Put Your Best Face Forward: The Ultimate Guide to Skincare from Acne to Anti-Aging

Sandra Lee’s YouTube channel and TLC show, Dr. Pimple Popper, documents the treatment of some of the most gruesome dermatological conditions, from cysts to lipomas to serious blackheads, and her new book, Put Your Best Face Forward, retreads a lot of information that is already covered there. Lee rose to YouTube fame by filming dermatological procedures that evoke both horror and catharsis in their viewers (think massive, years-old cysts, oozing rivers of pus, accompanied by the cheery voice of a woman comparing said pus to mashed potatoes.) The book also explores skincare and the ingredients therein that would help different skin types. Lee has her own line of skincare and tools, so the part of the book about skincare serves as her own personal brand’s advertisement.

Lee’s casual tone makes her book approachable to the average reader, and her anecdotes about her medical school journey and how she got into dermatology make her a credible voice. She explains how her experience excising cysts caused her to perfect different dermatological techniques, make the procedures more efficient, and minimize scarring and pain. This information would be useful to aspiring dermatology students but not to the average person.

As an example to just how wide-ranging this book is: pores and hair follicles are diagrammed in the same chapters as there are selfies of Lee and her patients and photos of Lee and her girlfriends at dinner. The diagrams make the book seem too technical for the average person who wants to stave off breakouts and the selfies make the book seem unprofessional for medical students.

Put Your Best Face Forward fills a niche between serious dermatology students and people who just want to learn how to have nice skin. The book is a lot of things at once: thorough, educational, and conversational.