Britain’s own Dr Pimple Popper removes mushroom-shaped growth from man’s head
MEET Britain’s answer to Dr Pimple Popper – Dr Emma Craythorne – who has been working her magic at her Harley Street clinic for a new TV show.
In the first episode of The Bad Skin Clinic, which starts tonight on Quest Red, the consultant dermatologist gets a visit from Andrew Mensah.
The 28-year-old sales consultant, from London, has been hiding a big mushroom-shaped growth under a baseball hat for three years.
He said it started off small and thought nothing of it, but over time it grew bigger and started pushing through his hair.
Embarrassed, the former ladies man admitted he never leaves the house without a cap – but it doesn’t go down well at work or social events.
Andrew told the show: “It makes you paranoid, you think someone might be looking at it when they’re behind you or even judging you.
“Dating and meeting girls is becoming difficult for me mentally. It’s the fear of rejection.
“This is not Shrek or Beauty and the Beast… this is real life.”
His mate Ryan tells the programme: “He used to be the funny man, the first person on the dance floor ready to ask a girl for a dance.
“Now he’s not the same Andy at all.”
Keloid scar
Andrew has previously been to see a GP who said that the bizarre growth is actually a keloid scar.
They tend to develop as a result of minor skin damage, such as an acne spot, and can become unusually large, lumpy or pronounced.
He decided to see Dr Emma at the clinic over fears it will continue to get bigger and he’ll never find a girlfriend.
During the show, Andrew can be seen sitting slightly upright in the operating chair under local anaesthetic.
Dr Emma gets to work on the keloid and explains that they’re having to use a “sucker” to take away the smell of his skin burning.
Taking a pair of surgical scissors, she then stabs the lump to get a grip on it while lasering around the edges.
She says: “This is the base of the keloid. You can see some of these little hair follicles are still here.”
Andrew then asks her if his hair will grow back, to which Dr Emma says: “It’s a very fine balance – we want to try and get you some hair coming through there, but you’re not really going to get much hair coming through it.
“But it’s coming off absolutely beautifully.”
What are keloid scars?
People get keloids when they scratch, cut or injure their skin and the scar does not stop growing once the wound has healed.
The scars affect around 10 to 15 per cent of all wounds, and some may grow extremely large over time.
The most common keloids happen on ears but they can pop up anywhere.
Acne can cause them or small surgeries, which is awkward because having them removed can cause them to grow back.
They’re also more likely to develop if you’ve got darker skin and if other members of your family have them.
Keloid scars are shiny and hairless and they tend to turn browner as you get older.
They affect around 11 million people worldwide.
She then manages to lift off the keloid – which resembles the top of a mushroom – and pops it on a piece of gauze.
Andrew has a smaller second keloid, which Dr Emma also removes during the surgery.
She says: “Steroid injections are put in because they stop the fibroblast which are the cells that make collagen. They stop them from becoming overactive.
“Andrews problem is that his little fibroblasts keep scarring so this is to try and have a normal wound healing.”
Andrew then asks to see the keloids and to his shock they’re bigger than he expected.
Dr Emma says: “I think this one looks like a little cockroach.”
She then sends him away with a box of treatments that he needs to keep applying to any smaller remaining bumps on his head to stop them turning into keloids.
Dr Emma says: “These ingrown hairs that he has is what’s causing him to get the keloids, and this is to try and stop that happening.”
Andrew looks even more surprised when he sees the large wounds he’s left with on his scalp after having the growth cut out.
He says: “I’ve had my keloids successfully removed. Hopefully it heals very nicely – I’m feeling like a new man.”
The Bad Skin Clinic starts tonight at 10pm on Quest Red and the QuestOD app
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