Trich?

I think I may have trichotillomania. I only heard about it recently, somewhere on the Internet...

For about three years now I've had a habit of occasionally plucking out my eyelashes. I don't know when or why I first did it, but I remember I couldn't pull just one. Ever.

There have been many times when I've pulled out so many that when I showered, water would get in my eye because I had no lashes to catch the drops.

I really hate the habit. My eyelashes are sparse even when they're healthy, and I feel terrible when I put on mascara and it doesn't help at all... But it never made sense to me why I'd do such a thing. So I observed myself.

I've think it's a nervous habit. I do it when I'm anxious or upset. I won't stop until there's a nice bare patch on my eyelid, at which point I usually try to keep myself occupied with something else. Sometimes I can resist the urge. If I don't start at all, then everything's peachy.

So I was wondering if anyone else had this sort of thing, or if you have any advice or information about it?

Hi magasanguis, I used to pull out my hair as a child. I had big bald spots from doing it and had to do combovers. For me, it was due to stress and unhappiness. The doctor advised my mother to create a lower stress environment for me, but that was impossible in the family at the time. I eventually grew out of it. Have you tried talking to your family doctor about this? A therapist?

Technically it's not an anxiety disorder but an "impulse control" one. It's best treated with CBT? I guess you work to control the impulse (rather than the actual habit itself of whether you're plucking, pulling, etc.).

I like the Mayo Clinic and their large, detailed articles:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tri...omania/DS00895

This is the page that helped me realise I wasn't alone: Trichotillomania

I started pulling my hair out when I was about 12, I think...I can't remember exactly why I started either. Because my hair is very thick I never had an actual bald patch, but my mum pointed out to me after a year or so that the hair at the back of my head was getting much thinner, which made me cut down, but I couldn't stop.

I discovered that page a couple of years ago, and it made me think about why I was doing it - it was mostly when I was feeling stressed or bored, and it got worse when I was revising for exams. I joined here, and the support I got from the members gave me the courage to try and quit, and after quite a few failed attempts and some cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) I've now been pull-free for almost 11 months. It's hard, and I still have to be careful about touching my hair, but it can be done!

Other than the therapy, what's helped me most is just trying to keep my hands away from my head wherever possible - some people wear gloves, but I found wearing a hat or a hood worked better. If I'm in class (or lectures now - I started university a couple of months ago), though, that's not an option, so the next best thing is to keep the hand you normally pull with occupied - I hold either a pen lid or an eraser, generally.

Hope this helped!

Wow. Thanks for the info, guys.
Do you think it's possible for me to treat this myself? I admit that I'd be embarrassed if I brought it up with my family or therapist... Which of course means I probably should anyway, but from these websites it seems like I've already got a pretty good handle on it.

I had a growth on my forehead where I was allergic to something and had touched my forehead with my hand too often. It itched horribly which made it worse, when I scratched it. I went to the dermatologist for some cream or something to make it stop itching and we got in an argument as he wanted me to stop scratching, LOL!

But he taught me behavioral techniques to keep my hand away from my face which I imagine you could teach yourself to keep away from your eyelashes and plucking.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430540_8

I used to pull my hair out when I was younger. I don't know exactly what made me stop, but I have not purposely pulled it out in a long time now. I pulled out so much hair in my early teens that the top of my head was almost bald. Seems I have given up pulling for the equally disturbing habit of picking. I pick scabs, pimples.. nothing has a chance to heal with me. That actually felt good to get out. Wow.

hi.

i'm tara.
i have that too. i used to pull out my hair and i had a bald patch in the front and back of my head.
and then i started pulling out my eyebrows.
and now i stopped both of those, and i pull out my eyelashes.

this disorder is called trichotillomania, it is a chemical imbalance in the brain.

there are ways of overcoming it, i would suggest finding a new habit, or changing the area of yur body that you pull out hair from.

maybe try your arm hair because it is less visible.

but i would definetly not suggest your eyelashes, it makes you very self concious, and i have gotten to be very depressed about my appearance. i doubt my feminity sometimes.

good luck with trying to overcome it.

i have hopes for you.

Magasanguis -

No, as you see, you're not the only one. I thought I was the only one who pulled eyelashes, though. I can't remember how it started, maybe when I started plucking my eyebrows (weirdly, I don't overpluck my eyebrows), sometime in my late teens? I'm also really nearsighted, so I can actually see my eyelashes and the roots close-up in a mirror, and have been known to actually go at specific ones (according to my own weird logic) with tweezers. (Hope that wasn't too cringe-inducing for some folks.) There have been periods when I had virtually no eyelashes left... they're a real pain to grow back.

Never brought it up in therapy, either. There's definitely a stress-related component involved (I also used to bite my fingernails a lot, less so now), and it does have a kind of soothing effect.

Never pulled out my head hair to the extent of it missing in spots, but I did have a habit of picking and tearing at my split ends, especially when I wore glasses. Don't do that much any more, either, since I wear contacts and try to keep my hair trimmed and in better condition.

I'm afraid I don't really have much in the way of advice (though if you have the tweezer habit, you can freeze them in a container of water so as to avoid the impulse), but wanted to join in and let you know you're definitely not alone.

(Now, if I could also stop smoking...)