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View Full Version : Pulling out my hair. Litterally.



perkidanman
January 12th, 2011, 12:30 AM
So I'm kind of new to LHC but I haven't really come across anyone else that does this.

Long story short is occasionally I'll feel a tug or something in my hair and i'll try and fix it, which usually means i pull that hair out. I don't know if it's the sensation or what but I end up pulling out a lot of hair in an absent minded way until I realize what I've been doing. It actually started out when I was in high school and I had my hair in a pony tail. I noticed that I had all these short hairs on top of my head (those baby ones but they were always really thick and blunt tipped on me) so I pulled them out for a "cleaner" look. I don't know if there's a term for this. I don't do it often enough to give myself a bald spot but I am noticing that my doing it has seemed to thin my hair out significantly. Does anyone else have this problem or know of a way to stop doing it? I don't wear hats or head scarfs or anything and I need a lot to keep my hair up as far as sticks go since my hair is layered and slippery. Help! I don't want to do this anymore!

Wheatland
January 12th, 2011, 12:33 AM
I think you may have a mild case of Trichotillomania. If you google it many things will come up. Possibly some ways to help.

I know if it because my SO's ex had the same problem. Except she used to bite the roots when she pulled them out...

Macaroni
January 12th, 2011, 12:36 AM
Maybe this forum could give you some support and relief:

http://www.psychforums.com/trichotillomania/

jojo
January 12th, 2011, 01:19 AM
I used to do this too, started off with my eyelashes and then moved onto my eyebrows and eventually my hair. It got so bad I made 2 bald patches behind my ears. I used to twist a bunch of hairs and pull, hard to explain why but it never hurt but actually felt comforting.

Id actually examine the hair for thickness and if I got it with the root attactched I was overjoyed, however the comfort only lasted a small while and then id feel anxious that id end up bald, so id pull a bunch more out and so on. Growing my hair long has helped a lot, im so proud of myself for not giving into urges.

My late father used to do it with his eyebrows and my eldest daughter does it with her pubic hair. I felt more impulsed to do it with short hair, touch wood I hardly ever get the urge now.

There is a support group on here for Trichotillomania suffers

http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/archive/index.php/t-29268.html
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=4854
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=50145

Jules diamond
January 12th, 2011, 01:35 AM
I never knew this existed! I thought I was the only one. o.o

Fufu
January 12th, 2011, 03:58 AM
I have this issue when I am lying on my bed and I'm unable to fall asleep. To void pulling my hair, I will slip my hand beneath my pillow, sleep on my back. It kind of help, and I don't do this anymore.

Are you stress at something?

ingvild
January 12th, 2011, 07:16 AM
I do this too, I was surprised to find out that there are so many people who do it when I learned that it actually was something, and I wasn't (that) weird. I also do it very absent-mindedly, but moreso if I'm stressed. I tend to pull out the baby hairs also, that I've pulled out before, because they grow out coarser than the rest of my hairs. I don't pull as much as I used to, maybe just a few hairs a day and if it's a good day, none!

What helped me:

- being aware of that I pull, when I pull, and that it's a Problem.
- having clean hair, I'm more likely to pull if my hair is greasy (and my hair gets greasier if I have my hands in it a lot...)
- busying my hands. I like to knit!
- wearing hats
- going for a run or a walk or other kinds of exercise = reduces stress = reduces urge to pull.

I've never seen a counselour about it, but that also helps some people. Maybe there's an underlying issue?

Good luck, hope you can reduce it or even stop :) !

perkidanman
January 14th, 2011, 12:50 AM
Thank you all for your advice! I thought about it and I remember exactly how it started. I was just finger-combing and i felt one super coarse, kinky hair. So I pulled it out to examine it. Then the whole thing snowballed.

I'm trying a couple of things you all suggested.. It does help to keep my hair up (although if i feel one hair being tugged more than others I get the urge to pull it). I've pretty much resorted to tricking myself into not doing it by putting lotion on my hands when i get the urge (so I can't put my lotion-y hands into my hair) and scritching my whole scalp with a "nit picking" horn comb so I get a tingly sensation all over my scalp. I'm hoping to eventually reprogram myself so that I don't do it anymore.

julliams
January 14th, 2011, 01:24 AM
I used to do this too only I would find my wirey coarser hairs and pull them out. What I did to stop myself was to realise that if I'm to grow my hair, pulling the wirey hair out will mean that it will take several years for it to replace itself and for the first year or so, it will stick up until it gets enough length to lay down.

That pretty much stopped me. I still run my fingers through my hair looking for those hair but I resist pulling them out and just feel them now. They kink and feel really cool.

bondeandeebowl
January 14th, 2011, 05:42 AM
I had a friend who had a severe case of this. She was completely bald aside from a few tufts of hair here and there, and pulled out her eyebrows and eyelashes, as well as her pubic hair and leg hair (with tweezers). She eventually overcame it, and her hair grew back! I think it took years of therapy, though.

TrichPrincess
January 15th, 2011, 06:48 AM
So I'm kind of new to LHC but I haven't really come across anyone else that does this.

Long story short is occasionally I'll feel a tug or something in my hair and i'll try and fix it, which usually means i pull that hair out. I don't know if it's the sensation or what but I end up pulling out a lot of hair in an absent minded way until I realize what I've been doing. It actually started out when I was in high school and I had my hair in a pony tail. I noticed that I had all these short hairs on top of my head (those baby ones but they were always really thick and blunt tipped on me) so I pulled them out for a "cleaner" look. I don't know if there's a term for this. I don't do it often enough to give myself a bald spot but I am noticing that my doing it has seemed to thin my hair out significantly. Does anyone else have this problem or know of a way to stop doing it? I don't wear hats or head scarfs or anything and I need a lot to keep my hair up as far as sticks go since my hair is layered and slippery. Help! I don't want to do this anymore!
Broke my year+ of lurking to respond to this post. I've suffered from trich for 10 years. In my research, I have found that trich tends to be either related to OCD or self-injury. For me, it's related to my OCD-I MUST pull out the coarser strands. I've had little difference in the 10 years I've been doing it in terms of hair length-I've been everywhere from buzzed to mid-back and pulling. I do find wearing my hair in a half-up or bun helped with the compulsion some. I also wear Silly bandz to train myself not to do it.

redheadlynn
January 17th, 2011, 10:51 AM
So I'm kind of new to LHC but I haven't really come across anyone else that does this.

Long story short is occasionally I'll feel a tug or something in my hair and i'll try and fix it, which usually means i pull that hair out. I don't know if it's the sensation or what but I end up pulling out a lot of hair in an absent minded way until I realize what I've been doing. It actually started out when I was in high school and I had my hair in a pony tail. I noticed that I had all these short hairs on top of my head (those baby ones but they were always really thick and blunt tipped on me) so I pulled them out for a "cleaner" look. I don't know if there's a term for this. I don't do it often enough to give myself a bald spot but I am noticing that my doing it has seemed to thin my hair out significantly. Does anyone else have this problem or know of a way to stop doing it? I don't wear hats or head scarfs or anything and I need a lot to keep my hair up as far as sticks go since my hair is layered and slippery. Help! I don't want to do this anymore!

Hey!!! I have this problem, in different forms. I am a tweezer-freak (it doesn't help that I am naturally hairy :rolleyes:). I also pull hairs out of my head if they are "different" (super curly, too dark, etc), and pick at my split ends if my hair is down. I try to wear my hair in a french braid to discourage pulling, and keep myself occupied if I find myself playing with it. I have never sought treatment, so I cannot tell you what might help. There are forums out there for this OCD disorder, but they might be more "triggering". If you have to, cover your hair with a scarf or something. I find that Monistat helps all those baby hairs around my hairline grow back (from where they were pulled out!).

Good luck!!! PM me if you ever want to talk. I understand completely.... :)

redheadlynn
January 17th, 2011, 10:53 AM
Hey!!! I have this problem, in different forms. I am a tweezer-freak (it doesn't help that I am naturally hairy :rolleyes:). I also pull hairs out of my head if they are "different" (super curly, too dark, etc), and pick at my split ends if my hair is down. I try to wear my hair in a french braid to discourage pulling, and keep myself occupied if I find myself playing with it. I have never sought treatment, so I cannot tell you what might help. There are forums out there for this OCD disorder, but they might be more "triggering". If you have to, cover your hair with a scarf or something. I find that Monistat helps all those baby hairs around my hairline grow back (from where they were pulled out!).

Good luck!!! PM me if you ever want to talk. I understand completely.... :)

I also find hair-pulling (first tweezing, and then on to the scalp) relaxing... so if I am stressed, I go to the mirror and pull. It's awful. So I have to find other things to focus on. Like my school work, or what needs to be done around the house, or a book. I have to find something else. I also had an ED in the past, and that was stress-related, too. Does anyone else find this to be true?

perkidanman
January 19th, 2011, 07:28 PM
I usually hate tweezing because I do tend to go a little OCD on it and I suppose it's just the masochist in me but after a while the pain starts to feel like the good kind. Or maybe I'm just a freak, hahaha XD

Chirp
June 2nd, 2011, 08:52 AM
I haven't posted in a while, but after reading this thread I thought I should chime in.

I've had trichotillomania since I was 8 years old. The severity of my pulling has varied over the years. At times, I just pluck a few hairs out here and there, other times (like right now), I have a noticeable bald spot on my scalp caused by long bouts of extensive pulling. Like others, I tend to pull hairs that feel "different": coarse or kinky when compared to the rest of my hair. I also have a bad habit of plucking out new growth, possibly causing further damage to follicles that have already been traumatized.

I've found that I often pull when I'm feeling stressed over something (for example, I tend to pull when I'm trying to get some writing done on my thesis for graduate school). However, not everyone is an anxious puller. Some people pull when they're feeling bored or irritable. Many people begin pulling without being fully aware of it, and few people realize just how much hair they've pulled out until they see the pile of hair around them. The act of pulling is often associated with an immediate sense of relief and relaxation (in fact, interrupting pulling can cause tension and anxiety), however it is often followed by shame and worry.

When things get bad for me, I've found it helpful to wear a hat or scarf on my head to physically block myself from pulling my hair. You might also try putting bandaids on your finger tips to prevent you from getting a good grip on the hair. Monitoring your urges to pull, your triggers/emotional state at the start of pulling, and the number of hairs you pull daily also can help to reduce the amount of pulling done. Studies have found that simply monitoring a behavior can often impact the occurrence of that behavior. You may also want to look into habit reversal training, which has been shown to have some positive effects on trichotillomania.

talecon
June 2nd, 2011, 09:31 AM
I used to pull out a whole curl out of the back of my head at the nape of my neck. I try not to do it anymore

Nicolioli
June 2nd, 2011, 06:56 PM
I do this too. I even remember how it started: I was sitting in class in HS and there was this one really annoying hair that kept getting in my face, so I pulled it. I then realized that any hairs that get in my way, I could just pull them out. That then led to kind of 'searching' for those random coarse, dark, kinky or hair that wasn't perfectly straightened (back when I straightened my hair) and pull them.

Now, 3 years later, I'm aware of my hair pulling, and I think that's the first step to recovery is being aware that you're doing it. I haven't received help for it, but I am able to catch myself once I feel the urge to start pulling.

BlazingHeart
June 2nd, 2011, 07:28 PM
One of my close friends in high school had fairly bad trich. When she was at home, she would wear thin silk gloves (I think like the gloveliners I buy at www.wintersilks.com), and at school she would massage her forehead when the urge struck.

The gloves were to make it harder to pull the hair out - they're fairly slick, and it makes it hard to grab on to things as small as hairs.

~Blaze

Fadedbluedreams
June 2nd, 2011, 07:28 PM
I have had this problem as well, except not on my head, just on my eyelashes, eyebrows and...the nethers. I did manage to quit pulling out my eyebrows, which is quite an accomplishment. The motivation was that my husband told me he likes thick eyebrows. :)

squiggyflop
June 2nd, 2011, 07:39 PM
i do this a bit with my eyebrows.. i do it without even thinking.. the only time i do it to my eyelashes is if one of them is curled down instead of up.. and i compulsively pluck the hair from my bikini line with tweezers..

i dont ever do it with the hair on my head though.. but i do scratch until my scalp bleeds sometimes.. i have no idea why..

i think its a stress thing..

Kristamommyx3
June 2nd, 2011, 07:42 PM
I have had the same issues since high school. I have found that stress brings it on, and it has taken REAL effort to stop. I go after my hair, eyebrows and eye lashes, too. Thank goodness I manage to stop once I realize I'm doing it. When I first acquired the "habit" yearsago, I caused a pencil eraser size bald patch on my hair line, and it's never been the same there. :(. My middle son has taken to pulling out the hairs that we call the halo, and he even gave himself a nice short patch somehow last year. He seems to have it under control now, since we've talked about it.





I used to do this too, started off with my eyelashes and then moved onto my eyebrows and eventually my hair. It got so bad I made 2 bald patches behind my ears. I used to twist a bunch of hairs and pull, hard to explain why but it never hurt but actually felt comforting.

Id actually examine the hair for thickness and if I got it with the root attactched I was overjoyed, however the comfort only lasted a small while and then id feel anxious that id end up bald, so id pull a bunch more out and so on. Growing my hair long has helped a lot, im so proud of myself for not giving into urges.

My late father used to do it with his eyebrows and my eldest daughter does it with her pubic hair. I felt more impulsed to do it with short hair, touch wood I hardly ever get the urge now.

There is a support group on here for Trichotillomania suffers

http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/archive/index.php/t-29268.html
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=4854
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=50145

Kristamommyx3
June 2nd, 2011, 07:45 PM
Yes! Mine is totally stress related, too, and def OCD. I have managed to get it very much u der control, but it's always there, I will probably always feel the urge to pull out my hairline.




I also find hair-pulling (first tweezing, and then on to the scalp) relaxing... so if I am stressed, I go to the mirror and pull. It's awful. So I have to find other things to focus on. Like my school work, or what needs to be done around the house, or a book. I have to find something else. I also had an ED in the past, and that was stress-related, too. Does anyone else find this to be true?

redheadlynn
June 2nd, 2011, 08:09 PM
Hey! I feel your pain. I tend to:

1) Pull hairs out that are "different".
2) Pull hairs that are split, instead of trimming.
3) Tweeze facial hairs (understandable - I am hairy. :( )
4) Shave the majority of my body hair (sorry if TMI)

I have found that for the hair on my head (the hair that is culturally desirable to KEEP), what works for other OCD-types works for this disorder:

- WALK AWAY FROM THE MIRROR!
- Don't encourage the behavior. Avoid boredom or whatever causes you to do it. Find another stress-relieving or boredom-relieving thing. I try to remind myself to do something else to relieve stress. I try to focus on the benefits of a healthy, full head of hair.
-Keep putting your hair up if that helps! It helps me!

I do feel your pain. Best wishes to you!! I second everyone else's advice above. :)