PIMPLE WHOPPER
UK’S Dr Pimple Popper squeezes double ‘tennis ball-sized’ fatty lumps from lorry driver’s back tattoo
A LORRY driver with double "tennis ball-sized" fatty lumps on his back tattoo has finally had them removed.
Dr Emma Craythorne, Britain's very own Dr Pimple Popper, had a visit at her clinic from 48-year-old Ali from Kent.
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He had been trying to ignore a big, squishy lump which started growing in the middle of his back about eight years ago.
Coincidentally, he has a tattoo of a giant ram - his star sign Aries - covering his back and the lump had emerged right under its snout.
It had left the impressive design looking more distorted and 3D than he had ever intended - but it was also becoming more and more painful.
The lump was making his job as a HGV lorry driver unbearable as he could barely sleep at night, making him a danger on the roads.
In tonight's new episode of The Bad Skin Clinic, he can be seen heading to see dermatological surgeon Dr Emma at her Harley Street clinic to have it removed.
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He tells the show: “I have a lump on the centre of my back and it’s the size of a tennis ball.
“I first noticed it about eight years ago and it’s just got bigger and bigger. It’s too big to ignore now.
"When I had the tattoo done the lump wasn’t there and now over the years it’s got bigger and bigger, and by chance it’s ended up on the end of its nose."
While the lump causes Ali constant discomfort, his partner Pippa has grown fond of the lump - and even uses it for stress relief.
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Ali said: “My partner uses the lump on my back as a stress ball, and digs her nails into it and it’s quite annoying.
“I’ve given him a little nickname. He’s called Larry the lump."
However, as the lump has continued to grow in size, it’s started to detrimentally affect Ali’s life.
“It’s really started to affect my sleep, because if you imagine laying on a tennis ball, my sleep is always disturbed,” he explained.
“I am a HGV lorry driver, I drive 10 hours a day. I can always feel it, it’s always there.”
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With the lump stopping him from getting a good night’s rest on a regular basis, Ali’s main source of anxiety is getting behind the wheel while exhausted.
“My biggest fear is that if I don’t get a good night sleep I could fall asleep at the wheel,” he admitted.
"This is it for me, make or break. If it carries on getting bigger then there’s no way I can continue doing the job I’m doing."
After explaining his situation to Dr Emma, he removes his jumper to reveal "Larry the Lump".
The medic responds: "Wow, this is pretty impressive.
“It actually forms the entire snout of the ram, a 3D-tattoo."
Inspecting the lump further, Dr Emma offers Ali a diagnosis: “So, this certainly feels like a lipoma and it doesn’t feel like it’s fixed to any of the muscles.
“The lipoma is located right in the very centre of the snout of this ram, and that actually makes the ram look even more intense, so it is a bit of a shame that he has to go.
"But, because it’s painful for him, I think it has to.”
In the operating room, Dr Emma asks Ali to lie down and injects the area around the lipoma with a local anaesthetic.
Slicing into his skin, Dr Emma makes the first incision and starts teasing the lipoma out.
“A lipoma is a completely benign collection of fat cells, often in a little capsule, so it feels like a bump under the skin,” Dr Emma explains, as she places her finger in the incision wound and wiggles it around, freeing up any parts of the lipoma that might be tethered to Ali’s muscles.
“I feel like a vet,” Dr Emma jokes as she continues to free up space underneath Ali’s skin.
Ready to extract the lipoma, Dr Emma reveals a pink, jelly-like globule of fat poking its head out of Ali’s skin.
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“That’s one squidgy guy,” Dr Emma’s assistant says, as the lump is slowly pulled from Ali’s back.
Usually, lipomas are one big mass of fat, but in this instance Dr Emma has a surprise for Ali when she reveals that there are actually two lipomas in one.
As she frees up the smaller lipoma, she says: “Generally they look like one lipoma, they’re together in one lump, but often whenever you cut into them there can be a few of them joined up.
“You’ve got one super one and then a small one. It looks like twins!”
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After some serious squeezing, pulling and prodding, Dr Emma is able to remove lump which has been making Ali's life a misery.
She shows it to Ali who pulls a face in disgust and prods it with his finger.
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Dr Emma then skilfully stitches up the wound without spoiling his tattoo.
The brand new series of The Bad Skin Clinic continues tonight at 10pm on Quest Red, available to stream on
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