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Famed celebrity dermatologist Dr. Sandra Lee, widely recognized as Dr. Pimple Popper from her viral social media videos, disclosed that she experienced a stroke while filming the latest season of her Lifetime show, Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out.
Dr. Lee, in an interview with People magazine, recounted that the stroke happened on November 20 while she was working with patients at her office in Upland, California. Despite noticing several symptoms, she didn’t suspect a stroke until the following day.
“Initially, I thought I was having a hot flash because I suddenly became very sweaty and felt out of sorts,” she explained. That night, while staying at her parents’ home, she experienced increasing restlessness, “shooting pains,” difficulty sleeping, and had trouble descending the stairs.
Lee added, “I would extend my hand, and it would just slowly fall. I found it challenging to articulate and enunciate. I thought to myself, ‘Could I be having a stroke?'”
On her father’s advice, Lee headed to the emergency room, where an MRI confirmed that she had suffered an ischemic stroke.
“It was just a shock,” she said. “As a physician I couldn’t deny that I had slurred speech, that I was having weakness on one side, but I was like, ‘Well, this is a dream, right?’ ”
“What essentially happened is I had a part of my brain that died,” she said.
Lee underwent physical and occupational therapy for two months, putting a pause on filming for Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out Season 2.
The celebrity dermatologist shared she was particularly concerned about regaining control of her hands to perform surgery. “I don’t like that I don’t have total control of my left hand or the grip wasn’t as strong. If I feel like I’m not at my best—it’s very scary,” she said.
But Lee notes she is “pretty much back to normal” now and has already returned to her practice. “It really makes you realize how precious life is,” she said.
After acknowledging that her blood pressure and cholesterol were “not under control” and she was experiencing “a lot of stress” at the time, Lee added, “In Asian cultures in particular they don’t tell people they’ve had a stroke because it can be seen as a sign of weakness. I want to get the word out that if you have symptoms like I had, make sure you see your doctor. Take care of yourself.”
Lee called the experience a “blessing in disguise,” adding, “It reminds you to take better care of yourself.”
Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out Season 2 premieres on Lifetime April 20.