trichotillomania: YOU'RE NOT ALONE

May 31, 2012

Desyrae H.

Hi guys, I have a disorder called trichotillomania and I have decided to come out about it. It's an impulse control disorder and it can greatly effect someones life. It's a disease that causes you to pull out your hair from your scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, etc. I happen to pull from my scalp and its recently gotten pretty bad. I've had it since I was seven and I am now almost seventeen. I decided to come out about it because for the longest time I thought it was this super rare thing and I would never meet another person with it. But I was wrong. 80-90% of people diagnosed are women and 2-4% of our population is affected by it. Thats almost ten million Americans.

Once I realized I wasn't alone I joined support groups and reached out to people in my area who had it. We share stories, tricks, and tips. Basically the point of this is to let you know that if you have it, you are not alone. Guarantee you can find someone who has the same thing in your area and once you find someone to talk to, may it be me or someone else, you'll feel a lot better. Please ask me any questions or anything. Also, if you have this disorder as well and you have any tips or tricks please share! Thank you so much for reading. xoxo


Desyrae


p.s. for more information visit trich.org or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichotillomania

May 31, 2012

Ness N.

Ive heard of this my boyfriend has it,its not real bad though.except for the fact he somtimes want to pull my arm hairs haha

May 31, 2012

MaiLy W.

My mom has many bald spots because she picks her hair and she really wants to stop and she bought 80 dollar shampoo and everything but its not doing much because she won't stop picking.... It sounds alot like the disorder you described but maybe she's just stressed... Or its a habit. What advice would you give her?

May 31, 2012

Amanda J.

It sometimes gets so bad in some people that they peel their skin. The largest extent for me was scratching; constantly scratching my scalp, and I'd get scabs. And if something bothered me I'd itch it to the point i was bleeding a little. I don't dcratch a lot very often anymore, but i find myself picking at my scalp sometimrs absentmindedly, but mostly when I'm stressed or if I stay up too late.... 

May 31, 2012

Desyrae H.

Maily: it sounds like your mother suffers from Trich. the best thing she can do is acknowledge that she has it and start working on getting better. There are multiple treatments for it, although no known cures. Talk with a doctor to figure out which treatment works best. Some can get expensive though, that's why I have yet to try any of the treatments. Some tips I can give is carry a rubber band on your wrist and snap it when you feel the urge, put tape on your fingers when you're sitting around, or even just spray your hair wet every once in a while because I found that i cant pull my hair when it's wet. Hope that helps!

Amanda: yeah I pull mostly when I'm bored stressed or tired. You just have to know when you're gonna want to pull and make it a habit NOT to pull during those times, using the tips I explained above.

May 31, 2012

Kayli H.

I have it and I have learned to control it, but when I get really angry of I feel nervous I pull from my scalp, eyebrows, and yes, even my eyelashes. I was so bad with it a few years ago I had no eyebrows and my eyelashes were almost completely gone. I'm so glad I had people around me to help me stop- every time they would see me pulling they would grab my hand and tell me no. I am here to help any and all who suffer from tis because you can overcome it! :)

May 31, 2012

Kayli H.

Amanda: what you're talking about almst sounds like dermotillomania- obsessively picking or scratching the skin. I have that too, it sucks :( I used to scratch my legs and inner elbows until there was no skin left. It's hard to stop but if you can get people to help you realize that you're doing it and make you stop, it gets much easier. Another thing you can try is wearing something that will cover what you scratch- I wear long socks at night because I scratch in my sleep. Maybe wear hats some time? Or maybe if you put your hair up in a really cute style you won't want to mess it up, so you won't let yourself pick :)

May 31, 2012

Amanda J.

@Kaylie it very well might be. Thanks for the tips, I'd never thought of that! Seriously, thankyou. :)

May 31, 2012

Catey P.

You're brave for talking about it. I know it's really hard to live with sometimes, my little cousin has no eyelashes left. Best of luck, sweetie!

May 31, 2012

Mercedes S.

i was replying to a post i put up and then i came across this. i too have this disorder and i have gone to the point where i had no eyelashes nor eyebrows left and i too was plucking the hair from my head. i never knew how to stop it but i kinda learned how to control it, im glad you wrote this.

May 31, 2012

Mercedes S.

one tip i learned is when i would pull out my eyebrows i found this product from avon that fills in eyebrows with ittle synthetic hairs with a clear glue. it worked great. or try to mix eyeshadows to create a brow color. if you use just black it looks horrible1 or just brown isnt dark enough. for eyelashes i used palladio liquid eyeliner to disguise that i didnt have eyelashes

Jun 1, 2012

Nicole A.

I'm really gald you posted this. I used to pull at my eyebrows whenever i was stressed.I always picked at the same spot so i just had a bald spot which made me feel soo selfconcious. I was able to get that under control but i still cant help pulling from my scalp. For me Kayli is right about styling hair to avoid pulling at it. It doesnt help when i get super stressed but it does help a lot otherwise. 

Jun 1, 2012

Desyrae H.

Catey: Thank you so much, that means alot. 

Jun 1, 2012

Desyrae H.

Mercedes: Yeah my problem is not really my eyebrows, just my scalp. But I appreciate the tips! And yeah its tough to talk about but in the end I always feel better

Jun 1, 2012

Desyrae H.

Nicole: Of course! Im actually at the point where I'm really comfortable talking about it, I actually enjoy letting people know what it is and getting the word out there. Yeah since the pulling is really bad right now all I'm really able to do is put my hair in a bun or ponytail or a beanie but I don't like wearing them too much, especially in the heat. 

Jun 1, 2012

Amanda J.

I used to pull my eyelashes out when I was little, haven't done it since. Well, that's a lie, I do it simetimes, but it's not as bad as the dermatillomania. Anyways, my pediatrician had my mom put vaseline on my eyelashes everyday-so i stopped picking. And obviously it worked. I pick at my lips and scalp ALL the time. I find putting lip balm on keeps me from peeling my chapped lips. But i hardly ever have the patience to do my hair. Anyways, yeah. Vaseline on the eyelashes! You could do it in eyebrows too i suppose. It also makes your lashes WAY healthier!!! Double whammy yay!!!