Few things are as polarizing as pimple-popping videos. While some people close their eyes right away and try to exit the screen before they throw up on their keyboard (me), others, like Dr. Sandra Lee's half a million YouTube subscribers, are hypnotized by the sight of a pimple, cyst, blackhead, or milia getting popped.

Lee, better known as Dr. Pimple Popper by her legions of devoted fans, offers some of her patients extractions for free in exchange for permission to post video of the process to her social media networks. Why? Simply to bring awareness to dermatology. And she happens to help people along the way. She told Cosmopolitan.com what it's really like to pop these things and how her skills have made her social media famous.

1. After you've popped a few, you start to have favorites.

"I like to think that blackheads are like snowflakes. There is never one that's the same, and a lot of times they're unpredictable. Just yesterday, I was seeing someone for skin cancer and I just said, 'Hey, can I squeeze some of those blackheads on your nose?' And I didn't realize they were going to be as amazing as they were. I get excited when I see them, and I get that feeling that my viewers do. But for me it's even more so like, 'Oh, this is something my viewers are going to love.'"

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

2. A popped cyst can be really smelly.

"I much prefer to pop cysts that are not inflamed or infected. In those kinds of cases, they have the texture of Brie cheese, a pasty type of texture. They smell because there is an infection there and if there is bacteria involved, that creates an odor. Those can smell disgusting, which is why I don't like that stuff. I don't show as many abscesses that can be popular with people who like popping. I don't like to do that, especially because those kinds of things are very liquid-y and can squirt you. It ruins your day if you get it in your hair."

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

3. You get grossed out sometimes.

"Two cases recently which were on the same day, actually, I had to come home at lunch and take a nap because it was too much for me. One of them was an abscess, which I don't like, and the other one was a big cyst that was black — it was black on the inside. It was big. It was maybe the size of a kid's fist.

4. It's not just pretty things that are popular in Instagram.

"It started a year ago when I posted a video of blackheads on my Instagram, and it got a jump in views. I thought, 'This is interesting.' I didn't have many followers at the time, maybe like a few hundred or 1,000. I realized there was a jump in views from that, so I decided to post one on my YouTube channel, like a full video. That got even more views."

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

5. Many of the most devoted fans are from Reddit.

"On the comment section of one of my videos, someone said, 'You may want to check out Reddit popping.' I found out there was this whole community of people who watched popping videos. I was fascinated. I see a lot of patients with big blackheads, so I started posting more. It taught me about what people like to see. It's a little different for me because I am not anonymous. They know who I am because I named myself Dr. Pimple Popper. They knew I had access to stuff, and they wanted me to keep giving it to them. They are a supportive community for me."

6. If done correctly, the pops are not a dirty process.

"I think what is different about [my popping procedures] is they appeal to a broader audience. They are different than the standard popping videos you see because I am a physician. I am in a sterile environment. People are not in any pain. I don't have dirty fingernails. I also think it is a very calm environment. We are not using a shaky camera. No screaming, no dogs barking in the background. It's a joke that it's high-class popping. It's something that's more calm and acceptable to people."

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

7. People admit to watching popping videos almost as if they're confessing.

"I hear people watch my videos before they go to sleep at night. People say during finals week they watch them before their test because it helps them relax and calm down. I think in the past there are people who have been watching this stuff privately, kind of like pornography. They are embarrassed to let people know they are into this stuff. I think I have made it more acceptable. People realize there is a broader audience, and they are not alone. They shouldn't be so embarrassed about it."

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

8. People travel from all over the world to get popped.

"I get people flying out from places like London and Saudi Arabia to see me as a physician to potentially pop or remove something. If people don't know a dermatologist, how do they find one? They go on Yelp or Google people, and see videos of what they do and see how they interact with patients. You feel a little connection with them and they stand out versus someone else, or you feel like they can help more than somebody else. It is a powerful tool as a physician to have so many people watching what you do and like it."

9. Popping can change people's lives.

"I show a little bit of my patients [on social media] without sharing who they are. We talk during the visit, so I share a little bit of their story. There's a patient I have who we've nicknamed Pops. He's an older gentleman whose wife recently passed away. The first time I did this for him, he had skin cancer, and I realized he also had a lot of blackheads on his nose. I asked him if I could extract them. We started talking about his wife and how recently she just passed away and how devastated he was. He was going through a lot of emotional and financial problems and because of that, all these people who watched my videos rallied behind him and they raised $12,000 for him. He was floored. It was really nice and memorable, and I can't believe that happened from extracting blackheads."

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

10. The sole purpose is to show people the process, not teach them how to do it themselves.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

"When I'm doing it, I'm doing it as clean and as painless as possible and I'm finishing the whole thing. If somebody is doing it at home, I know they are not getting it all out. A lot of times it's not sterile and could get infected. It's important people are not popping these themselves. If it is a small blackhead or pimple, you need to do it in a common sense and smart way. Clean the area, make sure your hands are clean, and use sterile instruments if you can. If you are squeezing something and it's not coming out, stop doing it. Seek outside help. I'm not trying to teach people how to do it and that's something I try to make sure people know. I think people watch the things I do because I make it look so easy. But that's my job, and I do things differently."

Get non-boring fashion and beauty news directly in your feed. Follow Facebook.com/CosmoBeauty.

Follow Brooke on Twitter.

Brooke Shunatona Brooke Shunatona is a contributing writer for Cosmopolitan.com.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io