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In a new Instagram video, Dr. Pimple Popper aka, dermatologist and TLC host Dr. Sandra Lee, MD snips a large keloid full of calcified "diamonds" from a teenagers earlobe. And the famed derm even uses an innovative new tool to make sure the growth is gone for good.
In the video, the boy says he has had a pair of keloids for a year, with the growths occurring after he got his ear pierced. The keloids formed around the piercing site on the underside of his earlobe, growing to be quite large in size. In the clip, the boy says he hides his ears under hoodies at school so other kids cant see the growths.
During the procedure, Dr. Lee uses a pair of surgical scissors to snip off the keloids. The famed derm encounters hard calcium collections inside of the growth along the way, turning the keloids into a "diamond" mine.
"You made a little diamond under here," Dr. Lee tells the patient. "You have a little calcium under there."
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During the procedure, Dr. Lee is careful to remove all of the keloidal tissue, as it greatly decreases the chance the growth will return.
Keloids occur most often on the earlobes, the chest, back and upper arms, Dr. Lee writes in the videos caption. It is when scar tissue from an episode of trauma gets hyperexcited and grows beyond the bounds of the original wound. Usually a person knows when their keloid is active because it itches or is painful.
People of color are at a higher risk of keloids than white people, and young people between the age of 10-30 are also at increased risk. Unfortunately, this teen fits both target demographics for the skin concern.
The treatment of keloids is difficult, as excising a keloid is in itself trauma which can cause the growth to reoccurand grow larger. In this video, Dr. Lee uses an innovative type of radiation therapy to treat the area in order to discourage the keloid from returning. This treatment occurs after the trauma of cutting off the scar tissue, and is done for several days after the initial procedure.
At the end of the video, the teen shows off his ears, saying hes no longer worried about trying to find sleeveless hoodies to wear in the summer.
Watch the procedure below for something a little different from everyones favorite doctor: