Dr 'Pimple Popper' claims she's lost money from advertisers who find her YouTube videos 'too graphic’

Dr. Pimple Popper amassed a large online following by posting skin procedures on YouTube - but now says her channel has been demonetised as her videos are deemed too graphic by advertisers.

The content creator, otherwise known as Dr. Sandra Lee, has 7.52m subscribers, with 5bn total views on the platform where she posted an array of videos on different skin issues from blackheads to breakouts, cysts, and even tumours.

Between 2014 and 2016, Dr. Lee had a six-figure salary of somewhere close to $100,000 per month from YouTube views, she said in a recent interview with Insider but was then "all of a sudden" informed by the platform that she could no longer make money off pimple-popping videos which were deemed as "too graphic."

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

A chart seen by the publication confirmed this income stream rapidly diminished for Dr. Lee from 2016 onwards at the time her team say the videos were demonetised - which means they don't feature ads so she can't make money.

But YouTube told indy100 that Dr. Lee's videos have not been demonetised and ads can be run on her videos.

Dr. Lee has argued her videos are educational for people and her qualifications as a verified dermatologist help to combat misinformation on the platform.

"I'm really proud of the fact that kids know what a lipoma is now or they know that you can't just squeeze a cyst – you have to remove the sack entirely to get it removed," she said.

"We're teaching people about psoriasis or hidradenitis, but if you're not motivated to get that content out, how are people going to learn?"

"There's a fine line between what's dangerous, what is just shocking, and what is educational," the dermatologist added.

A Gold Nugget Steatocystomawww.youtube.com

She also shared how she thinks platforms like to clamp down on channels once they have gained a large following.

"They [social media platforms] grow big because of all these new posters, but then they wait until they get big enough that they can sort of clamp down on it and make restrictions," Dr. Lee said.

Under YouTube's violent or graphic content policies, it reads: "Violent or gory content intended to shock or disgust viewers, or content encouraging others to commit violent acts, are not allowed on YouTube."

The social media site specifically states "Footage or imagery showing bodily fluids, such as blood or vomit, with the intent to shock or disgust viewers," is not allowed.

In a statement, a YouTube spokesperson told indy100: "These videos were never demonetized and are currently eligible to run ads.

"Some content is not suitable for all advertisers and we provide controls for advertisers to opt out of showing on sensitive content, including videos that some viewers may find graphic.

"Ads will still run from advertisers that have opted into this content. These policies are clear in our Advertiser-friendly content guidelines and we enforce them consistently regardless of the channel or creator.

"We also offer creators a variety of ways to monetize their content outside of advertising, including Channel Memberships, Super Chat and Merchandise," the spokesperson added.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.