Man's 21-year-old 'testicle-shaped' growth on his earlobe that 'slaps him in the face' when he moves his head releases 'jetstream of blood' when it's finally removed by Dr Pimple Popper

  • Patient JD, 38, from Georgia, has been living with pear-size growth for 21 years
  • Keloid is constant source of irritation and interferes with job as a forklift operator
  • Has to regularly wash wrinkled growth because it can 'give off a bad smell'
  • When Dr Sandra Lee operates on it, a jetstream of blood spurts out of the wound

Dr Sandra Lee is splattered with a jetstream of blood while removing a man's 'testicle-shaped' keloid from his earlobe on Dr Pimple Popper.

Patient JD, 38, from Georgia, has been living with the large growth dangling down the side of his head for 21 years and told how it regularly hits him in the face when he moves suddenly.

The size of a pear, the keloid is a constant source of irritation and interferes with his job as a forklift operator, which requires him to wear earplugs with strings.

JD admitted it's having a severe impact on his mental health, and he also has to make sure he gives the wrinkled lump a regular, thorough wash because it can 'give off a bad smell'.  

Patient JD, 38, from Georgia, has been living with the large growth dangling down the side of his head for 21 years and told how it regularly hits him in the face when he moves suddenly

Patient JD, 38, from Georgia, has been living with the large growth dangling down the side of his head for 21 years and told how it regularly hits him in the face when he moves suddenly

The size of a pear, the keloid is a constant source of irritation and interferes with his job as a forklift operator, which requires him to wear earplugs with strings
The size of a pear, the keloid is a constant source of irritation and interferes with his job as a forklift operator, which requires him to wear earplugs with strings

The size of a pear, the keloid is a constant source of irritation and interferes with his job as a forklift operator, which requires him to wear earplugs with strings (right)

First noticing the growth starting to form when he was in his early teens, JD has watched as the dangling mass has grown exponentially over the years. 

'It started when I was 13, and it was the size of a quarter. But after the years, it just formed into one big one that just dropped,' he says. 

'It's heavy. You can see how it just pulls on my ear... It's the size of a pear. And it's shaped like a pear, it goes like from skinny, then fat at the end of it.

'Sometimes if I'm moving my face really fast, the bubble just starts slapping me.'

He claims he was told by doctors that it would either shrink or fall off on its own, but it's only got bigger over the years and he's desperate to get rid of it before his wedding.

JD claims he was told by doctors that it would either shrink or fall off on its own, but it's only got bigger over the years and he's desperate to get rid of it before his wedding

JD claims he was told by doctors that it would either shrink or fall off on its own, but it's only got bigger over the years and he's desperate to get rid of it before his wedding

JD travels to California to meet dermatological surgeon Dr Sandra Lee to see if she can remove his dangling ear growth in tonight's episode of TLC's Dr Pimple Popper (pictured during surgery)

JD travels to California to meet dermatological surgeon Dr Sandra Lee to see if she can remove his dangling ear growth in tonight's episode of TLC's Dr Pimple Popper (pictured during surgery)

'Sometimes it will give off an odor, like if I'm sweating, so therefore I got to keep it washed. It gives off a bad smell,' he admits. 

'Depression is real. It started when I was 13. Being bullied at that age, it'll take everything out of you. As big as I was then, I was still soft. I don't like confrontation.'  

He adds: 'I'm tired of people just talking about, "Oh man, look at that ball on his ear". I'm a lovely person, and that's how I want people to see me.'

JD travels to California to meet dermatological surgeon Dr Sandra Lee to see if she can remove his dangling ear growth in tonight's episode of TLC's Dr Pimple Popper. 

Dr Lee who wastes no time in inspecting her patient's growth, and after discovering JD used to wear earrings, she suspects she's dealing with an enormous keloid, though it's unlike one she's ever seen before. 

Dr Lee is careful to cauterize each blood vessel that she severs, keeping blood loss to a minimum and removing skin conservatively to ensure she has enough left to rebuilt his earlobe (pictured: the blood spurt)

 Dr Lee is careful to cauterize each blood vessel that she severs, keeping blood loss to a minimum and removing skin conservatively to ensure she has enough left to rebuilt his earlobe (pictured: the blood spurt)

'Usually keloids are triggered by trauma, they're usually really hard and firm,' she says. 'I would say this tissue feels like keloidal tissue, and it's almost like I feel like your earlobe, I don't know how it's stretched so much... I'll tell you, I have never seen that in a keloid so much. Usually they're really stiff and stuck to you.' 

Hoping to remove JD's earlobe without distorting too much of his ear's natural shape, Dr Lee decides to take him into her clinic and prep him for surgery. 

'Keloids are really challenging to remove because you have to remove it in its entirety so that you're more likely not to have a reoccurrence,' she explains pre-surgery. 

'This keloid is particularly challenging because in removing all that scar tissue there, I'm removing his whole earlobe.' 

JD's keloid is numbed with local anaesthetic - but as Dr Lee slices into his ear with her scalpel, a jetstream of blood spurts out of the wound, dousing her and her assistant's scrubs.

JD's keloid is numbed with local anesthetic - but as Dr Lee slices into his ear with her scalpel, a jetstream of blood spurts out of the wound, dousing her and her assistant's scrubs

JD's keloid is numbed with local anesthetic - but as Dr Lee slices into his ear with her scalpel, a jetstream of blood spurts out of the wound, dousing her and her assistant's scrubs

Dr Lee admits that while it looks 'a little wonky' after surgery, she is confident it will match his other earlobe well when it heals

Dr Lee admits that while it looks 'a little wonky' after surgery, she is confident it will match his other earlobe well when it heals

She jokes: 'You know, when I was walking out the door today I was like 'should I bring another change of scrubs?'

Dr Lee is careful to cauterize each blood vessel that she severs, keeping blood loss to a minimum and removing skin conservatively to ensure she has enough left to rebuilt his earlobe.

She admits that while it looks 'a little wonky' after surgery, she is confident it will match his other earlobe well when it heals. 

Looking in the mirror afterwards, JD can scarcely believe that his dangling ear growth is finally gone. 

'It's like a whole other person. I feel more like a happy person,' he says gleefully. 

'I hope my keloid doesn't come back, but I'm going to keep an eye on it and make sure, and if I do feel any symptoms that Dr Lee told me about, then I shall call her and we'll get it taken care of.'

Dr Pimple Popper airs at 10pm on Thursdays exclusively on TLC, and streams on discovery+ 

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