are you a hairpuller?

Question

also known as trichotillomania, just anything you want to tell me about it as i am a hais puller myself

Answer 1

I've also had trichotillomania in various places and have, fortunately, stopped. Trich. is classified as an obsessive/compulsive disorder (uncontrollable thoughts and actions, respectively) asnd is also believed by some specialists to be a self-harm disorder (like cutting, etc.). Prolongued ripping leads to permanent baldness and skin irritation. Compulsive actions give a person a sense of efficacy and success, feelings that they are unable to attain through other means. Trich. can result from stress, trauma, low self esteem and, as in my case, heat styling.
A brief overview as to why: Each hair contains 11% water (which gives it elasticity and moisture). Heat tools, esp. straighteners, range anywhere from 150-500 degrees F. Water, as you know, boils at 100 degrees F or C. When the water inside the hairshaft boils, it turns into steam and needs to escape. This is done either through opened cuticles (the scale-like structures that make up each hair and open up when exposed to heat) or through a boil in the hair. Boils are characterized by bumps on the hair and the loss of cuticles (which is caused by the heating tool) results in breakage, split ends, and abnormal hairloss. Once the structure of the hair is damaged, there is no way to repair it. Since hair has no nerve endings, it cannot regenerate itself. Despite this fact, hair is actually very much like skin, except that skin has nerves and can regenerate itself. In essense, applying so much heat to your hair is no different that if you were to apply it to your skin. Using silicone producs may mask the damage but it also has a negative effect: since it forms a layer around each hair, the scalp's natural oils as well as water cannot come in to nourish the hair. More dryness and breakage results.

What helped me ends the trichotillomania was to slowly wean myself off and find other, healthier methods to relax. I realized that fighting my hair, such an important part of myself, was silly and detrimental. As I've gotten to the point where I treat my hair the way it deserves to be, its condition is better than when I used to style and fight it.
Figure out the stressors in your life and try to find ways to deal with them otherwise or how to avoid them. Have a rubber ball or some other squishy toy that you can busy your hands with. Take up knitting--it's relaxing and productive. There are a few medications that can be prescribed by a psychiatrist to treat trich. but I highly reccomend that you not take that route. Unless y\there is a serious imbalance in the part of your brain that controls repetitive movement, then there's no need. It's much more helpful to -learn- how to deal than to let a drug sedate you.

'Best of luck!

Answer 2

What do you want to know about it? I have done it for 16 years...Most people cannot just 'stop' all of a sudden...its along the same lines as bitting your nails or picking at the skin on your face...There is no cure...they try and perscribe antidepressants...I wouldnt bother....I contorl it by not wanting to have bald spots

Answer 3

Used to...but not anymore until I saw my friend who is much worst than me had lost 1 part of her hair and it's in the middle. After a while it grew back and it's shorter than the rest. Look so damn ugly. I stop my habit right away. And you should stop too. You can go bald if you don't stop.

Answer 4

my mom does it when she gets stressed or anxious. Sometimes I find myself doing it without even realizing it then I feel weord and stop. I wonder what causes this.

Answer 5

yes i want to rip all my hair out when people drive me crazy or i'm extremely stressed.

Answer 6

yes