin,

  • it can cause micro-tears.

  • And I mean that's what our skin is designed for.

  • Our skin is there to help protect what's underneath.

  • And it's there to handle any tears

  • or any disruptions in your skin.

  • I mean even the sun when it hits your face

  • it's gonna cause damage.

  • Everything does, pollutants in the atmosphere,

  • all of this, so.

  • I think as we get older we are certainly more careful

  • about things that really rub hard on our face.

  • And not even so much that our skin gets

  • less resilient to things,

  • but more so that we're so conscious of it

  • because we are more conscious of maybe like

  • fine lines and wrinkles on our skin.

  • And we're trying to keep our skin young

  • for as long as we can.

  • I'm certainly less rough on my skin, as I get older.

  • And I think that is probably the truth for many people.

  • But you know micro-tears it's a daily occurrence for us,

  • for many reasons.

  • "People should listen to these professionals only,

  • "don't listen to YouTuber's

  • "who just promote products/brands."

  • You just really have to be careful on the internet,

  • I find this more and more lately actually.

  • I think it's going to become a problem,

  • that people say things and it sort of like

  • it kind of snow-balls and then it becomes so

  • spoken about so often that it becomes like this truth

  • that everybody believes in.

  • Recently I talked about,

  • I think even in this "Go to Bed" series

  • I talked about using, CeraVe or Cetaphil Cleansers

  • and some people get a little angry about that.

  • And they say that there are carcinogens

  • or there are cancer causing agents in there.

  • I will tell you I don't know a single

  • board certified dermatologist that would say

  • don't use these products because they can cause cancer.

  • I mean, and that should tell you something, I think.

  • We went to medical school,

  • we did our residency for three years,

  • some of us did a Fellowship.

  • I got out of school when I was 32 years old.

  • I mean we had specific training

  • in all conditions of the skin, the hair, and the nails.

  • So I think the bottom line is

  • that you should do your own research.

  • And trust your own research really.

  • And really consult with experts in your area.

  • A great board certified dermatologist

  • would be a great start.

  • Lemon Sorbet says, "Since she applies deodorant at night

  • "did she insinuate she doesn't apply it in the morning?

  • "This is the simplest, most affordable routine as of yet,

  • "apart from the syringe."

  • I do apply deodorant in the morning too.

  • I apply deodorant in the night

  • and I think I explained it in the video,

  • because our sweat glands are not as active at night,

  • they're more dormant, they're sleeping, like along with us.

  • It's kind of better to apply deodorant at night

  • and it kind of helps to make it more effective.

  • But I definitely apply it in the morning.

  • I definitely apply it more when I'm sweating more

  • you know during certain times of the year.

  • But I also do Botox in the summer to my arm pits.

  • Not everybody may be able to do that,

  • I'm not telling people that they should do that.

  • But that actually does work amazingly well,

  • to help with sweat control in the area.

  • All right next, David Fletcher,

  • "It's amazing watching all of these celebrities

  • "YouTube stars, with their uber complicated

  • "expensive skin care routines,

  • "then most dermatologists have basic routines

  • "with basic products from the drugstores."

  • Yes, this is true.

  • And I do see this, and I notice this in the comments

  • and I notice this in a lot of videos.

  • You don't have to spend a lot of money

  • to take care of your skin.

  • I understand what it's like to use a really expensive cream,

  • it smells good, it feels good,

  • it makes you feel more luxurious.

  • But if you don't have the money to afford it,

  • it is not going to give you better skin than using a more

  • inexpensive drugstore variety cleanser or moisturizer.

  • I mean I love Aquaphor, I love just plain Vaseline,

  • to put in places that are really dry.

  • I love CeraVe, I love Cetaphil, I love Neutrogena,

  • all the products that are sort of, they're like

  • dermatology recommended.

  • So you know, don't discount

  • the inexpensive brands out there.

  • S-K says, "I love her"

  • I love you to S-K.

  • "And great tip before your wedding or special event,

  • "go to a derm and get the deep-zit injection for Cortisone."

  • That's true.

  • Cat in Wonderland says, "Love, love, love,

  • "when my dermatologist injects my pimples."

  • Yes that's a special kind of trick, sort of,

  • that we have as dermatologists,

  • in fact I carry that in my travel kit anywhere I go.

  • I have a little injection ready to inject a pimple

  • that I might have,

  • or even maybe a friend might have with me.

  • It's great because Cortisone,

  • a low-potency Cortisone injected directly into a pimple

  • will actually stop it's progression.

  • And potentially resolve it within 24 hours.

  • What I'm injecting is a low-potency Corticosteroid.

  • So a steroid like this, like Prednisone, or Kenalog

  • actually can be injected for multiple reasons.

  • What we do is we dilute this steroid to a really

  • really low-potency to inject directly into a pimple

  • so it does not spread systemically,

  • it doesn't affect the rest of your body,

  • it just locally calms that pimple down.

  • What they essentially do,

  • is they blunt your immune system.

  • Your immune system is so revved up,

  • it's attacking this pimple, this bacteria there

  • and making it really red and painful and swollen.

  • We are injecting something directly into it

  • to sort of settle it down, saying chill out,

  • just calm down and that's what it does.

  • Okay, Ryan Sims says, "Watching this I like

  • "getting a free consultation advice

  • "from a dermatologist without actually,

  • "you know having to pay for the session."

  • I think that's what it was meant to be.

  • I mean that's what I was trying to do

  • and that's what we try to do,

  • that's what I try to do in all of my videos, really.

  • And on my T.V. show is really just try to

  • give you advice honestly, from my perspective

  • as a board certified dermatologist

  • and I think that's what we all try to do.

  • Really the point of it is really making sure that people

  • feel good in their own skin.

  • Sometimes when you get down this rabbit hole

  • of watching all these skin care advice videos,

  • from various people, it can make you feel bad about yourself

  • in your own skin, you compare yourself.

  • Just know that there are really simple things

  • that you can do.

  • And to really feel proud in whatever skin that you have,

  • and feel good in the skin that you're in.

  • It's Echo says, "One thing I regret too,

  • "is rubbing my eyes, it would feel so good

  • "now I feel like I have dark circles from doing that."

  • Yes I think I talked about that a little bit,

  • how maybe I have a little bit of darkness around my eyes,

  • and rubbing your eyes, like if you have a little allergy,

  • and you rub your eyes every now and then,

  • that actually contributes to darkening around your eyes,

  • and dark circles.

  • Especially those of us who have a little darker complexion.

  • We're more prone to that.

  • So if you find that you have dark circles under your eyes,

  • or around your eyes, and you tend to rub your eyes

  • a little bit, you might want to really

  • focus on taking an anti-allergy medication,

  • to try to nip your allergy issues in the bud

  • so that you won't have this tendency to rub your eyes

  • or really try to focus on keeping your hand off of it.

  • Because the more you rub the more the skin

  • gets a little rough or thickened

  • and looks older and the more the area can darken.

  • Okay next.

  • Karen Fulton, "Any ideas on how to prevent milia

  • on the eyelids and eye area?

  • "I have heard that eye shadow with fragrance

  • "can aggravate this condition."

  • I don't know about eyeshadow with fragrance specifically

  • but I think that just products that occlude your skin

  • there more so, can promote milia formation.

  • But the skin there is very thin,

  • it's the thinnest skin on our body.

  • So it is probably more prone to being a occluded or blocked

  • than other areas of our body.

  • So that's why, that is an area

  • that is more prone to milia development.

  • So milia are those white pearly bumps that you get

  • predominantly around your eyes.

  • You'll kind of feel them and they'll feel,

  • your fingernail will run over them,

  • they're under the skin so it's not like a pimple

  • that you can really squeeze them out,

  • but they're usually like,

  • they look kind of like a pimple,

  • just like a white bump.

  • We as dermatologists we can remove them in the office

  • if we nick the skin and kind of use a Comedone Extractor

  • and push them out, it's like a little pearl we call them

  • because they look like a little perfect circle.

  • They're actually just really superficial, tiny cysts.

  • Sot they have a tiny little thin sack around them.

  • And that's what makes them sometimes difficult to push out.

  • I just had a milia right on my upper eyelid here

  • a couple of weeks ago,

  • and it was hard to take out,

  • especially when you're trying to do it yourself.

  • I should probably videotape myself doing that one time,

  • people will probably be like, (exclaims)

  • because I am a big wuss.

  • So I can not, it's really hard for me to just nick

  • my skin, I have to inject it first,

  • injecting is so much more comfortable.

  • Then you can go ham on something.

  • But that's not what I want you to do,

  • I'm not really going ham, my version of ham.

  • Actually my husband is a dermatologist

  • and he's wonderful, he's a great dermatologist

  • he's wonderful, but he's also my husband.

  • Every time he does something to me he's like,

  • "I'm never doing it again!

  • "'Cause you tell me what to do,

  • "and you know you can't tell me what the do."

  • I'm like because you're not doing my way,

  • my way is the best way.

  • Rebecca Yip says, "Why Dr. Lee doesn't put on a moisturizer

  • "after the hyaluronic acid serum?"

  • She does the, face.

  • "Just using the HA Serum can't keep the moisture."

  • Actually hyaluronic acid is hydrophilic,

  • meaning it draws in water.

  • So HA is really great to keep the moisture on your skin.

  • It is a moisturizer, I actually do double-up though,

  • I use multiple moisturizers 'cause I am very dry.

  • And I just think it depends on the person

  • and your skin type.

  • I think in this video I used my own HA Serum,

  • which is my brand SLDM Skincare,

  • and it also has Squalene in it,

  • which actually helps to retain the moisture

  • in your skin as well.

  • So it's more of a super moisturizing serum.

  • I think that the things that I want people to understand

  • is you don't have to spend a lot of money,

  • and you should pay attention to your own skin type,

  • if you feel like you're more dry,

  • despite using a product,

  • maybe you need to add more moisturizer.

  • If it feels like it's too oily,

  • maybe you want to back off

  • and these are all things that I think are key.

  • You need to listen to your own skin.

  • Well that was really fun

  • and I didn't have to take off my make-up

  • so that was all good.

  • Now lets move onto some acne questions.

  • (upbeat instrumental music)

  • Lady Liza says, "How does someone treat acne

  • "when they have dry skin?

  • "I feel like all acne treatments on the market are

  • "targeted to people with oiler skin types."

  • Yes that is true, and it makes sense if you think about it,

  • because usually people with oiler skin

  • are more prone to acne

  • because that oil, that sebum that we create

  • on our skin is one of the participants in acne.

  • It acts in clogging up the pore,

  • that causes a blackhead and whitehead,

  • it's clogged with oil and debris and dead skin cells.

  • But people with dry skin can also get acne.

  • It is a little bit harder to treat

  • because a lot of acne medications

  • are specifically targeted

  • to decrease the oil production on your body.

  • The key part to this is really knowing

  • what products dry out your skin more.

  • Benzoyl Peroxide dries out your skin more.

  • I would concentrate more on a glycolic acid,

  • or salicylic acid, because those are exfoliants

  • that get rid of the dry, dead skin layer

  • but they're not going to necessarily dry out

  • your healthy alive skin cells.

  • Retinol, Retin-A can be really drying

  • but it is important for blackheads and whiteheads,

  • usually people adjust to it.

  • So if you're getting a prescription

  • I would recommend a weaker prescription of tretinoin

  • and certainly there's retinol, that's over-the-counter

  • which is great and is less drying

  • than the prescription variety.

  • But really easing into it is key.

  • That's what we tell our patients too,

  • when they're using a prescription tretinoin.

  • Don't be afraid to use moisturizer.

  • If you are dry, and you have acne prone skin

  • use your acne products but follow them up with moisturizer.

  • That will help to balance out the dryness.

  • "What are the different types of acne scarring?"

  • Okay sometimes people say something is acne scarring

  • when it is not in my mind as a dermatologist

  • really scarring.

  • And that's when you have red spots or brown spots

  • after you have acne.

  • People call it scarring, but I actually love to correct them

  • because to me scarring is permanent.

  • And when you have red spots or brown spots

  • after your acne, for the most part

  • those should usually resolve.

  • So red spots we call post-inflammatory erythema, PIE.

  • And brown spots we call post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

  • These are when you've had an area of inflammation

  • in your body and if you have a redder complexion,

  • you get red spots.

  • If you have a darker complexion you get brown spots.

  • So those resolve.

  • Now sometimes you have that

  • but then you have a true acne scar that remains.

  • So there's different types of acne scarring

  • that you may see.

  • There are ice pick scarring, there is box car scarring

  • there are rolling scars, there's different types of scars

  • that we identify or name because of the way that they look.

  • And that helps us to categorize them

  • into different treatment options.

  • But really the whole key point for this is that,

  • if you have severe acne that you're not treating

  • you really should try to treat it

  • because you don't want to end up with a scar like this.

  • Because that makes it really difficult to treat.

  • Once you have a scar it's much harder to fix it

  • then to try to prevent it in the first place.

  • Okay the next one,

  • "I'm 31 with oily skin and have had my nose full

  • "of blackheads literally every single pore since puberty.

  • "If I extract them they're back in two days.

  • "Am I going to deal with them forever?

  • "Is there a way to keep my pores clean?

  • "I currently use salicylic acid 2%

  • "and Niacinamide Serum daily."

  • Well you probably have some blackheads

  • but also some sebaceous filaments.

  • Which are interesting, you can go down a little rabbit hole

  • if you Google that on the internet.

  • You know you have pores on your nose,

  • and we can see them

  • because you're looking directly at them

  • as opposed to at an angle on other parts of your face.

  • Sometimes if your pores do get clogged a little

  • and the dirt and the debris inside them oxidize,

  • they turn a little black

  • and that's why you might notice them more,

  • so yeah using a good glycolic acid,

  • a good salicylic acid.

  • Actually I have a new product,

  • it's called, Resurfacing Acne Swipes

  • and it has glycolic acid in it

  • and salicylic acid in it.

  • Which are two great chemical peel ingredients for your acne.

  • You can swipe them across your nose and those,

  • especially salicylic acid will settle down within your pores

  • and help to keep the pores clear of debris.

  • They're both exfoliators so they help to minimize that

  • collection in there.

  • And that's what you're seeing,

  • the black oxidization of the debris

  • that's stuck within your pores.

  • "Is it okay to do a peel off clay mask

  • "with active pimples?"

  • It's okay to do one.

  • I think that if your skin is sensitive

  • and you're actually peeling your skin off with it

  • I would say, back off.

  • Sometimes retinol or tretinoin

  • can make your skin more sensitive

  • and you have to be careful

  • if you wax or do any kind of really strong peel.

  • Obviously those videos that you see

  • where people are screaming in pain

  • while they're pulling it off

  • I think they're also pulling off their baby hairs.

  • And that's part of the reason why

  • they're waxing their skin at the same time.

  • But if you're really pulling so hard that it's painful

  • I don't think that's a great idea.

  • I think you can get the same kind of result

  • with glycolic acid, with salicylic acid,

  • they're gonna help to clean out the debris within your pores

  • without having to be so aggressive

  • and so brutal with it.

  • Next question, "Is it okay to pop whiteheads?

  • "It is so satisfying I can't resist."

  • So I'm gonna say no it's not okay technically

  • because as a board certified dermatologist

  • I can't tell people, I shouldn't

  • it's not right for me to tell people

  • to pop their own pimples,

  • or their own blackheads or whiteheads.

  • But I know that a lot of you are going to do it anyways

  • so I feel like it's my responsibility to really tell you

  • how to do it in the safest way possible.

  • It is the best or ideal circumstances

  • to be able to pop something,

  • when somethings a whitehead or what we call a pustule,

  • when you have that pimple that comes up

  • and then suddenly it comes up white at the end

  • and you're like, "I can't go anywhere

  • "with this thing on me.

  • "Everyone's going to look right at it."

  • They're very easy to notice your face.

  • That is actually the ideal moment for a pimple to be popped

  • because you have to imagine that,

  • that is actually white blood cells, that's neutrophils,

  • that's your body trying to extrude this pimple.

  • You're helping it's release

  • by taking a nice, really clean sterile needle,

  • make sure your fingers are clean too,

  • any instrument that you use is clean,

  • like a Comedone Extractor,

  • and if you just superficially nick it,

  • you want to squeeze all that purulent,

  • and let that puss out,

  • and that's gonna help to keep it clear

  • and probably resolve a little more quickly.

  • As long as there's not still puss underneath there.

  • The trick is really not squeezing too much,

  • and really making sure it's really superficial

  • because the more superficial you traumatize your skin

  • the less chance you have

  • of causing any really permanent damage.

  • Okay, "Is the acne face mapping a thing?

  • "I mean is it true that certain areas of your face

  • "are connected to problems with other organs, et cetera?"

  • No it's not true, it's not true.

  • I think that there are some truths to it mildly

  • where I know that as a dermatologist,

  • somebody comes in with a acne

  • more in what we call the beard distribution,

  • you know along the jaw line, along the neck.

  • I am more suspicious of hormones,

  • specifically testosterone,

  • that can cause acne breakouts.

  • Sometimes that actually clues me in

  • that somebody might have PCOS,

  • or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

  • Because they tend to secrete,

  • they have cysts on their ovaries

  • that secrete testosterone.

  • And testosterone can really make us breakout

  • as females, but more in this distribution.

  • But it's actually gonna be associated with

  • more hair growth in this area,

  • imagine things that testosterone can trigger.

  • Hair growth and maybe even a little deeper voice.

  • So those are all sort of things I pay attention to,

  • if somebody comes in specifically with an issue

  • in that area.

  • But other than that,

  • you're getting breakouts in your forehead,

  • on your nose, in your chin,

  • because you have oily skin,

  • you have hormones that are making you prone to it.

  • If you have breakouts along one side of your head

  • where you put your hair, and you have product in your hair,

  • that's probably because of what's called pomade acne.

  • So there's a lot of reasons for it,

  • acne breakouts in your face don't reflect

  • some internal problem going on.

  • Okay that's it.

  • I hope I answered a lot of your questions.

  • This is again Dr. Sandra Lee

  • aka Dr. Pimple Popper, and this is "Derm Reacts"

  • subscribe to see a lot more videos like this

  • and give this video a big thumbs up.

  • Drop your questions, concerns, and debates

  • in the comments below

  • and maybe we'll select your question for the next one.

  • And don't forget to follow me on YouTube

  • and on social media Dr. Sandra Lee

  • aka Dr. Pimple Popper and check out my skin care line

  • at slmdskincare.com

(humming)

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it