Trich "Down There"

This is probably triggering.

So I'm pretty sure I have some combination of trichotillomania and dermatillomania. Ever since I was around ten, I would go through periods where I compulsively scratch at my scalp, creating a disgusting amount of dandruff. Luckily I'm in a down period right now, but we'll see how that will last.

Mostly my problem is plucking out my pubic hairs and the hairs around my bellybutton. Both areas are completely red and sore and infected, but the plucking is so addictive that I can't stop, and often don't even want to stop. The only reason I do is because of what it does to my skin; it looks like I have an STD even though I'm clean.

Most people who have trich seem to pull from their scalp, but is there anyone out there who also pull from their pubic area? And if so, did you get over it and how?

First of all, yeah dermatillomania and trich are related (in scientific terms: there's high comorbidity).

As for "down there" - it is less common than other areas like scalp and face, but yeah it happens as well. I think this form of trich is somewhat less distressing than, for example, pulling your scalp hair (less visible, less suffering, less stigma etc)

In addition, according to this article on trich symptoms, pubic hair is one of the less common areas of the body pulled

I have trich, and I pull from pretty much everywhere. Scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, and you guessed it... down there. I found this the least socially distressing because people typically aren't going to see the damage, but it can be horrible to live with if you have a partner. And it's really embarrassing to talk about, for me at least. I can joke about it with close friends sometimes but it took me ages to even mention it to my therapist. But it's sooo important because it's a matter of getting motivated to stop for YOURSELF rather than for other people. For instance, with Trich on the scalp you may be motivated to stop so people will stop asking you about it and you won't have to fix your hair a certain way all the time, etc. But with trich down there, it's more of a matter of stopping because you don't want to maddened by the urges and picking anymore, rather than by the social aspects of it.

Hope this helps, you aren't alone with this.

I pull from everywhere, including down there, belly, chest, arms (a lot from my arms), legs, toes, and a lot from both my eyebrows and eyelashes. Pulling from my arms is one of my strategies to keep from pulling around my eyes. The "less harm" model, my therapist said - move from pulling around my eyes to pulling from a less harmful (in my perception) place, i.e. my arms.

I pull everywhere except my scalp, which is very unusual from what I hear others say. Oddly enough, I've never felt the urge to pull from my scalp. I've always loved my head hair.