There’s something seriously addicting about those medical shows that you just can’t look away from.
She also shared some insider information regarding her topdermatological tipsthat you’re not going to want to miss.
I really, really enjoyed it a lot.
Yeah, of course.
And a plastic surgeon actually suggested that I try dermatology, that I might love it.
And he was right.
I never looked back ever since.
So I actually never thought that I would be a dermatologist if this plastic surgeon did not recommend it.
When it was recommended, what was it that really spoke to you?
I think the biggest thing is I get to do the surgeries that I wanted to do.
I get to give patients immediate satisfaction.
How cool is that?
They leave as a different person.
They’re not the same person, the same way they walked in.
And I just really, really enjoy that.
Every day is different.
You really do walk in and have on idea what your day is going to look like, huh?
I can imagine that probably comes with a lot of positives.
Oh, of course.
They figured out a way to hide it from society.
So I’m like, “Oh, that’s not bad.”
And then they take their shirt off.
I’m like, “Oh my goodness.”
They have to get a whole new closet.
They can actually go out in public, go to the beach without people staring at them.
That’s pretty cool.
Is there anything that makes Dr. Mercy squeamish?
So most people think, because we remove all these things, I don’t get sick from it.
So as long as it’s inside the patient’s body, I’m okay.
When it comes out, I’m okay.
But it has to leave the room.
I don’t know how to explain it.
Just knowing it’s there and smelling it, that gets me.
There’s actually one episode that I ran to the bathroom to throw up.
Wow, I’m eager to see that.
I was like
You were over it.
No, you were over it.
Do people do that a lot?
Do they want to take home the cyst?
Most people want to see it.
Did she end up taking it home?
You’re not supposed to do this, but I let her take two home.
You have to sign a release form to take it home, but she took two home.
Well, maybe it’s sitting on her mantle right now.
That’s exactly where she said she was going to put it, in her bedroom on her mantle.
Very specific design aesthetic happening there.
What’s the biggest challenge of her job?
So what would you say makes Lily Aesthetics different from other dermatological practices?
So I actually have two practices, Lily Aesthetics in Chicago and Lily Dermatology in Michigan.
And Lily is my daughter’s name.
She’s kind of the inspiration behind all of this.
I take it as a privilege to be able to serve you.
You get to see my husband.
You get to meet Lily.
My staff has been with me for a long time.
We’re like a tight-knit family and our patients feel that too.
What would you say are some of the biggest challenges of your job?
I really feel like sometimes it’s hard to connect.
Some patients are like, “Yeah, let’s do this.”
And some patients, it literally takes me 30 minutes to make them feel okay.
Some patients are screaming the whole time, and I’m like, “Don’t scream.”
Sometimes my job is tougher If I can’t get the patient to calm down or just to relax.
I wonder if that’s even something that you learn in medical school, like
No.
That must be a challenge.
Yeah, no, you don’t learn that.
You got to figure that out on the spot.
You have no choice but to figure it out in that moment.
There’s lots of transformation, lots of stories.
We get to follow a lot of patients where we give them their lives back.
So there are a few patients that can actually start hanging out with their kids again.
Spouses, they can have a better marriage.
And also, learning about people’s stories and learning to be more compassionate.
You never know what people are going through.
I wish that we would be more compassionate as a society and just be more loving and caring.
We’re all going through something.
So we all need each other’s help.
So this was not something I was looking for.
I love my job, but I’m very shy.
And I’m very introverted, weird enough.
I don’t believe that!
So I’m in Chicago.
But where I live in, in Michigan, it’s called the Upper Peninsula.
It’s kind of like a small rural area.
I’m not a person that’s looking for the limelight.
So in 2019, I think they were doing a nationwide casting.
They were trying to expand their medical shows, and they actually found me on social media.
And I thought it was a joke when they called my office saying they wanted me to audition.
I was like, “Okay.”
But they actually found me on social media, weird enough.
Well, I had to go through a few auditions with the executives through Zoom.
And then it was only supposed to be a one-hour pilot episode, and then COVID hit.
And I was like, “Okay.”
And with COVID, we kind of had to figure things out.
So it was easier to fly people into Chicago.
So we did it at Lily Aesthetics in Chicago.
And what are some of the biggest changes you’ve noticed in your own life since starting the show?
They know you’re good.
My cases, I get the weirdest things now.
And sometimes I used to be scared of doing them when I first started my practice.
But now I’m like, come on, sis, we got this.
I think that’s probably the biggest change.
Do you have any go-to dermatological advice that you’d give our readers?
I think the biggest thing is for anything that you’re suffering from, find a board-certified dermatologist.
I think a lot of patients get scared of medicine in general.
But just find someone that you click with, someone that understands you.
And seek help before it gets too big.
I always say patients know their bodies well.
Sometimes patients will say, “Dr. Mercy, this doesn’t look right.”
And I’m like, “I think you’re right.”
And listen to the patients, listen to your body, listen to your intuition.
If it doesn’t feel right, you’re probably correct.
And go and seek help.
That’s really good advice.
And they say, “This hurts or this doesn’t look normal.”
And there may be like, their worries are diminished a little bit.
So I love that you sound like you support your patients so much.
I think that’s what makes a great doctor, in my opinion.
That it’s going to be okay.
I think people sometimes watch videos online before they come in.
But it’s going to be okay.
And if I can’t help you, I will find someone that can help you.
But you have to take that first step.
Don’t watch YouTube videos on it.
I would say stay off Dr. Google, because they just freak people out.
There’s no need to be scared.
We can help you.
We can fix a lot of things in dermatology, so no need to worry.
Is there anything that we can expect to see moving forward?
Are there any big projects that you’re working on, or anything exciting coming up in your future?
Well, right now I’m just working on expanding my practice, hanging out with my daughter.
Because I’m super like, go, go, go.
Weird enough, I don’t really have lots going on.
It’s on purpose.
The experience of watching TLC’s Dr. Mercy with her family
Awesome.
Will you watch some of the episodes with your family?
Oh, of course.
I think it’s weird hearing my own voice.
You probably feel the same way.
It’s weird watching yourself or listening to your own voice.
And it’s weird.
I feel like I’m watching someone else.
It’s very strange.
I feel like I’m watching someone else on TV, not me.
That is something I’ve heard so many people I’ve interviewed say.
And what does Lily say?
Does she think it’s cool that you’re on TV?
What does she think?
So she just learned that my name is also Dr. Mercy.
So she didn’t know that.
So now she goes around and calls every doctor Mercy.
She’s only three, so she doesn’t really know.
So every now and again, she will call me Dr. Mercy.
Oh, my God.
She just learned that your name is not actually mom.
So now I’m Dr. Mercy at home.
That’s so cute.
Well, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me.
It’s been so great talking to you.
And we’re so excited to watch the season coming out really soon.
Oh, thank you so much.
I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me.
I enjoyed talking with you, Cassidy.
The new series “Dr. Mercy” begins Wednesday, September 22 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on TLC.
