science
Howie Mandel Describes Childhood Skin Condition and Medical Treatment
Howie Mandel said a sand fly laid larvae under his skin as a child, causing moving bumps that doctors later treated at a dermatology convention. He stated the procedures and subsequent home care left him with lasting trauma. A physician noted that early medical experiences can affect adult health.
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Howie Mandel said a sand fly laid its larvae under his skin during childhood, producing visible moving bumps that he compared to a horror film. At a dermatology convention in Toronto, doctors placed him on a table in his underwear and applied liquid nitrogen to one bump, causing his skin to sizzle, bubble, and burst, Mandel said.
He was about 6 or 7 years old at the time. Nurses held him down during the procedure. His mother then removed him from the table and later treated the remaining bumps at home each night by rubbing them with a rough washcloth and alcohol until the skin broke and the larvae died.
Mandel stated the events contributed to his adult struggles with severe OCD and germaphobia. He described the overall experience as traumatizing because things were living under his skin. Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell said research shows early-life medical experiences can affect physical and mental health in adulthood.
She noted that doctors should consider patients' mental well-being alongside physical symptoms. Curry-Winchell said patients who feel dismissed can ask doctors to consider broader causes rather than defaulting to initial assumptions. She founded Clinicians Who Care to connect patients with empathetic physicians.
