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Dr. Pimple Popper Reveals the Biggest Skin Care Mistake People Make

Dr. Sandra Lee—who stars in the new Lifetime series Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out—shared the biggest skin care mistake to avoid, especially during the summer.

By Brahmjot Kaur May 25, 2025 12:00 PMTags
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Dr. Pimple Popper is shining some sunlight on skin health.

With summer just around the corner, Dr. Sandra Lee knows that days at the beach, by the pool and at the park are a must. However, she's urging people not to forget a very important item in their bag: sunscreen. 

"That's one of the biggest mistakes that we make," the board-certified dermatologist explained in an exclusive interview with E! News. "You're getting sun, you're getting rays, you're getting an increased risk for skin cancer."

Along with those serious health risks, she emphasized that lack of sunscreen also causes "an increased risk for premature aging, fine lines, wrinkles and brown spots."

Although sun-kissed skin is a sought-after look for the summer, Lee emphasized that getting tan actually means sunscreen re-application is long overdue.

"Even if you get a little tan, that's telling you your sunscreen is not working because you shouldn't be getting a tan at all," she said. "You should be walking back home as the same color as when you walked out. When you darken, it is your melanocytes—your pigment cells—that are scrambling to create melanin, to block the sun."

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When choosing the right SPF, the Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out star follows the American Academy of Dermatology's guidelines, which recommend broad-spectrum protection with SPF 30.

"Once you get to 30, it's a curve that plateaus," she explained. "So, you're not really getting that much more protection when you go from 50 to 100. When you go to the highest sunscreen numbers there, it oftentimes will just have a thicker consistency."

In fact, the SLMD Skincare founder believes that a higher SPF can deter people from reapplying as regularly as needed.

Kena Betancur/Getty Images

"Sometimes the high numbers may make you think, 'Oh, I'm good until tomorrow,'" she said. "But really, it's going to be off your face by then. So they can give people a false sense of security when it's super high. So stick with 30."

Now it's easier than ever with sunscreens in sticks, sprays and powders.

As a board-certified specialist, Lee has seen the effects of sun damage firsthand. And in her new Lifetime show, fans will see her navigate various skin conditions, with the help of young dermatologists at her office. 

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

"What we've been doing all this time is really working with people who don't have any options, really," she explained. "They have a skin condition where there might be a huge growth, which is probably the most common thing we see, or actually, other dermatology conditions."

The 54-year-old's goal in her new series is to change her patients' lives "in a positive way." 

"We all know what it feels like to feel different and embarrassed about how we look," she said. "We all feel for these people when we can change their lives, allow them to walk outside the doors and not feel self-conscious and help them feel better about themselves."

Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out airs on Lifetime on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET. For more TV shows to watch out for in 2025, keep reading.

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