- Dr. Pimple Popper treated a woman with neurofibromatosis type 1, which caused thousands of cysts.
- Brittany said the cysts were painful and had caused her to be bullied and feel depressed.
- Dr. Pimple Popper removed her largest cysts so she wouldn't fear going out in public.
On the latest episode of "Dr. Pimple Popper," the celebrity dermatologist Dr. Sandra Lee treated Brittany, a woman covered in cysts.
Brittany, who's 31 and lives in Chipley, Florida, was born with neurofibromatosis type 1, a genetic condition that causes painful tumors to grow on the skin, on spinal-cord nerves, and on other areas of the body.
Brittany said she often felt as if she were being stabbed with a hot ice pick because of her condition.
She said the cysts made it difficult for her to find work, spend time with her two sons in public, and overcome depression.
She's been called a "monster" and has seen other parents and their children laughing at her, she said.
Brittany said of her sons, "It hurts them, and it breaks their heart, so I try not to go to too many school functions and stuff for them."
Brittany's condition isn't 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, " Lee said.
Dr. Pimple Popper focused on her face and shoulder cysts
To start, Lee injected a numbing solution in cysts on Brittany's temples, near her nose and chin, and on her shoulder.
Brittany said these cysts had caused her the most pain and feelings of insecurity.
Lee 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. Lee said it's common for neurofibromatosis-related cysts to lodge deep under the skin.
After removing Brittany's chin cyst with the same process, Lee moved on to what she called "Big Momma," the 21-year-old shoulder cyst Brittany had named.
Lee used a surgical blade to slice around the cyst's base - she said it was "well behaved" because of the seamless removal. She stitched up the hole Big Momma left, then moved on to Brittany's nose cysts.
Dr. Pimple Popper melted off smaller cysts with a heated pen tool
Since these cysts were much smaller, Lee used a different method: a cauterizing pen.
She said she was "sculpting" and "melting" the cysts off Brittany's face with the heated tool, while a suction tool removed the bits.
Brittany said the smell was the worst part of the cauterizing procedure.
When Lee handed Brittany a mirror, Brittany was emotional.
"I feel like my whole life has been about this moment," she said.
After a happy embrace, Lee 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," Brittany said.