- Dr. Pimple Popper treated a woman with neurofibromatosis type 1, which caused her to have thousands of cysts all over her body.
- The cysts can be painful, and have caused the woman, Brittany, to be bullied and feel depressed.
- Dr. Pimple Popper removed her largest cysts so she doesn't fear going out in public.
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On the latest episode of "Dr. Pimple Popper," celebrity dermatologist Dr. Sandra Lee treated Brittany, a woman covered in head-to-toe cysts.
Brittany, who is 31 and lives in Chipley, Florida, was born with neurofibromatosis type 1, a genetic condition that causes painful tumors to grow on the skin, spinal cord nerves, and other areas of the body.
According to Brittany, she often feels like she's being stabbed with a hot ice pick due to her condition.
The cysts make it difficult for Brittany to find work, spend time with her two sons in public, and overcome depression, she said during the episode.
She's been called a "monster," and witnessed others parents and their children laughing at her.
"It hurts them and it breaks their heart, so I try not to go to too many school functions and stuff for them," Brittany said of her sons.
Brittany's condition isn't completely curable, so she asked Lee to focus on her most prominent and painful growths.
"I want her to feel more confident in that this doesn't dictate her life and she has some control over it, " Dr. Pimple Popper said.
Dr. Pimple Popper focused on her face and shoulder cysts
To start, Lee injected a numbing solution into cysts on Brittany's temples, near her nose and chin, and on her shoulder.
Brittany said these cysts caused her the most pain and feelings of insecurity.
Dr. Pimple Popper started with a cyst near Brittany's hairline, grabbing it with tweezers while snipping away at its base with her other hand.
Once Lee removed the growth, she noticed the cavernous hole left in Brittany's hairline. According to Lee, it's common for neurofibromatosis-related cysts to lodge deep under the skin.
After removing Brittany's chin cyst with the same process, Dr. Pimple Popper moved onto what she called "Big Momma," the 21-year-old shoulder cyst Brittany named.
Lee used a surgical blade to slice around the cyst's base and said it was "well-behaved" because of the seamless removal process. She then stitched up the hole Big Momma left, and moved onto Brittany's nose cysts.
Dr. Pimple Popper melted off smaller cysts with a heated pen tool
Since these cysts were much smaller, Lee decided to use a different method, in the form of a cauterizing pen.
She said she was "sculpting" and "melting" the cysts off of Brittany's face with the heated tool, while a suction tool removed the bits.
According to Brittany, the smell was the worst part of the cauterizing procedure.
When Dr. Pimple Popper handed Brittany a mirror, she was instantly emotional.
"I feel like my whole life has been about this moment," she told Dr. Pimple Popper.
After a happy embrace, the celebrity dermatologist invited Brittany back for another treatment session.
"I've waited so long for a doctor to actually want to help me, and she's shown me a whole other light," said Brittany.