UPLAND, CALIFORNIA: Dr Pimple Popper is no stranger to gruesome conditions. However, on the July 19 episode of her TLC series, she is astounded by a photographer who has such terrible dry skin that he risks losing his job.
Dr Pimple Popper is well-known for her amazing (and disgusting) cyst and blackhead-popping videos. However, the professional spot squeezer isn't just for pimples. The ninth season of 'Dr Pimple Popper,' a TLC series starring dermatologist Dr Sandra Lee, is well underway, and it has so far included a range of jaw-dropping pops and interesting skin concerns. The episode centered on one man's severe, scaly skin condition — and his stunning, tear-jerking turnaround after only a few weeks of therapy.
Who is Felipe on 'Dr Pimple Popper'?
Felipe informs the TLC cameras on this week's episode about the strange growth texture on his hands and feet. He likens his skin condition to a "thick layer of Parmigiano cheese" on his hands and feet. He went on to say that his skin is riddled with fissures. At times, the crackiness is so extreme that it causes inflammation and bleeding. "Feels like my feet are burning," he says. He has reached the point where he must stop walking.
Felipe shoots a lot of models for magazines and print. During the course of work, his hands get very dry and begin to burn profusely. Sometimes it aches so much that he has to put his camera down and take a break in the middle of a shoot.
What happened to Felipe on 'Dr Pimple Popper'?
To diagnose Felipe, Dr Lee used a punch biopsy. She advised Felipe and his partner, Karl, on a new skin-care program to follow while they awaited the biopsy findings. Dr Lee refers to this as "wet wrapping." She characterized it as a method to "put moisture back and keep it there in the skin."
Wet-wrap therapy procedures vary, but the basic concept is to apply moisturizer or topical treatment to the skin before wrapping it in a layer of wet bandages and a layer of dry bandages. Eczema and other irritating disorders have been treated with this strategy. Dr Lee applied Vaseline to Felipe's feet and hands before covering the region with a moist, sock-like fabric tube and wrapping it in plastic wrap and a cloth bandage.
Felipe and Karl returned to Dr Lee's office several weeks after their initial appointment. Dr Lee gave the biopsy results and diagnosed Felipe with ichthyosis. Ichthyosis is a catch-all term for a set of over 20 distinct disorders characterized by dry, scaly, and thick skin.
Some varieties of ichthyosis are hereditary, with symptoms emerging at birth or during the first year of a baby's life, whereas acquired ichthyosis emerges later in life. Acquired ichthyosis is usually associated with another disorder, such as an underactive thyroid, renal disease, or Hodgkin's lymphoma, or it may be induced by certain drugs.
Dr Lee informed Felipe that it was difficult to determine the cause of his ailment, but that it's conceivable that his problem is genetic because he had it when he was just 7 years old.
Where is Felipe from 'Dr Pimple Popper' now?
Dr Lee inspected Felipe's skin for evidence of improvement after many weeks of the wet-wrapping routine during the follow-up session. His cheeks and arms were less flaky, she noticed. The biggest surprise of the episode occurred when Dr Lee removed Felipe's sock to reveal the flesh on his feet. Felipe's skin, which was originally thick, white, and flaky, became visibly smoother and pinker. Dr Lee described it as "spectacular." Felipe stated that his discomfort had also subsided.
'Dr Pimple Popper' Season 9 airs every Wednesday on TLC at 9 PM ET.
