Dr. Pimple Popper

I have to hold this up the only way I can breathe, to open my nostril.

Oh, you can see it leaking!

It's getting bigger, and I don't want it no bigger.

I try to a find a dermatologist, somebody,

that'll tell us what this condition is.

Nobody else that I know of in this world looks like me or you.

These have definite risk of keloiding.

That is something that is painful, is uncomfortable.

They can grow bigger than what you had.

Well, hello! We meet again!

This is Dr Bennett.

Not too bad. Does that look like it's gonna stop?

I am Roger, I'm 60 years old. I have big old growth on my nose.

They have little holes in it. That's where all the pus comes out.

I can feel it all wet on my nose.

My nose itches a lot. It gives me pains along the cracks,

and it's heavy.

I used to have a nice nose because I used to have a lot of girlfriends.

But I had this nose for about 11 years.

It was just the size of a pimple, and it started bleeding.

It started getting bigger, and it was the size of a tennis ball.

And look at now.

I went to a couple of hospitals, but they didn't want to help me.

Said since you didn't have no insurance it's just like, a Bye.

I feel like nobody cares. I'm scared too because

it's getting bigger, to tell you truth I don't want it bigger.

There's where my nose started leaking last night.

Almost every night.

Like last night my nose was leaking pus.

I was sleeping and I could feel it all wet on my nose.

Every night I clean my nose cause it leaks from right here right here

And right here... and right in here.

So I clean it all up and then I got to sleep.

It gets all my shirts dirty, and my mask and...

It hurts... It hurts in a while, but...

I just have to take the pain, so...

It's ugly.

If I get my nose fixed, wanna look different.

I wanna shave, I wanna take all this hair off mu face.

And start all over.

Go out on dates, at least.

I don't even wanna look at myself.

Cause the mirror makes it look even bigger.

Two big old rocks.

Yeah, I wanna get a life again cause with this I can't do nothin,

so there goes my life.

There is a lot of things I can't do with this thing on.

I have to move my nose because I can't eat right.

I get tired of picking up my nose to eat.

It's hard for me to eat. Sometimes I won't even eat.

A lot of times I won't eat.

I'm thinking about this nose every day,

even when I am sleeping.

I can't breathe through my nose because of the heaviness.

I have to lift this one up to breathe with my right side.

And I can talk better.

Because a lot of people can't understand me.

I have to hold this up that's only way I can breathe to open my nostril.

And I have to hold it while I sleep.

I have to pick up before I could go to sleep.

I can't sleep because I get starting pains in between the cracks here.

And I just might as well stay up.

I used to work for a steel company I used to be a supervisor.

But I haven't worked for a while because everybody gets scared of me.

Everybody laughs at me.

I go to the corner store.

The lady at the store she has her little kid in there.

She goes, I don't want you coming in here get somebody else to come...

...because you are scaring my kid.

I feel sad.

Feels good to get out and stretch our legs, huh? Oh, yeah.

Being cooped up inside.

The weather's pretty good. I'm so thankful for the breeze.

Yeah.

Getting some cabin fever?

I like being around my sister Val she helps me a lot.

I love all my siblings. When they're not around I miss them.

I'm bored without them.

After these years of having this, how does it make you feel?

It makes you feel worthless? Yeah.

Well, that's not good.

It makes me feel like I ain't nobody.

But you are somebody.

That's the way I feel.

To hear this strong man say words like that, it just breaks my heart,

and I wish I could just snap my fingers

and make it all go away.

He's gotten to a point to where he kinda shuts down

and he just holds it in.

And I think that's not good, it's not healthy.

And so, if Dr Lee can help my brother, that would mean the world.

I miss...

..your attitude.

All brothers and sisters used to get together

and we used to go and just have fun out there.

I can't live like this anymore.

I know, bro.

It's been rough and thank you for helping me and...

I love you for it.

All right, bro. Come on, let's go.

Remember when you taught me how to make tortillas?

I love to cook.

And when my niece Tori was little I used to take care of her.

She would see me making tortillas

And she wanted to try it, so I let her try it.

You know we miss you coming around to parties

and things for the kids, like sports events.

You know, those kind of things.

I miss being around you, and everybody really.

I don't go to funerals and I don't go to weddings, birthday parties...

I don't go to nothing. I don't want people to be looking at me.

I would love to be around my family more.

I don't feel comfortable.

I know.

I wish I was back to normal I would go to everything.

I would love to have my uncle back, as far as being at family gatherings

or even just to come over and hang out.

He's always been the life of the party, definitely.

If I get this nose fixed, I would go to all gatherings

and having fun with everybody, my whole family, friends.

Participating?

Heck, yeah.

I'm ready to have my life back. I think Dr. Lee is my last hope.

It would change my life a lot.

I just want to do it. I wish it was now.

I feel great. I've been waiting for this for a long time.

I hope today that when I see Dr. Lee that she can at least do something.

Hi. How are you guys?

Have an appointment with us today? Yes, Roger Hernandez.

Flies always land on my nose because it leaks pus.

I've seen a lot of doctors that don't want to help me.

It's like they don't care.

Dr. Lee seems like she cares about people, and she likes to help them.

I hope she does that with me.

Well, hello. You must be Roger.

- Hi! And... Tori. I'm his niece. - Niece? OK.

I'm gonna take my mask off. You don't mind?

My goodness.

OK!

So, when did you get this?

About 12 years ago.

Oh, there's a fly.

They're going to be getting on here

because if it's leaking a little bit.

Oh, they're attracted to it? You think so? Yeah.

It looks like it bleeds a little bit underneath here, too.

Right here.

Right. Like it's not getting enough good bloody supply

all the way down there.

Oh, you can see it leaking. It's leaking on you.

Do you wanna get a Kleenex for him or something?

It's the pus. It's the pus.

If you move around too much and it jostles it,

it happens every day, at least?

Like when I sleep, my pillow will be full of it.

That's no fun.

I mean, this is the most extensive case I've seen of rhinophyma.

Of course, when I initially saw Roger's nose,

I thought, "Holy cow!"

I couldn't even imagine that somebody has this level of rhinophyma.

It is quite shocking. But I am trying to stay optimistic.

Maybe this is something that can actually be easily removed.

The only way I'll figure this out

is by looking at it from every direction possible.

Does it cause you pain? Does it pull down on your nose?

This gives it a pain in here.

OK.

Yeah, cos pulling on you, it's like this heavy weight.

I'm sure that weighs something.

You know, what is gonna help me decide

if this is something that I can do,

is really how it's attaching to your nose specifically.

Rhinophyma is caused by rosacea.

It's really a thickening of oily skin.

You get these enlarged pores and what we call patulous follicles,

really widened and really dilated and sort of floppy oil glands,

and those are becoming like holes that oil can store in.

Right? Oil and keratin, or dead skin cells.

And Roger has the most extreme level of rhinophyma that I've ever seen.

His situation is truly critical.

I'm really trying not to let it intimidate me,

because I know he feels that I'm his last hope.

And maybe I am.

Maybe I'm the only one that will really try to take my time

and find an answer for him.

OK, so, this is the dorsum of your nose, or the top of your nose.

We've got a pretty enlarged little blood vessel right there, huh?

Excuse me here. I just wanna feel where your nostrils are.

The main concern I have here is how it's occluding your nostrils

and whether your nostrils, the cartilage, is still patent

and things like that.

Oh, your nostril's right here.

See, his nostril is, like, stretched to here.

This actually keeps getting more complicated

the more I take a look at this.

His nostrils are stretched.

A normal size of a nostril is probably a head of a pencil eraser.

In Roger's case, his nostrils are the size of the opening of a shot glass.

The nostril has cartilage in it, and you need that support,

otherwise every time you inhale, it'll go...