Popular dermatologist Dr. Pimple Popper is worth millions and makes a good salary from her TLC show and other personal charges.
Over the course of the last decade or so, Sandra Lee, aka Dr. Pimple Popper, has built a name for herself in the dermatology field. The board-certified dermatologist amassed millions of followers on YouTube thanks to her uploads popping a variety of pimples, which transitioned into a TLC reality show based on the same concept.
In 2020, the dermatologist’s comment about registered nurses raised eyebrows as the majority in the medical community did not receive her questionable tweets well. The TLC star quickly deleted her derogatory tweet, which was in response to a WebMD article and even went ahead to apologise.
Dr. Pimple Popper is as famous as can be due to her work in the skincare field. She has built quite a life with her husband, Dr. Jeffrey Rebish, but what do we know about her financial life? Like, how rich is she and how big is her salary on her TLC show, and how much does it cost to book her service?
How much does Dr. Pimple Popper make an episode? Her finances are impressive, to say the least.
Although Dr. Lee doesn’t appear to be in a financially dire situation by any means, devout fans of her TLC show may be surprised to learn that she has admitted to making next to no money for the role!
Indeed, per Men’s Health, she shared back in 2018 that she is “not getting paid anything for the show, really.”
Although she isn’t making much from the show, the doctor said that she feels “so fortunate to have this — that this has been offered to me — and I’m so fortunate that they’re making me look good.”
While the exact (seemingly low) number that Dr. Lee makes per episode on TLC remains a mystery, there are plenty of other financial metrics available that paint a picture of exactly how she amassed her fortune.
It appears that one of her biggest revenue-generating streams is still her YouTube channel, which has over 7 million subscribers and a cumulative 4 billion-plus views across all videos.
Her videos all run ads, which, based on YouTube’s ad revenue percentages, means that with around 780,000 views per day, she takes in roughly $6,000 per day in ads (or about $2 million a year) off of just those alone.
Then comes her actual work: According to salary.com, the average yearly pay for a dermatologist ranges from $260,000–$400,000 a year, an impressive sum. Beyond even that, Dr. Lee also sells merch to promote her shows, has written a book, and maintains a line of skincare products.
How much does Dr. Pimple Popper charge? First, there’s a $120 consultation fee.
Although Dr. Lee has her own TLC series and is wildly popular, she reportedly still charges the same consultation fee she’s apparently had for a while now (at least since 2019): $120. That amount is then applied to whatever procedure she performs for the patient, should they decide to work with her.
Cheat Sheet reports that Dr. Lee’s extraction procedures generally run her patients anywhere from $500–$600 each. Sometimes, getting insurance companies to cover these treatments can be problematic. Maybe they view the professional popping of pimples not as a medical emergency and just as an elective cosmetic procedure.
The good doctor developed a workaround for clients who aren’t able to afford her rates, as she explained to Forbes in 2016 (before she got her TLC show, but was already on YouTube): “…now, I’ll do the extractions for free if my patients let me videotape and use the video. Of course, I make them anonymous and remove anything identifying.”
What is Dr. Sandra Lee’s overall net worth? Her business ventures have taken in millions of dollars over the years.
While the salary of any regular dermatologist alone is a lot of money, Dr. Lee has gone above and beyond in her role and become the most famous face in her field. As such, she has reportedly amassed an estimated net worth of roughly $7 million in 2023 (per Celebrity Net Worth), stemming from the aforementioned varied business interests she maintains outside of dermatology work.
For however much Dr. Lee has made, she has always remained humble and open with fans about the keys to her success and how they too could pursue a field in dermatology. Her YouTube series “Dr. Pimple Popper University” touches on plenty of common general medical topics and serves to inform fans of dermatological ailments that they can remedy at home.
Although Sandra officially started her YouTube account in 2010, she began regularly posting clips in 2015. Two years later, she launched her own line of skincare products: SLMD. Then, a year later, she secured her own series with TLC and has been reaping the benefits of it ever since.
