Dr. Pimple Popper (2018–…): Season 2, Episode 2 - Episode #2.2 - full transcript
captions paid for by
discovery communications
Matt: I was born
with a skin condition.
It causes tumors
that grow on my body.
The tumor causes
an excruciating amount of pain.
I don't know
what these are.
This might be malignant.
It could be life-threatening.
I brought some ammunition.
Liquid nitrogen treatment
is so cold that it burns.
I have a bump on my head.
Oh, I see your bump.
Okay.
I refer to it
as my unicorn bump.
[ Straining ]
Now, there's something
wrong here.
Like, what is going on?
Oh, my gosh.
Yamileth: When I'm dancing
onstage, people notice the lump,
and they're like,
"what is that?"
I can't even hide it no more.
Oh, my god, oh, my god,
oh, my god.
Do you not want
to do this?
♪♪
My name is Matt.
I was born with a skin condition
called neurofibromatosis.
Neurofibromatosis causes tumors
that grow on my body.
♪♪
I have tumors
that are on my stomach
and my torso.
I've had tumors
that are on both my eye.
I've had tumors inside my body.
The tumor causes
an excruciating amount of pain
that I have to live with daily.
♪♪
Growing up, we went to
neurofibromatosis doctors
who specialized in this,
and they didn't have an answer
to what to do.
When I had to go to school,
I felt like I was a target.
I had to deal
with speech impediments
because of my neurofibromatosis.
I was constantly being bullied,
being pushed around.
People were saying,
"oh, look at this bubble neck,
and look at hankie.
I don't want him
'cause he's gross."
It was a rise for them,
but for me, it was
just humiliation.
♪♪
My freshman year of high school
was when I had my first surgery.
They did procedures on my neck
down to my shoulder.
My second surgery was to reduce
even more of my neck,
because it had
grown back again.
About a year ago,
I had spoken to a doctor
to find out
if I can do more surgery.
They said, "no,
there's nothing we can do
just because this is
all cosmetic."
They don't understand that these
are the things that irritate me,
that I want done
not just because it's cosmetic.
♪♪
I'm a courier.
I deliver packages
all over Colorado.
With my job, I have to make
these adjustments
because of tumors that can grow.
I can't use my right side
as easily I can my left side
because I have this tumor
on my side,
and I feel like it's a rock
stuck in my side,
and it hurts.
I'm fearful that they're going
to grow larger.
I'm afraid that it's just going
to cause more pain as I age.
The thing that I'm really
hoping Dr. Lee can do
is take my pain away,
pain that I have
to live with daily.
♪♪
I have a patient coming in today
who has a lifelong
condition, really,
so I'm interested in seeing
what exactly is going on here.
Matt:
I'm finally here to see Dr. Lee,
and I am very excited
to meet her.
I'm hoping she's able
to remove the tumors
that are on my side
and one that's on my back
that are aggravating me,
giving me a lot of bother
just so I can live everyday life
without suffering in pain.
- Hello.
- Hi, there.
How are you?
Are you Matt?
- Yes, ma'am.
- Hi.
I'm Sandra.
It's really nice to meet you.
- Pleasure.
- What can I do for you?
I have
neurofibromatosis...
- Okay.
- ...Which is nf1.
Yes, neurofibromatosis
type one.
That's what it looks like
from the get-go for me.
This looks like, to me --
if you don't mind if I touch it?
- No.
- This looks to me
like what's called
a plexiform neurofibroma.
- Yeah.
- And that can be, like,
those can be larger like this
and kind of droopy
and kind of, like,
multiple folds here.
I had this done twice,
and it went all the way to here.
Okay, so they really did
take out a lot.
That's why I see
this scarring here.
So, let's kind of talk
about the things
that bother you here, you know?
Are these things really --
are some of them causing you a
lot of pain or discomfort, or --
- there's a bump right here.
- Let me see.
Dr. Lee:
Matt has had some help already
with some of the physical
skin deformities
that he has
from his neurofibromatosis,
but neurofibromatosis has
a lot of tricks up its sleeve.
There are bumps that occur
just under the skin,
things that you can't
physically see,
but something that can be
excruciatingly painful,
excruciating.
So these are the things
that I'm hoping
I can help him with today.
That's the one where it's like
if you hit your funny bone...
- Right.
- ...It hurts that intense.
I know. It's, like,
really firm, actually.
Yeah, like a rock.
Like a skipping rock.
Yep, a painful one.
Well, it's pretty
superficial.
I'm not really exactly sure
what you got there.
Maybe we could put
a little Nick
and kind of pull
that little thing out for you.
I have one that's right
on my back of my shoulder.
One of the scary things
about neurofibromatosis
is there are bumps
that can occur on your body
that could be cancerous
or could be life-threatening,
so this is a serious condition.
I don't know
what these are,
so if we feel like it's not
something we need to take out,
we're not going
to pursue it.
Unfortunately, I cannot
cure this condition,
but I can hopefully
help in some way
to make his life better.
My husband is also
a board-certified dermatologist,
and we work together,
so it's really nice
when you can talk about options
with another doctor.
Yeah, so, he's got
these neurofibromas.
They're kind of, like,
something rubbery
underneath there,
but firm.
Not like classic
neurofibromas, or --
not classically,
not popping out of his skin.
Do they feel kind of mobile,
and, I mean --
they move around,
but they're hard, also,
and they're like pieces
of cartilage under there.
It's like one mass
that you'd be able to remove.
Yeah, an entity,
and could be cancer, right?
I mean, there's always
a possibility.
I don't know
what these bumps are,
so we're going
to remove them today,
and we're certainly
going to send them
to a dermatopathologist
who's going to analyze them
and make sure that they're
nothing to worry about.
Okay.
It's, like, kind of like
he's got this shard under here,
like, this strange sliver.
♪♪
It's pulling on you 'cause
it's stuck to you down below.
Matt: Holy smoke.
Come to mama, papa.
Yamileth: When I'm dancing
onstage, people notice the lump,
and they're like,
"ew. What is that?"
I don't want people
judging me for this.
Dr. Lee:
It's, like, kind of like he's
got this shard under here,
like, this strange sliver,
like a piece of bark.
Matt came to me because
of his neurofibromatosis.
He has many skin tumors
inside and out.
I've decided to help him
if I can,
remove some of those painful,
deeper-seated tumors.
Dab it again.
♪♪
I'm excited
to show this to you.
Oh, please do.
- Wow.
- What is that?
That is literally
a little worm.
I've never seen anything
like this growth
that I've just removed
from Matt's abdomen.
It looks like a petrified,
rubberized piece of macaroni.
I wonder if the other ones
are going to look like this.
Let's see what this one
looks like.
Yeah.
This one was a little bit,
like, kind of deeper.
Okay, let's see if this one
will squeeze out.
♪♪
This one's got --
this one looks like
Patrick from "spongebob."
[ Chuckles ]
This is another one
that I haven't seen before.
It looks like a little starfish,
and it doesn't really fit
into any category in my mind.
It doesn't look like a cyst.
Doesn't look like a lipoma.
It doesn't look like
a neurofibroma.
What is it?
Come on. There we go.
- Holy smokes.
- [ Laughs ]
Yours are like
cartoon characters.
- Uh-huh.
- That's what they are.
- Okay, we are done up here.
- Okay.
We're going to flip you.
The first two bumps
that I removed were very mobile.
They moved independent
of his body,
but as I turned Matt around
to really remove
the one on his back,
I noticed that that one
didn't move like that.
It really seemed to be stuck
to deeper structures.
That, to me, is concerning,
because that means
that this might be an aggressive
growth that could be malignant.
It could be life-threatening.
This is the papa one.
♪♪
There he is.
It's like a little eyeball
under there.
Come to mama, papa.
♪♪
It's pulling on you, okay?
Make sure it's not terrible,
'cause it's stuck to you
down below.
Geez.
♪♪
Almost got him.
Almost got him.
♪♪
Whew.
Going to send those out,
find out what the heck they are.
You do know that, like,
with neurofibromatosis,
you have an increased chance
of certain kinds of cancers
and things like that?
I always heard, like, there's
that risk of cancer happening.
Yeah.
Because there is an increased
risk for malignancies,
I'm certainly going
to send these off
and have them checked
in the microscope,
and I hope that they're
nothing to worry about.
We're going to send those out
for pathology,
so I'll call you
when we get the results,
and we'll figure out
what you got here.
- Okay.
- I'll talk to you soon, okay?
To be introduced to Dr. Lee,
I feel really blessed and happy
that she's doing something
to take this pain away
that I've gone through
for so long.
And now with her sending off all
of the parts that she removed,
I'm very curious, and I have
a little bit of anxiety,
but right now, I just feel
full of happiness.
[ Voice breaking ] Just thank
you from the bottom of my heart
for taking away my pain,
for really just
really doing something
that means everything to me.
♪♪
My name is Yamileth.
I'm 22 years old,
and I have a bump by my neck.
♪♪
When I was about 10 years old,
I remember I was rubbing,
like, this area right here,
and then it felt
like a little ball.
And as I grew older, it kind of
got bigger and bigger.
To me, it looks like
a medium-sized avocado.
It's squishy, like,
almost all this part,
and then at the top part,
there is, like, this hard ball.
♪♪
It is exhausting
trying to hide this bump.
I just want to be able
to, like, ride my bike
without wearing a scarf
or without trying to, like,
pull my hair to the front.
I like to work out, but I feel
like I'm getting stared at
because when I get sweaty,
obviously, I got to put my hair
up in a ponytail.
I just don't like it when people
stare at this, you know?
♪♪
When I was in high school,
I did get bullied.
Kids would pick on me,
and I remember this kid
would say, "oh, you know,
that's Yamileth, the girl
with the ball by the neck."
Or, "ugh, that's nasty.
That's disgusting."
Bullying really affected me.
It affected my studies.
Couldn't concentrate
'cause I was overwhelmed
with people harassing me
in the hallways,
and I just fell behind.
So eventually, I stopped
going to school
and focused
on trying to get a job,
and that's how I got into,
you know, exotic dancing.
♪♪
There have been times
when I'm dancing onstage,
and people notice the lump,
and they're like,
"ew, what is that?"
It affects when I interact
with people,
'cause instead of
looking at my face,
they look at the lump,
and it's so embarrassing.
I do have dreams of, like,
working in the music industry,
becoming a backup dancer,
'cause music and dancing,
you know, are my passion.
But if I have this, it will
make me feel self-conscious
and embarrassed.
I want people to see me for me
and my talent.
If this lump is removed,
it would just, like,
open, like, a whole new door
for me.
I would be able
to walk into places
without worrying
about hiding this anymore.
♪♪
So I'm here to see
Dr. Sandra Lee,
and I'm kind of scared.
I don't want anything bad
to happen to me.
And I've never had
any procedure done in my life,
but I know
that I'm in good hands.
I would love to become
a backup dancer,
but I wouldn't want to perform
with this, you know,
'cause I want people
to see me for me, you know?
I don't people judging me
for this.
All right. You can go ahead
and have a seat right there,
and Dr. Lee's going to be in
in just a moment, okay?
All right, thanks.
If she removes it, I'm going
to have more confidence,
and I'm just going to feel
a lot better about myself.
- Hi!
- Hi.
How are you?
Yamileth?
Yamileth, but people
call me yami for short,
- you know? But, yeah. Hi.
- Yami, it's nice to meet you.
Welcome.
Nice to have you here.
- Finally.
- You look beautiful.
- Thank you. You, too.
- What's going on?
- Oh, thank you. What's going on?
- Well, I actually have this lump
- right here.
- Okay.
I've had it since
I was a little kid.
I kind of noticed it when I was
around age 10, and then...
- Okay.
- ...As I became older, you know,
it grew bigger and bigger,
and now it is
just embarrassing. Ugh.
I can imagine.
It's like you have
to always be conscious
- of your hair being there.
- I hate it. I hate it.
Do you ever have
any pain, or --
it doesn't, like, hurt,
you know, when I do this.
It's just, like,
a little itchy, and --
okay. But let me see what
this is, 'cause it is in, like,
- a concerning area, you know...
- Yeah, it is.
...like, where it is
on your neck here.
Yami's bump is in
a really precarious position.
There's not a lot of fat there
to protect your skin
from deeper structures.
It is mobile. Like, it moves
around really well.
It's okay. Is it hard for you
when I move it around?
No, it's just I'm scared.
Like, I don't want
nothing bad to happen.
- Don't be scared.
- Yeah. All right.
I mean, you can move it around
pretty well.
- That's a good sign.
- But what is this, you know --
what the knob is?
I don't know.
I think we'll have
to figure it out when we see it.
All signs in my mind point
to a lipoma,
but the knobby part,
the firm part,
is a little bit
of a mystery for me.
Is it stuck to her?
Is it something
that I can remove?
I really am not going
to get a better idea
until I start doing the surgery.
Are you ready
to get this removed?
Yeah. Oh, my god!
- You sure?
- I'm scared.
If you want to change your mind,
we can go home.
- No, no, no, no.
- No, I don't think you're going
- to change your mind.
- I'm not going to die, right?
No! You better not!
We're going to make sure
that you're comfortable.
And I know you're anxious,
and it's hard,
'cause it's, like, on your neck.
I know it's, like,
right next to you,
but we'll just make sure you're
as comfortable as you can be.
Oh, my god.
All right. I'm good.
All right. You'll be good,
but you can't freak out
- while we're doing it, either.
- Ah!
You'll be fine.
Okay? I'll be back.
Yami is really nervous
about this procedure,
but I really need her
to calm down.
If she can't relax, and if
she's not able to sit still,
we can't do the surgery.
You guys thought when you
brought her back it was a cyst.
I think it's a lipoma.
- I thought it was a lipoma.
- I changed my mind.
- Oh, you did?
- I told her I changed my mind,
- but she wouldn't let me.
- I thought it was a lipoma.
'Cause when you squeeze it,
it's got that, like,
knobby kind of --
I think there's a lipoma there.
I think there's a little
scar tissue on one side,
but we shall see.
Yamileth:
I don't like blood. I hate it.
I kind of, like,
get, like, weak seeing blood.
Like, if I see blood,
I'm like, "aah," you know?
- Ah!
- You'll be good.
All right.
I'm trying to, like,
keep my cool
and, you know, be calm,
but, like, a lot of fear stuff
is going through my head.
You know, is, like, blood going
to splatter all over the walls?
Oh, my god. Oh, my god.
Oh, my god.
What am I doing?
I'm just drawing on you.
Do you not
want to do this?
Oh, my goodness.
♪♪
It's got a little flex
in it.
I've never seen anything
like this.
There's still more coming.
Oh, my god.
Dr. Lee:
Matt, I have your biopsy result.
Matt: I've always wondered
if I'm prone to cancer.
Now I'm like,
well, what are the results
of what I've been living with?
Oh, my god. Oh, my god.
Oh, my god.
Dr. Lee: What am I doing?
I'm just drawing on you.
Do you not
want to do this?
Yami is here for me to remove
a pretty big lump
at the base of her neck,
but I can tell
she's really getting nervous,
and she's having
some second thoughts.
Keep breathing, okay?
Just make sure you got
good oxygen in your lungs, okay.
All I'm going to do is put
this gauze on you here...
- Oh, my god.
- ...And you might feel just one
little, baby pinch here.
That's not too bad, right?
I don't want to die.
Oh, my god.
Don't even talk like that.
Oh, my god.
The last time
that I was this nervous
was maybe when I went
on my first date.
Oh, tell me about
this first date.
When I have a patient
as nervous as yami,
I like to use talk-esthesia.
I talk to patients and ask them
open-ended questions
so they are really distracted
from what I'm doing.
Did you really like it?
No, I mean, not really.
I mean, he was a cool guy,
but it just --
he looked like a spoon,
you know, like --
- a spoon?
- Yeah, like big head
and skinny --
I don't know.
♪♪
I just lost my bet.
This is not a lipoma.
This is a cyst.
- You have a cyst here.
- Yay!
That's good.
It's going to pop out.
- It's a cyst.
- Yes, it is.
Yes!
It's got a little flecks
in it like chives.
♪♪
- You okay?
- I'm good.
- Okay.
- I'm just -- I'm relieved.
- I'm relieved that --
- there's still more coming.
I've never seen cyst contents
like yami's.
I mean, hers looked like
grits with chives.
Here's that hard --
it's stuck right here.
Now I have to figure out
this hard knot under the skin.
I've got to figure out
what it is,
and I've got to figure out
a way to get it out.
Let's see if I have to loosen
this little bit right here.
What --
♪♪
It's like you got
a little coin under here.
You're doing great.
You're doing great.
♪♪
That's that hard bit
right there.
We'll show -- we'll take a look
at it in a little bit.
All right. You got anything
you want to put in here,
precious in here?
No extra change?
[ Laughing ]
No.
That's funny.
[ Laughs ]
Yami's surgery
was actually pretty fun,
and I think that scar line's
going to be
really well-hidden
in her clavicle.
That thick kind of scar,
that bump that she felt,
I'm certainly going
to send that to pathology
just to make sure it's nothing
to be concerned about.
The flecks, I don't know
exactly what they are.
I'm interested in seeing
what they look like
under the microscope.
Oh, my god!
- It's out! Thank you.
- It looks good.
Dr. Lee: Look at how beautiful
your neckline is.
Thank you. Thank you.
- It's so pretty.
- Both of you, thank you so much.
Oh, it looks beautiful.
You're awesome.
I looked at the mirror
for the first time,
and I saw a new person in me,
a new person
with a new confidence.
You changed my life.
Thank you.
The exotic dancing thing is kind
of, like, a temporary thing.
The cyst stopped me from
becoming a backup dancer.
But now that
I have this removed,
I feel like I can do
whatever I want.
I feel like I could finally
pursue my goals.
Like, I feel unstoppable.
♪♪
Dr. Lee:
Well, that one was fun.
Also was the craziest cyst
I think I've seen.
Hers was definitely the texture
of, like, potatoes.
- Yeah.
- Like mashed potatoes.
- Right.
- Like, it was thick.
Yeah, not completely pureed
but, like a little bit chunky
and then, like someone threw
some, like, cut-up
green onions in there.
Yeah, I've never seen anything
like that before, yeah.
Dang it, I missed it.
I didn't see it.
Yeah. It really did
look like that.
- Let's go eat lunch.
- [ Laughs ]
♪♪
My name is pat.
I'm 66 years old,
and I have
rapidly-spreading moles
covering my neck,
my temples, my upper chest,
and my lower abdominal area.
They started in my mid-20s,
but back then,
they spread very, very slowly,
and I really wasn't
concerned with them.
But during my late 40s,
they started to spread rapidly.
And during the last three years,
they have spread very rapidly,
and that's a concern for me.
- Good morning.
- How are you today?
Pretty good.
My dad, who passed away,
he had skin cancer,
so always at the back of my mind
is the thought of skin cancer.
I'd just like to know
what is causing these moles,
and I'm hoping Dr. Lee
will be able
to give me a definitive answer.
Dr. Lee:
Well, hello.
- How are you?
- Hi.
- Aren't you lovely?
- Thank you.
- I'm Sandra.
- I'm so happy to meet you.
Welcome.
You look so beautiful
- and so classy.
- Oh, thank you. [ Laughs ]
What can I do
for you today?
I have these moles that are
a bit of concern to me.
- Okay.
- They're spreading,
and they're kind of
a hindrance.
- My clothes catch on them.
- Yes.
- They itch, and they sting.
- Okay.
And then, I'm also concerned,
because at the back of my mind
- is that thought of skin cancer.
- Okay.
These are called
seborrheic keratoses.
Have you ever
heard that before?
I've never heard
that before, no.
Seborrheic keratoses,
they are really common.
A lot of people confuse them for
moles, and they're not moles.
They're just growths
that occur.
The annoying thing
is that they're there,
and then you keep
getting more,
and so you sort of
fight the fight.
I mean, we have people
coming in here repeatedly,
'cause you take off some
of them, and they get new ones.
That's just the cycle
that happens.
Pat has so many of these
seborrheic keratoses.
It's almost as if
she has more of them
than she has regular skin.
Usually, we can't treat
all of these in one session,
but I think it's definitely
worth a try.
And the number of these
that I can remove
is very dependent
on her pain threshold.
I would suggest getting the ones
that you can see
- most of the time.
- Exactly. Exactly.
Dr. Lee was able to
definitively say what it was,
but the main thing
is they're treatable.
And she recommended
that we take some off today,
which I'm on board with that.
- I brought some ammunition.
- I see.
I'm two-fisted here.
This is the liquid
nitrogen canister.
I don't know if you've
seen this before,
but it sprays
liquid nitrogen out.
Liquid nitrogen
is really cold.
- It's like 300 below.
- Mm-hmm. Right.
So, let me take a look
with the light here, okay?
I got my little
magnifier here.
Yeah, you can see
what's called follicular plugs.
There's, like, all these
little dots in some of them,
and they have this
sort of pasted-on appearance,
a waxy kind of look.
This is very typical
for seborrheic keratoses.
They look like that
under the microscope, too.
You got these little plugs.
Okay.
And over here.
We're going to start with
the liquid nitrogen here now.
I'm going to start in the areas
that you have more confluent.
You know, like, they're kind of
almost connected here.
Pat: I'm a little nervous
about the procedure,
because I know it's going
to be extra, extra cold,
and that will hurt a little bit,
so I'm just going to be
as positive
and optimistic as I can.
I brought two of them, 'cause
sometimes we use it so much
that you can get
a little frostbite on it,
and I have to
do it again.
Liquid nitrogen treatment
can be pretty painful.
It is so cold that it burns.
I know myself.
I could probably only tolerate
three or four s.K.S removed
at one time.
So, just turn your head this --
away from here. Okay.
Pat here has hundreds of them.
Let me see how many she's going
to tolerate me treating.
No pain, no gain.
I'm going to use a little
cold spray here, okay?
Okay.
♪♪
Dr. Lee: I'm going to use
a little cold spray here, okay?
- Cold.
- Okay. I'm ready.
Pat has a bunch
of seborrheic keratoses.
She's peppered with them
all over her torso,
her neck, parts of her face.
One of the best ways
of treating them
is hitting them with
a little bit of liquid nitrogen.
- Oh, you're tough.
- I am.
- But it's cold.
- I am tough.
I'm surprised at the way
that pat is reacting,
because when that liquid
nitrogen first hits your skin,
it often makes people jump.
It's like a coldness
boring deep under your skin.
And she's, like,
not even budging at all.
♪♪
Oh, if you can
tolerate me,
I might be able to do
most of them here.
- That'd be great.
- Oh, I'm tough.
Just cry uncle
if you need a break.
Okay.
♪♪
I got to get a new one,
'cause, see,
that's got frostbite
on it now.
Look at that. It's all frosted,
so I got to use a new one.
I don't think
I've ever had a patient
with the pain tolerance
that pat has.
A lot of patients
can't tolerate this procedure.
I call it
the Muhammad Ali syndrome,
because when you come at them
with that liquid nitrogen,
they, like, Bob and weave.
They get out of your way.
I'm a Muhammad Ali.
I'm the same way.
I do the same thing.
I float like a butterfly,
and I sting like a bee.
[ Laughs ]
♪♪
All right. I'll switch that out.
Thank you.
Imagine if you get frostbite
on something,
how it aches later.
Well, the skin aches
when you're treating it,
and it aches later.
I think she knows that if
I sense any discomfort in her,
I might pause,
and she's not going to give me
an ounce of emotion,
'cause she wants them all gone.
In my whole career,
I've never had anybody withstand
me treating more than 40 or 50
of these seborrheic keratoses.
I have never treated
more than that at one time.
Wow, she is tough.
I know this does not feel good,
but she makes it
likes it's nothing.
Once you get used
to that little piercing sting,
- you know what to expect.
- You kind of get used to that.
Pat:
I was practicing relaxing.
And I did
the mind over matter thing.
I was comparing that pain
to other pain
that I've experienced.
I had migraines
until I was in my 50s,
so that's how I was able
to get through that.
Looking good!
I think I got most of them!
Pat did wonderfully.
She's so stoic.
I was able to take off
over 300 seborrheic keratoses.
That is the most I've taken off
in one sitting.
That can take quite a while,
and she was able to withstand
this for at least 45 minutes.
I was able to get
all the big ones there.
- Yeah.
- So, fantastic. That's great.
That's what I was here for.
I always tell my patients,
with this sort of procedure,
that they're going to look worse
before they look better.
These areas will darken and kind
of scale up, maybe even blister.
They peel off
over the next couple weeks,
and then her skin's
going to look gorgeous
and nice and smooth and clear.
Good news is I don't think
anything here
is life-threatening.
That's awesome to know.
That is so assuring
to me,
because that thought
was just, like --
- always in your mind.
- Yeah.
People ask me all the time,
"how do you know
this isn't cancerous?"
Well, this is my job.
This is what I do
day in and day out.
- Take care, okay?
- I will.
- Okay.
- I will.
I haven't had a smooth neck
probably since I was 19.
Dr. Lee assured me that
these growths are noncancerous,
and that was the cherry
on top of everything.
♪♪
♪♪
It's really nice out
today, too.
Oh, it is.
It is.
My name is Jennifer Sawyer.
I'm 32,
and I currently live
in hawthorne, California.
And I have a bump on my head.
♪♪
I refer to it
as my unicorn bump.
I've had this
as long as I can remember.
I came up with the name
"unicorn bump"
when I was probably
a good 13 or 14 or so.
It made me feel better about it.
It kind of made me laugh
a little bit about it.
It was very small at that point,
maybe a little bigger
than, like, a pimple.
The doctor told me
not to worry about it,
told me not to touch it,
and that it would just
go away by itself.
But here I am now in my 30s,
and it has since evolved
into a way bigger bump.
I have a couple more
back here also,
more about the size of peas,
and this one here
I'd say roughly about
the size of a gumball.
Even though
I've had my bump forever,
I've never gone out
to have a doctor remove it
because it wasn't a problem
until just now.
When I touch my unicorn bump,
it kind of feels like a grape,
but a very hard, solid grape.
It's smooth. It's warm.
Unfortunately, hairless.
Can't imagine
what's inside of it.
Um --
[ Laughs ]
I -- ugh.
I do bump it a lot on doors
and getting in and out
of the car, and it hurts.
It's never punctured
or anything like that,
but it's pretty much a funny
bone hurt, where you hit it,
and you laugh a little bit
'cause it hurts so bad,
and then it's just sore
for a little bit.
I have been working
on a voice.
- When aren't you?
- [ Laughs ]
Okay. Call this
my new yorker.
[ Clears throat ]
She's kind of a little saucy,
I got to say,
but she does have
a little attitude.
I just moved to L.A. I'm trying
to become a voice actor,
and I have to have meetings
with people
where I can't always fix my hair
to cover my bump.
I've definitely noticed
how the bump has affected
her self-esteem.
Coming down to L.A.,
she needs to have
that confidence
to pursue what she wants,
and she hasn't really started
that yet because of the bump
and how her confidence
is affected by that.
It's so much harder when
you have something like this
just right in the middle
of your head.
And I hope it can be removed,
because it's something
I've wanted my entire life.
And if I find out
that there's just "no,"
like, that's the answer,
I think it'd be
a little devastating to me.
♪♪
I'm finally here to see Dr. Lee,
and I am so excited.
I'm a little nervous
about the surgery.
Definitely a little worried
about having a bald spot.
Crossing my fingers here
that's not going to happen.
When Dr. Lee
cuts open my bump here,
I'm really hoping
for an explosion of glitter.
That would be
the best-case scenario.
Worst-case scenario
is it's, like, a creature
or something
that is really creepy.
Make yourself comfortable.
Dr. Lee will be in very shortly.
- Excellent. Thank you.
- You're welcome.
I'll take glitter.
That's what I'll go with.
Knock-knock. Hi!
- Hi.
- You Jennifer?
- Yes.
- Jenny. Jenny?
- Jenny, please.
- Jenny. Nice to meet you, Jenny.
- Welcome.
- Thank you.
What are you coming in here
to see me for?
- I have a bump.
- You have a bump.
- Oh, I see your bump. Okay.
- Yes.
So, yeah, I mean,
this is a pretty big one.
I bet you have to do
a major comb-over, right?
That's what I've been
living with.
Well, I'm trying to be a voice
actor, so I just moved out here,
and I'm like, "oh, my god.
Everyone's going to stare at me
and see my bump."
How long have you
had this bump?
As long
as I can remember.
- As long as you can remember.
- Yes.
It started out smaller
and slowly grew?
Yes, and I remember,
you know, the doc--
"don't touch it.
It'll just go away."
- Okay, okay.
- I didn't touch it,
- but it never went away.
- Okay.
You don't have
any others?
Surprise, surprise,
I do.
- Oh, you do?
- They're just not that big.
Not very big, okay.
You have another one back there.
I've got one, two --
there's two back here.
Okay, I see them.
Yeah. Okay.
So, the reason that I think
that this is nothing
to really worry about
is because it moves around.
You know, it, like, kind of
bops around when I push it,
and the fact that you have
a couple other ones.
It's not uncommon
for a Pilar cyst,
for you to have multiple ones
on the scalp.
- Okay.
- They kind of slowly grow.
It's a cyst under there
which is kind of derived
- from your hair follicle.
- Okay.
And these cysts that occur
on the scalp like this,
they tend to have
a thicker wall on them.
But they still shed,
and that's why they're growing,
because they're shedding skin
into the sac.
Which may explain
why it kept getting bigger.
- Yeah. So, shall we?
- Please.
You know, everybody
gets a little nervous
when they're waiting
for surgery.
I'm definitely feeling it.
Sweaty palms.
But this is something
that I've been waiting for
for a very long time,
and I feel like
I'm in the right place.
Dr. Lee: It's like
"the three little piggies."
This little one
is right here,
one right here.
- Big one in front.
- This is the leader.
We'll try to take off
a little extra skin
to see if we can't, like,
hide that little bald spot.
There is a little uneasiness.
I'm worried that there would be
a bald spot there.
Who knows?
Just a little pinch here.
Like, this is better
than the dentist.
Absolutely, girl.
- You better say that.
- Heck yeah.
I'm hoping these cysts
will be very straightforward,
that they'll pop out
really easily.
I do know
that Jenny is concerned
about having
a residual bald spot.
- Goodbye, unicorn!
- That's right. Here we go.
That could be a problem
if her cyst causes me problems,
so let's hope
that that doesn't happen.
All right. Let's see
what you got under here.
Yamileth: It's been
like a month and a half,
and now I feel beautiful
inside and out.
Now, that's what's up.
Dr. Lee: All right. So,
I'm going to push against you.
I'm not trying to push
your head off the chair.
So just resist me when I --
re-cyst me. You get it?
- Got it.
- Another one
of my little cyst jokes.
"Resist me."
Re-cyst me.
[ Chuckles ]
- You just got it?
- I did, yes.
[ Laughter ]
Jenny has three bumps on her
head that we're about to remove.
The ones on the back of her head
are pretty small
and not really noticeable.
However, the one on the front of
her scalp is pretty noticeable.
Not only is it important for me
to remove this bump completely,
but I've got to make sure
I don't leave her
with a big, old bald spot.
♪♪
I have a little theory
on my Pilar cysts.
I usually see them in threes
if they're somewhat small,
'cause I feel like, once
you get three, you're like,
"okay. Now there's
something wrong here.
Like, what is going on?"
This one looks
like a tick kind of,
- an engorged tick.
- Like, name him.
Guess what?
- What?
- We're onto number two.
What!
And so far,
your cysts are behaving,
but I, like, don't like
to talk so soon,
because then I jinx it.
I'm going to push
against you again, okay?
Can you dab
that top again?
[ Straining ]
Ugh.
Okay. Got it.
- Did you feel that little pop?
- I think I heard that, yes.
Yes, I heard it.
That's crazy.
I can feel that.
- Well, it is your head.
- I know -- [ Laughs ]
Okay, I'm going to lower
your head down a little bit.
Okay.
And this is big mama.
Oh, yeah.
Bet you're feeling
pretty good right now.
Oh, my gosh. Yes.
Okay, good. Good.
So are we.
♪♪
Now I'm going to give you
another little squeeze here.
♪♪
You okay?
- Yep.
- You just heard it?
- I did. It was weird.
- You heard a pop.
- All right. I know.
- Oh, god. I hear it.
It's like she had gnocchi
on her scalp.
- Oh, the little pastas.
- The little pasta balls, mm-hmm.
That's what it is --
gnocchi.
Oh, yeah, it did bust.
I thought I felt it pop already.
- Yeah, I saw it on the side.
- You saw it? Okay.
Did you get that?
I hope it did.
- You okay?
- Mm-hmm.
Okay, good.
All right.
Looks gorgeous.
All the cysts are gone.
I am removing a little extra
skin on the unicorn bump area.
Once I do that,
she'll have less of a bald spot.
Okay, there you go.
Now put your fingers.
After the surgery,
it was probably the first time
I had actually touched
the top of my head
and had it been flat
in more than 20 years.
It was amazing. I had no idea
it was flat up there.
Dr. Lee:
This was the big mama.
Sorry. Does that make you
grossed out?
Because you're
a voiceover actress,
I want you to take each cyst,
and you're going to tell me
what it's thinking
in your own cyst voice.
Okay, so,
this is the mini.
Jenny:
"Boy, it's good to be free."
And then he goes, "bleh."
He throws up.
And he pukes.
Then the second one,
which was, like, the tick.
"Well, that's about time!
I can't believe I was in there
for that long!"
[ Laughs ]
What is he -- what is she
going to say, big mama?
"Now I'm free!"
[ Deep voice ]
Good luck, Jenny!
[ Laughs ]
So that one was a fun one,
wasn't it?
That's pretty cool that she's
a voiceover artist, too.
Let me see if I can make
a little puppet here.
What would you think
your Pilar voice would say?
"I am a cyst,
and I am on a stick."
[ Laughs ]
You sound like Dracula
or something.
[ Laughter ]
She's turning red.
[ Laughs ]
Okay.
That's enough fun.
Get back to work, people.
♪♪
All right.
Come on, Jake.
There you are, buddy.
Jenny: So, it's been about six
weeks since I have seen Dr. Lee,
and my life has changed
in so many ways.
I can now walk out of my house
with just my keys.
I don't need to bring a hat.
I don't need to bring a scarf.
I don't need
to cover up anything.
I'm like, "let it all out."
This feels great --
the wind in face,
no hat on my head.
I'm like,
you're all the way up there.
How's it look?
It looks like
nothing ever happened.
One of my biggest fears
was literally having
this huge bald spot
on the top of my head.
That's pretty visible.
But you know what?
I don't see any bald spot here!
♪♪
"Yes, hello,
this is muffin d. Squirrel."
I have so much more confidence
in myself
and my abilities
when I have to audition.
I can concentrate more
on how I want my voice to go
and my tone reflection
rather than kind of,
"are they looking at me?"
And it feels great.
♪♪
Yamileth: So it's been
like a month and a half
since Dr. Lee took out the cyst,
and I feel great.
I have more confidence.
I could finally ride a bike
without wearing a scarf.
Before, you know, when I would
look at myself in the mirror,
I would see a person
that can't be themselves,
and now I feel beautiful
inside and out.
Now, that's what's up.
Years of suffering
and being embarrassed,
and now looking at my shoulder,
it's like, "wow."
You know, it's incredible.
[ Chuckles ]
♪♪
[ Ringing ]
Dr. Lee: I just received
Matt's biopsy results,
and because he is
at a higher risk for cancer,
I really wanted to give him
a call right away.
- Matt?
- Yes.
It's Dr. Lee,
your favorite dermatologist.
- Well, hi. How are you?
- Remember me?
- I do remember you.
- How are you?
I'm doing very well.
Waiting for a call
is a lot of anxiety.
Like, I've always wondered
if I'm prone to cancer
with this, and now I'm like,
"well, what are the results
of what I've been living with?"
The one on your abdomen,
the right side of your abdomen,
that one was
the benign neurofibroma.
On your middle of your abdomen,
that was an angiolipoma.
Now, the one
on your upper back
is called a myxoid
neurofibroma.
None of these are anything
to worry about,
nothing we have
to treat further.
No risks.
No sign of any cancer.
No sign of anything bad
or life-threatening in any way.
That makes me feel
a lot better, too.
Knowing that I have nothing
to worry about anymore
is just an exciting feeling.
I feel a lot happier now.
Thank you again.
Thank you.
Thank you. Bye-bye.
Bye-bye, now.
♪♪
Since Dr. Lee removed my tumors,
lifting boxes at work
is 100 times easier.
My daily pain
is completely gone.
It was like a magic trick.
The one that was
right on my side
really was the one that was
causing me the pain for working,
and now that that's gone,
I don't even notice it anymore
when I'm carrying a package.
- How you doing?
- Good. How you guys doing?
- Good.
- Good.
Now that the pain's gone,
I've accepted myself a lot more.
I want to do more
as far as physical activity
and be able to embrace
my own body.
I want to thank you, Dr. Lee,
for what you've done for me,
just giving me a fresh start.
From the bottom of my heart
and everything,
I just thank you so much.
discovery communications
Matt: I was born
with a skin condition.
It causes tumors
that grow on my body.
The tumor causes
an excruciating amount of pain.
I don't know
what these are.
This might be malignant.
It could be life-threatening.
I brought some ammunition.
Liquid nitrogen treatment
is so cold that it burns.
I have a bump on my head.
Oh, I see your bump.
Okay.
I refer to it
as my unicorn bump.
[ Straining ]
Now, there's something
wrong here.
Like, what is going on?
Oh, my gosh.
Yamileth: When I'm dancing
onstage, people notice the lump,
and they're like,
"what is that?"
I can't even hide it no more.
Oh, my god, oh, my god,
oh, my god.
Do you not want
to do this?
♪♪
My name is Matt.
I was born with a skin condition
called neurofibromatosis.
Neurofibromatosis causes tumors
that grow on my body.
♪♪
I have tumors
that are on my stomach
and my torso.
I've had tumors
that are on both my eye.
I've had tumors inside my body.
The tumor causes
an excruciating amount of pain
that I have to live with daily.
♪♪
Growing up, we went to
neurofibromatosis doctors
who specialized in this,
and they didn't have an answer
to what to do.
When I had to go to school,
I felt like I was a target.
I had to deal
with speech impediments
because of my neurofibromatosis.
I was constantly being bullied,
being pushed around.
People were saying,
"oh, look at this bubble neck,
and look at hankie.
I don't want him
'cause he's gross."
It was a rise for them,
but for me, it was
just humiliation.
♪♪
My freshman year of high school
was when I had my first surgery.
They did procedures on my neck
down to my shoulder.
My second surgery was to reduce
even more of my neck,
because it had
grown back again.
About a year ago,
I had spoken to a doctor
to find out
if I can do more surgery.
They said, "no,
there's nothing we can do
just because this is
all cosmetic."
They don't understand that these
are the things that irritate me,
that I want done
not just because it's cosmetic.
♪♪
I'm a courier.
I deliver packages
all over Colorado.
With my job, I have to make
these adjustments
because of tumors that can grow.
I can't use my right side
as easily I can my left side
because I have this tumor
on my side,
and I feel like it's a rock
stuck in my side,
and it hurts.
I'm fearful that they're going
to grow larger.
I'm afraid that it's just going
to cause more pain as I age.
The thing that I'm really
hoping Dr. Lee can do
is take my pain away,
pain that I have
to live with daily.
♪♪
I have a patient coming in today
who has a lifelong
condition, really,
so I'm interested in seeing
what exactly is going on here.
Matt:
I'm finally here to see Dr. Lee,
and I am very excited
to meet her.
I'm hoping she's able
to remove the tumors
that are on my side
and one that's on my back
that are aggravating me,
giving me a lot of bother
just so I can live everyday life
without suffering in pain.
- Hello.
- Hi, there.
How are you?
Are you Matt?
- Yes, ma'am.
- Hi.
I'm Sandra.
It's really nice to meet you.
- Pleasure.
- What can I do for you?
I have
neurofibromatosis...
- Okay.
- ...Which is nf1.
Yes, neurofibromatosis
type one.
That's what it looks like
from the get-go for me.
This looks like, to me --
if you don't mind if I touch it?
- No.
- This looks to me
like what's called
a plexiform neurofibroma.
- Yeah.
- And that can be, like,
those can be larger like this
and kind of droopy
and kind of, like,
multiple folds here.
I had this done twice,
and it went all the way to here.
Okay, so they really did
take out a lot.
That's why I see
this scarring here.
So, let's kind of talk
about the things
that bother you here, you know?
Are these things really --
are some of them causing you a
lot of pain or discomfort, or --
- there's a bump right here.
- Let me see.
Dr. Lee:
Matt has had some help already
with some of the physical
skin deformities
that he has
from his neurofibromatosis,
but neurofibromatosis has
a lot of tricks up its sleeve.
There are bumps that occur
just under the skin,
things that you can't
physically see,
but something that can be
excruciatingly painful,
excruciating.
So these are the things
that I'm hoping
I can help him with today.
That's the one where it's like
if you hit your funny bone...
- Right.
- ...It hurts that intense.
I know. It's, like,
really firm, actually.
Yeah, like a rock.
Like a skipping rock.
Yep, a painful one.
Well, it's pretty
superficial.
I'm not really exactly sure
what you got there.
Maybe we could put
a little Nick
and kind of pull
that little thing out for you.
I have one that's right
on my back of my shoulder.
One of the scary things
about neurofibromatosis
is there are bumps
that can occur on your body
that could be cancerous
or could be life-threatening,
so this is a serious condition.
I don't know
what these are,
so if we feel like it's not
something we need to take out,
we're not going
to pursue it.
Unfortunately, I cannot
cure this condition,
but I can hopefully
help in some way
to make his life better.
My husband is also
a board-certified dermatologist,
and we work together,
so it's really nice
when you can talk about options
with another doctor.
Yeah, so, he's got
these neurofibromas.
They're kind of, like,
something rubbery
underneath there,
but firm.
Not like classic
neurofibromas, or --
not classically,
not popping out of his skin.
Do they feel kind of mobile,
and, I mean --
they move around,
but they're hard, also,
and they're like pieces
of cartilage under there.
It's like one mass
that you'd be able to remove.
Yeah, an entity,
and could be cancer, right?
I mean, there's always
a possibility.
I don't know
what these bumps are,
so we're going
to remove them today,
and we're certainly
going to send them
to a dermatopathologist
who's going to analyze them
and make sure that they're
nothing to worry about.
Okay.
It's, like, kind of like
he's got this shard under here,
like, this strange sliver.
♪♪
It's pulling on you 'cause
it's stuck to you down below.
Matt: Holy smoke.
Come to mama, papa.
Yamileth: When I'm dancing
onstage, people notice the lump,
and they're like,
"ew. What is that?"
I don't want people
judging me for this.
Dr. Lee:
It's, like, kind of like he's
got this shard under here,
like, this strange sliver,
like a piece of bark.
Matt came to me because
of his neurofibromatosis.
He has many skin tumors
inside and out.
I've decided to help him
if I can,
remove some of those painful,
deeper-seated tumors.
Dab it again.
♪♪
I'm excited
to show this to you.
Oh, please do.
- Wow.
- What is that?
That is literally
a little worm.
I've never seen anything
like this growth
that I've just removed
from Matt's abdomen.
It looks like a petrified,
rubberized piece of macaroni.
I wonder if the other ones
are going to look like this.
Let's see what this one
looks like.
Yeah.
This one was a little bit,
like, kind of deeper.
Okay, let's see if this one
will squeeze out.
♪♪
This one's got --
this one looks like
Patrick from "spongebob."
[ Chuckles ]
This is another one
that I haven't seen before.
It looks like a little starfish,
and it doesn't really fit
into any category in my mind.
It doesn't look like a cyst.
Doesn't look like a lipoma.
It doesn't look like
a neurofibroma.
What is it?
Come on. There we go.
- Holy smokes.
- [ Laughs ]
Yours are like
cartoon characters.
- Uh-huh.
- That's what they are.
- Okay, we are done up here.
- Okay.
We're going to flip you.
The first two bumps
that I removed were very mobile.
They moved independent
of his body,
but as I turned Matt around
to really remove
the one on his back,
I noticed that that one
didn't move like that.
It really seemed to be stuck
to deeper structures.
That, to me, is concerning,
because that means
that this might be an aggressive
growth that could be malignant.
It could be life-threatening.
This is the papa one.
♪♪
There he is.
It's like a little eyeball
under there.
Come to mama, papa.
♪♪
It's pulling on you, okay?
Make sure it's not terrible,
'cause it's stuck to you
down below.
Geez.
♪♪
Almost got him.
Almost got him.
♪♪
Whew.
Going to send those out,
find out what the heck they are.
You do know that, like,
with neurofibromatosis,
you have an increased chance
of certain kinds of cancers
and things like that?
I always heard, like, there's
that risk of cancer happening.
Yeah.
Because there is an increased
risk for malignancies,
I'm certainly going
to send these off
and have them checked
in the microscope,
and I hope that they're
nothing to worry about.
We're going to send those out
for pathology,
so I'll call you
when we get the results,
and we'll figure out
what you got here.
- Okay.
- I'll talk to you soon, okay?
To be introduced to Dr. Lee,
I feel really blessed and happy
that she's doing something
to take this pain away
that I've gone through
for so long.
And now with her sending off all
of the parts that she removed,
I'm very curious, and I have
a little bit of anxiety,
but right now, I just feel
full of happiness.
[ Voice breaking ] Just thank
you from the bottom of my heart
for taking away my pain,
for really just
really doing something
that means everything to me.
♪♪
My name is Yamileth.
I'm 22 years old,
and I have a bump by my neck.
♪♪
When I was about 10 years old,
I remember I was rubbing,
like, this area right here,
and then it felt
like a little ball.
And as I grew older, it kind of
got bigger and bigger.
To me, it looks like
a medium-sized avocado.
It's squishy, like,
almost all this part,
and then at the top part,
there is, like, this hard ball.
♪♪
It is exhausting
trying to hide this bump.
I just want to be able
to, like, ride my bike
without wearing a scarf
or without trying to, like,
pull my hair to the front.
I like to work out, but I feel
like I'm getting stared at
because when I get sweaty,
obviously, I got to put my hair
up in a ponytail.
I just don't like it when people
stare at this, you know?
♪♪
When I was in high school,
I did get bullied.
Kids would pick on me,
and I remember this kid
would say, "oh, you know,
that's Yamileth, the girl
with the ball by the neck."
Or, "ugh, that's nasty.
That's disgusting."
Bullying really affected me.
It affected my studies.
Couldn't concentrate
'cause I was overwhelmed
with people harassing me
in the hallways,
and I just fell behind.
So eventually, I stopped
going to school
and focused
on trying to get a job,
and that's how I got into,
you know, exotic dancing.
♪♪
There have been times
when I'm dancing onstage,
and people notice the lump,
and they're like,
"ew, what is that?"
It affects when I interact
with people,
'cause instead of
looking at my face,
they look at the lump,
and it's so embarrassing.
I do have dreams of, like,
working in the music industry,
becoming a backup dancer,
'cause music and dancing,
you know, are my passion.
But if I have this, it will
make me feel self-conscious
and embarrassed.
I want people to see me for me
and my talent.
If this lump is removed,
it would just, like,
open, like, a whole new door
for me.
I would be able
to walk into places
without worrying
about hiding this anymore.
♪♪
So I'm here to see
Dr. Sandra Lee,
and I'm kind of scared.
I don't want anything bad
to happen to me.
And I've never had
any procedure done in my life,
but I know
that I'm in good hands.
I would love to become
a backup dancer,
but I wouldn't want to perform
with this, you know,
'cause I want people
to see me for me, you know?
I don't people judging me
for this.
All right. You can go ahead
and have a seat right there,
and Dr. Lee's going to be in
in just a moment, okay?
All right, thanks.
If she removes it, I'm going
to have more confidence,
and I'm just going to feel
a lot better about myself.
- Hi!
- Hi.
How are you?
Yamileth?
Yamileth, but people
call me yami for short,
- you know? But, yeah. Hi.
- Yami, it's nice to meet you.
Welcome.
Nice to have you here.
- Finally.
- You look beautiful.
- Thank you. You, too.
- What's going on?
- Oh, thank you. What's going on?
- Well, I actually have this lump
- right here.
- Okay.
I've had it since
I was a little kid.
I kind of noticed it when I was
around age 10, and then...
- Okay.
- ...As I became older, you know,
it grew bigger and bigger,
and now it is
just embarrassing. Ugh.
I can imagine.
It's like you have
to always be conscious
- of your hair being there.
- I hate it. I hate it.
Do you ever have
any pain, or --
it doesn't, like, hurt,
you know, when I do this.
It's just, like,
a little itchy, and --
okay. But let me see what
this is, 'cause it is in, like,
- a concerning area, you know...
- Yeah, it is.
...like, where it is
on your neck here.
Yami's bump is in
a really precarious position.
There's not a lot of fat there
to protect your skin
from deeper structures.
It is mobile. Like, it moves
around really well.
It's okay. Is it hard for you
when I move it around?
No, it's just I'm scared.
Like, I don't want
nothing bad to happen.
- Don't be scared.
- Yeah. All right.
I mean, you can move it around
pretty well.
- That's a good sign.
- But what is this, you know --
what the knob is?
I don't know.
I think we'll have
to figure it out when we see it.
All signs in my mind point
to a lipoma,
but the knobby part,
the firm part,
is a little bit
of a mystery for me.
Is it stuck to her?
Is it something
that I can remove?
I really am not going
to get a better idea
until I start doing the surgery.
Are you ready
to get this removed?
Yeah. Oh, my god!
- You sure?
- I'm scared.
If you want to change your mind,
we can go home.
- No, no, no, no.
- No, I don't think you're going
- to change your mind.
- I'm not going to die, right?
No! You better not!
We're going to make sure
that you're comfortable.
And I know you're anxious,
and it's hard,
'cause it's, like, on your neck.
I know it's, like,
right next to you,
but we'll just make sure you're
as comfortable as you can be.
Oh, my god.
All right. I'm good.
All right. You'll be good,
but you can't freak out
- while we're doing it, either.
- Ah!
You'll be fine.
Okay? I'll be back.
Yami is really nervous
about this procedure,
but I really need her
to calm down.
If she can't relax, and if
she's not able to sit still,
we can't do the surgery.
You guys thought when you
brought her back it was a cyst.
I think it's a lipoma.
- I thought it was a lipoma.
- I changed my mind.
- Oh, you did?
- I told her I changed my mind,
- but she wouldn't let me.
- I thought it was a lipoma.
'Cause when you squeeze it,
it's got that, like,
knobby kind of --
I think there's a lipoma there.
I think there's a little
scar tissue on one side,
but we shall see.
Yamileth:
I don't like blood. I hate it.
I kind of, like,
get, like, weak seeing blood.
Like, if I see blood,
I'm like, "aah," you know?
- Ah!
- You'll be good.
All right.
I'm trying to, like,
keep my cool
and, you know, be calm,
but, like, a lot of fear stuff
is going through my head.
You know, is, like, blood going
to splatter all over the walls?
Oh, my god. Oh, my god.
Oh, my god.
What am I doing?
I'm just drawing on you.
Do you not
want to do this?
Oh, my goodness.
♪♪
It's got a little flex
in it.
I've never seen anything
like this.
There's still more coming.
Oh, my god.
Dr. Lee:
Matt, I have your biopsy result.
Matt: I've always wondered
if I'm prone to cancer.
Now I'm like,
well, what are the results
of what I've been living with?
Oh, my god. Oh, my god.
Oh, my god.
Dr. Lee: What am I doing?
I'm just drawing on you.
Do you not
want to do this?
Yami is here for me to remove
a pretty big lump
at the base of her neck,
but I can tell
she's really getting nervous,
and she's having
some second thoughts.
Keep breathing, okay?
Just make sure you got
good oxygen in your lungs, okay.
All I'm going to do is put
this gauze on you here...
- Oh, my god.
- ...And you might feel just one
little, baby pinch here.
That's not too bad, right?
I don't want to die.
Oh, my god.
Don't even talk like that.
Oh, my god.
The last time
that I was this nervous
was maybe when I went
on my first date.
Oh, tell me about
this first date.
When I have a patient
as nervous as yami,
I like to use talk-esthesia.
I talk to patients and ask them
open-ended questions
so they are really distracted
from what I'm doing.
Did you really like it?
No, I mean, not really.
I mean, he was a cool guy,
but it just --
he looked like a spoon,
you know, like --
- a spoon?
- Yeah, like big head
and skinny --
I don't know.
♪♪
I just lost my bet.
This is not a lipoma.
This is a cyst.
- You have a cyst here.
- Yay!
That's good.
It's going to pop out.
- It's a cyst.
- Yes, it is.
Yes!
It's got a little flecks
in it like chives.
♪♪
- You okay?
- I'm good.
- Okay.
- I'm just -- I'm relieved.
- I'm relieved that --
- there's still more coming.
I've never seen cyst contents
like yami's.
I mean, hers looked like
grits with chives.
Here's that hard --
it's stuck right here.
Now I have to figure out
this hard knot under the skin.
I've got to figure out
what it is,
and I've got to figure out
a way to get it out.
Let's see if I have to loosen
this little bit right here.
What --
♪♪
It's like you got
a little coin under here.
You're doing great.
You're doing great.
♪♪
That's that hard bit
right there.
We'll show -- we'll take a look
at it in a little bit.
All right. You got anything
you want to put in here,
precious in here?
No extra change?
[ Laughing ]
No.
That's funny.
[ Laughs ]
Yami's surgery
was actually pretty fun,
and I think that scar line's
going to be
really well-hidden
in her clavicle.
That thick kind of scar,
that bump that she felt,
I'm certainly going
to send that to pathology
just to make sure it's nothing
to be concerned about.
The flecks, I don't know
exactly what they are.
I'm interested in seeing
what they look like
under the microscope.
Oh, my god!
- It's out! Thank you.
- It looks good.
Dr. Lee: Look at how beautiful
your neckline is.
Thank you. Thank you.
- It's so pretty.
- Both of you, thank you so much.
Oh, it looks beautiful.
You're awesome.
I looked at the mirror
for the first time,
and I saw a new person in me,
a new person
with a new confidence.
You changed my life.
Thank you.
The exotic dancing thing is kind
of, like, a temporary thing.
The cyst stopped me from
becoming a backup dancer.
But now that
I have this removed,
I feel like I can do
whatever I want.
I feel like I could finally
pursue my goals.
Like, I feel unstoppable.
♪♪
Dr. Lee:
Well, that one was fun.
Also was the craziest cyst
I think I've seen.
Hers was definitely the texture
of, like, potatoes.
- Yeah.
- Like mashed potatoes.
- Right.
- Like, it was thick.
Yeah, not completely pureed
but, like a little bit chunky
and then, like someone threw
some, like, cut-up
green onions in there.
Yeah, I've never seen anything
like that before, yeah.
Dang it, I missed it.
I didn't see it.
Yeah. It really did
look like that.
- Let's go eat lunch.
- [ Laughs ]
♪♪
My name is pat.
I'm 66 years old,
and I have
rapidly-spreading moles
covering my neck,
my temples, my upper chest,
and my lower abdominal area.
They started in my mid-20s,
but back then,
they spread very, very slowly,
and I really wasn't
concerned with them.
But during my late 40s,
they started to spread rapidly.
And during the last three years,
they have spread very rapidly,
and that's a concern for me.
- Good morning.
- How are you today?
Pretty good.
My dad, who passed away,
he had skin cancer,
so always at the back of my mind
is the thought of skin cancer.
I'd just like to know
what is causing these moles,
and I'm hoping Dr. Lee
will be able
to give me a definitive answer.
Dr. Lee:
Well, hello.
- How are you?
- Hi.
- Aren't you lovely?
- Thank you.
- I'm Sandra.
- I'm so happy to meet you.
Welcome.
You look so beautiful
- and so classy.
- Oh, thank you. [ Laughs ]
What can I do
for you today?
I have these moles that are
a bit of concern to me.
- Okay.
- They're spreading,
and they're kind of
a hindrance.
- My clothes catch on them.
- Yes.
- They itch, and they sting.
- Okay.
And then, I'm also concerned,
because at the back of my mind
- is that thought of skin cancer.
- Okay.
These are called
seborrheic keratoses.
Have you ever
heard that before?
I've never heard
that before, no.
Seborrheic keratoses,
they are really common.
A lot of people confuse them for
moles, and they're not moles.
They're just growths
that occur.
The annoying thing
is that they're there,
and then you keep
getting more,
and so you sort of
fight the fight.
I mean, we have people
coming in here repeatedly,
'cause you take off some
of them, and they get new ones.
That's just the cycle
that happens.
Pat has so many of these
seborrheic keratoses.
It's almost as if
she has more of them
than she has regular skin.
Usually, we can't treat
all of these in one session,
but I think it's definitely
worth a try.
And the number of these
that I can remove
is very dependent
on her pain threshold.
I would suggest getting the ones
that you can see
- most of the time.
- Exactly. Exactly.
Dr. Lee was able to
definitively say what it was,
but the main thing
is they're treatable.
And she recommended
that we take some off today,
which I'm on board with that.
- I brought some ammunition.
- I see.
I'm two-fisted here.
This is the liquid
nitrogen canister.
I don't know if you've
seen this before,
but it sprays
liquid nitrogen out.
Liquid nitrogen
is really cold.
- It's like 300 below.
- Mm-hmm. Right.
So, let me take a look
with the light here, okay?
I got my little
magnifier here.
Yeah, you can see
what's called follicular plugs.
There's, like, all these
little dots in some of them,
and they have this
sort of pasted-on appearance,
a waxy kind of look.
This is very typical
for seborrheic keratoses.
They look like that
under the microscope, too.
You got these little plugs.
Okay.
And over here.
We're going to start with
the liquid nitrogen here now.
I'm going to start in the areas
that you have more confluent.
You know, like, they're kind of
almost connected here.
Pat: I'm a little nervous
about the procedure,
because I know it's going
to be extra, extra cold,
and that will hurt a little bit,
so I'm just going to be
as positive
and optimistic as I can.
I brought two of them, 'cause
sometimes we use it so much
that you can get
a little frostbite on it,
and I have to
do it again.
Liquid nitrogen treatment
can be pretty painful.
It is so cold that it burns.
I know myself.
I could probably only tolerate
three or four s.K.S removed
at one time.
So, just turn your head this --
away from here. Okay.
Pat here has hundreds of them.
Let me see how many she's going
to tolerate me treating.
No pain, no gain.
I'm going to use a little
cold spray here, okay?
Okay.
♪♪
Dr. Lee: I'm going to use
a little cold spray here, okay?
- Cold.
- Okay. I'm ready.
Pat has a bunch
of seborrheic keratoses.
She's peppered with them
all over her torso,
her neck, parts of her face.
One of the best ways
of treating them
is hitting them with
a little bit of liquid nitrogen.
- Oh, you're tough.
- I am.
- But it's cold.
- I am tough.
I'm surprised at the way
that pat is reacting,
because when that liquid
nitrogen first hits your skin,
it often makes people jump.
It's like a coldness
boring deep under your skin.
And she's, like,
not even budging at all.
♪♪
Oh, if you can
tolerate me,
I might be able to do
most of them here.
- That'd be great.
- Oh, I'm tough.
Just cry uncle
if you need a break.
Okay.
♪♪
I got to get a new one,
'cause, see,
that's got frostbite
on it now.
Look at that. It's all frosted,
so I got to use a new one.
I don't think
I've ever had a patient
with the pain tolerance
that pat has.
A lot of patients
can't tolerate this procedure.
I call it
the Muhammad Ali syndrome,
because when you come at them
with that liquid nitrogen,
they, like, Bob and weave.
They get out of your way.
I'm a Muhammad Ali.
I'm the same way.
I do the same thing.
I float like a butterfly,
and I sting like a bee.
[ Laughs ]
♪♪
All right. I'll switch that out.
Thank you.
Imagine if you get frostbite
on something,
how it aches later.
Well, the skin aches
when you're treating it,
and it aches later.
I think she knows that if
I sense any discomfort in her,
I might pause,
and she's not going to give me
an ounce of emotion,
'cause she wants them all gone.
In my whole career,
I've never had anybody withstand
me treating more than 40 or 50
of these seborrheic keratoses.
I have never treated
more than that at one time.
Wow, she is tough.
I know this does not feel good,
but she makes it
likes it's nothing.
Once you get used
to that little piercing sting,
- you know what to expect.
- You kind of get used to that.
Pat:
I was practicing relaxing.
And I did
the mind over matter thing.
I was comparing that pain
to other pain
that I've experienced.
I had migraines
until I was in my 50s,
so that's how I was able
to get through that.
Looking good!
I think I got most of them!
Pat did wonderfully.
She's so stoic.
I was able to take off
over 300 seborrheic keratoses.
That is the most I've taken off
in one sitting.
That can take quite a while,
and she was able to withstand
this for at least 45 minutes.
I was able to get
all the big ones there.
- Yeah.
- So, fantastic. That's great.
That's what I was here for.
I always tell my patients,
with this sort of procedure,
that they're going to look worse
before they look better.
These areas will darken and kind
of scale up, maybe even blister.
They peel off
over the next couple weeks,
and then her skin's
going to look gorgeous
and nice and smooth and clear.
Good news is I don't think
anything here
is life-threatening.
That's awesome to know.
That is so assuring
to me,
because that thought
was just, like --
- always in your mind.
- Yeah.
People ask me all the time,
"how do you know
this isn't cancerous?"
Well, this is my job.
This is what I do
day in and day out.
- Take care, okay?
- I will.
- Okay.
- I will.
I haven't had a smooth neck
probably since I was 19.
Dr. Lee assured me that
these growths are noncancerous,
and that was the cherry
on top of everything.
♪♪
♪♪
It's really nice out
today, too.
Oh, it is.
It is.
My name is Jennifer Sawyer.
I'm 32,
and I currently live
in hawthorne, California.
And I have a bump on my head.
♪♪
I refer to it
as my unicorn bump.
I've had this
as long as I can remember.
I came up with the name
"unicorn bump"
when I was probably
a good 13 or 14 or so.
It made me feel better about it.
It kind of made me laugh
a little bit about it.
It was very small at that point,
maybe a little bigger
than, like, a pimple.
The doctor told me
not to worry about it,
told me not to touch it,
and that it would just
go away by itself.
But here I am now in my 30s,
and it has since evolved
into a way bigger bump.
I have a couple more
back here also,
more about the size of peas,
and this one here
I'd say roughly about
the size of a gumball.
Even though
I've had my bump forever,
I've never gone out
to have a doctor remove it
because it wasn't a problem
until just now.
When I touch my unicorn bump,
it kind of feels like a grape,
but a very hard, solid grape.
It's smooth. It's warm.
Unfortunately, hairless.
Can't imagine
what's inside of it.
Um --
[ Laughs ]
I -- ugh.
I do bump it a lot on doors
and getting in and out
of the car, and it hurts.
It's never punctured
or anything like that,
but it's pretty much a funny
bone hurt, where you hit it,
and you laugh a little bit
'cause it hurts so bad,
and then it's just sore
for a little bit.
I have been working
on a voice.
- When aren't you?
- [ Laughs ]
Okay. Call this
my new yorker.
[ Clears throat ]
She's kind of a little saucy,
I got to say,
but she does have
a little attitude.
I just moved to L.A. I'm trying
to become a voice actor,
and I have to have meetings
with people
where I can't always fix my hair
to cover my bump.
I've definitely noticed
how the bump has affected
her self-esteem.
Coming down to L.A.,
she needs to have
that confidence
to pursue what she wants,
and she hasn't really started
that yet because of the bump
and how her confidence
is affected by that.
It's so much harder when
you have something like this
just right in the middle
of your head.
And I hope it can be removed,
because it's something
I've wanted my entire life.
And if I find out
that there's just "no,"
like, that's the answer,
I think it'd be
a little devastating to me.
♪♪
I'm finally here to see Dr. Lee,
and I am so excited.
I'm a little nervous
about the surgery.
Definitely a little worried
about having a bald spot.
Crossing my fingers here
that's not going to happen.
When Dr. Lee
cuts open my bump here,
I'm really hoping
for an explosion of glitter.
That would be
the best-case scenario.
Worst-case scenario
is it's, like, a creature
or something
that is really creepy.
Make yourself comfortable.
Dr. Lee will be in very shortly.
- Excellent. Thank you.
- You're welcome.
I'll take glitter.
That's what I'll go with.
Knock-knock. Hi!
- Hi.
- You Jennifer?
- Yes.
- Jenny. Jenny?
- Jenny, please.
- Jenny. Nice to meet you, Jenny.
- Welcome.
- Thank you.
What are you coming in here
to see me for?
- I have a bump.
- You have a bump.
- Oh, I see your bump. Okay.
- Yes.
So, yeah, I mean,
this is a pretty big one.
I bet you have to do
a major comb-over, right?
That's what I've been
living with.
Well, I'm trying to be a voice
actor, so I just moved out here,
and I'm like, "oh, my god.
Everyone's going to stare at me
and see my bump."
How long have you
had this bump?
As long
as I can remember.
- As long as you can remember.
- Yes.
It started out smaller
and slowly grew?
Yes, and I remember,
you know, the doc--
"don't touch it.
It'll just go away."
- Okay, okay.
- I didn't touch it,
- but it never went away.
- Okay.
You don't have
any others?
Surprise, surprise,
I do.
- Oh, you do?
- They're just not that big.
Not very big, okay.
You have another one back there.
I've got one, two --
there's two back here.
Okay, I see them.
Yeah. Okay.
So, the reason that I think
that this is nothing
to really worry about
is because it moves around.
You know, it, like, kind of
bops around when I push it,
and the fact that you have
a couple other ones.
It's not uncommon
for a Pilar cyst,
for you to have multiple ones
on the scalp.
- Okay.
- They kind of slowly grow.
It's a cyst under there
which is kind of derived
- from your hair follicle.
- Okay.
And these cysts that occur
on the scalp like this,
they tend to have
a thicker wall on them.
But they still shed,
and that's why they're growing,
because they're shedding skin
into the sac.
Which may explain
why it kept getting bigger.
- Yeah. So, shall we?
- Please.
You know, everybody
gets a little nervous
when they're waiting
for surgery.
I'm definitely feeling it.
Sweaty palms.
But this is something
that I've been waiting for
for a very long time,
and I feel like
I'm in the right place.
Dr. Lee: It's like
"the three little piggies."
This little one
is right here,
one right here.
- Big one in front.
- This is the leader.
We'll try to take off
a little extra skin
to see if we can't, like,
hide that little bald spot.
There is a little uneasiness.
I'm worried that there would be
a bald spot there.
Who knows?
Just a little pinch here.
Like, this is better
than the dentist.
Absolutely, girl.
- You better say that.
- Heck yeah.
I'm hoping these cysts
will be very straightforward,
that they'll pop out
really easily.
I do know
that Jenny is concerned
about having
a residual bald spot.
- Goodbye, unicorn!
- That's right. Here we go.
That could be a problem
if her cyst causes me problems,
so let's hope
that that doesn't happen.
All right. Let's see
what you got under here.
Yamileth: It's been
like a month and a half,
and now I feel beautiful
inside and out.
Now, that's what's up.
Dr. Lee: All right. So,
I'm going to push against you.
I'm not trying to push
your head off the chair.
So just resist me when I --
re-cyst me. You get it?
- Got it.
- Another one
of my little cyst jokes.
"Resist me."
Re-cyst me.
[ Chuckles ]
- You just got it?
- I did, yes.
[ Laughter ]
Jenny has three bumps on her
head that we're about to remove.
The ones on the back of her head
are pretty small
and not really noticeable.
However, the one on the front of
her scalp is pretty noticeable.
Not only is it important for me
to remove this bump completely,
but I've got to make sure
I don't leave her
with a big, old bald spot.
♪♪
I have a little theory
on my Pilar cysts.
I usually see them in threes
if they're somewhat small,
'cause I feel like, once
you get three, you're like,
"okay. Now there's
something wrong here.
Like, what is going on?"
This one looks
like a tick kind of,
- an engorged tick.
- Like, name him.
Guess what?
- What?
- We're onto number two.
What!
And so far,
your cysts are behaving,
but I, like, don't like
to talk so soon,
because then I jinx it.
I'm going to push
against you again, okay?
Can you dab
that top again?
[ Straining ]
Ugh.
Okay. Got it.
- Did you feel that little pop?
- I think I heard that, yes.
Yes, I heard it.
That's crazy.
I can feel that.
- Well, it is your head.
- I know -- [ Laughs ]
Okay, I'm going to lower
your head down a little bit.
Okay.
And this is big mama.
Oh, yeah.
Bet you're feeling
pretty good right now.
Oh, my gosh. Yes.
Okay, good. Good.
So are we.
♪♪
Now I'm going to give you
another little squeeze here.
♪♪
You okay?
- Yep.
- You just heard it?
- I did. It was weird.
- You heard a pop.
- All right. I know.
- Oh, god. I hear it.
It's like she had gnocchi
on her scalp.
- Oh, the little pastas.
- The little pasta balls, mm-hmm.
That's what it is --
gnocchi.
Oh, yeah, it did bust.
I thought I felt it pop already.
- Yeah, I saw it on the side.
- You saw it? Okay.
Did you get that?
I hope it did.
- You okay?
- Mm-hmm.
Okay, good.
All right.
Looks gorgeous.
All the cysts are gone.
I am removing a little extra
skin on the unicorn bump area.
Once I do that,
she'll have less of a bald spot.
Okay, there you go.
Now put your fingers.
After the surgery,
it was probably the first time
I had actually touched
the top of my head
and had it been flat
in more than 20 years.
It was amazing. I had no idea
it was flat up there.
Dr. Lee:
This was the big mama.
Sorry. Does that make you
grossed out?
Because you're
a voiceover actress,
I want you to take each cyst,
and you're going to tell me
what it's thinking
in your own cyst voice.
Okay, so,
this is the mini.
Jenny:
"Boy, it's good to be free."
And then he goes, "bleh."
He throws up.
And he pukes.
Then the second one,
which was, like, the tick.
"Well, that's about time!
I can't believe I was in there
for that long!"
[ Laughs ]
What is he -- what is she
going to say, big mama?
"Now I'm free!"
[ Deep voice ]
Good luck, Jenny!
[ Laughs ]
So that one was a fun one,
wasn't it?
That's pretty cool that she's
a voiceover artist, too.
Let me see if I can make
a little puppet here.
What would you think
your Pilar voice would say?
"I am a cyst,
and I am on a stick."
[ Laughs ]
You sound like Dracula
or something.
[ Laughter ]
She's turning red.
[ Laughs ]
Okay.
That's enough fun.
Get back to work, people.
♪♪
All right.
Come on, Jake.
There you are, buddy.
Jenny: So, it's been about six
weeks since I have seen Dr. Lee,
and my life has changed
in so many ways.
I can now walk out of my house
with just my keys.
I don't need to bring a hat.
I don't need to bring a scarf.
I don't need
to cover up anything.
I'm like, "let it all out."
This feels great --
the wind in face,
no hat on my head.
I'm like,
you're all the way up there.
How's it look?
It looks like
nothing ever happened.
One of my biggest fears
was literally having
this huge bald spot
on the top of my head.
That's pretty visible.
But you know what?
I don't see any bald spot here!
♪♪
"Yes, hello,
this is muffin d. Squirrel."
I have so much more confidence
in myself
and my abilities
when I have to audition.
I can concentrate more
on how I want my voice to go
and my tone reflection
rather than kind of,
"are they looking at me?"
And it feels great.
♪♪
Yamileth: So it's been
like a month and a half
since Dr. Lee took out the cyst,
and I feel great.
I have more confidence.
I could finally ride a bike
without wearing a scarf.
Before, you know, when I would
look at myself in the mirror,
I would see a person
that can't be themselves,
and now I feel beautiful
inside and out.
Now, that's what's up.
Years of suffering
and being embarrassed,
and now looking at my shoulder,
it's like, "wow."
You know, it's incredible.
[ Chuckles ]
♪♪
[ Ringing ]
Dr. Lee: I just received
Matt's biopsy results,
and because he is
at a higher risk for cancer,
I really wanted to give him
a call right away.
- Matt?
- Yes.
It's Dr. Lee,
your favorite dermatologist.
- Well, hi. How are you?
- Remember me?
- I do remember you.
- How are you?
I'm doing very well.
Waiting for a call
is a lot of anxiety.
Like, I've always wondered
if I'm prone to cancer
with this, and now I'm like,
"well, what are the results
of what I've been living with?"
The one on your abdomen,
the right side of your abdomen,
that one was
the benign neurofibroma.
On your middle of your abdomen,
that was an angiolipoma.
Now, the one
on your upper back
is called a myxoid
neurofibroma.
None of these are anything
to worry about,
nothing we have
to treat further.
No risks.
No sign of any cancer.
No sign of anything bad
or life-threatening in any way.
That makes me feel
a lot better, too.
Knowing that I have nothing
to worry about anymore
is just an exciting feeling.
I feel a lot happier now.
Thank you again.
Thank you.
Thank you. Bye-bye.
Bye-bye, now.
♪♪
Since Dr. Lee removed my tumors,
lifting boxes at work
is 100 times easier.
My daily pain
is completely gone.
It was like a magic trick.
The one that was
right on my side
really was the one that was
causing me the pain for working,
and now that that's gone,
I don't even notice it anymore
when I'm carrying a package.
- How you doing?
- Good. How you guys doing?
- Good.
- Good.
Now that the pain's gone,
I've accepted myself a lot more.
I want to do more
as far as physical activity
and be able to embrace
my own body.
I want to thank you, Dr. Lee,
for what you've done for me,
just giving me a fresh start.
From the bottom of my heart
and everything,
I just thank you so much.