Trichotillomania is an impulse control hair pulling disorder that continuously pulls out scalp or body hair. People suffering from this hair-pulling disorder tend to pull hair from their body parts, but the most common body parts are the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelids. Trichotillomania’s chronic condition, if it is left untreated, can affect the patient repeatedly. In some individuals, this disorder can last for months or even years.
Causes of Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania is a learned hair pulling disorder behavior with a biological component and a hormonal or neurochemical imbalance. So, people who have Trichotillomania can partly blame genetics. That’s why Trichotillomania can not only make surfaces in adults but also in kids and infants too.
The urge to pull hair often starts with some stress, anxiety, or depression. It’s usually not intentional, but most people don’t even realize they are pulling their hair. They do it when they feel bored, maybe while in bed, sitting in front of the Laptop or TV, sitting at a stoplight, or more.
Social anxiety disorder could be present in people with this hair-pulling disorder, Trichotillomania. Some people with Trichotillomania may even have OCD. And, there can be a lot of interference because of BFRBs with social interaction causing potential embarrassment because of thinning hair or bald patches.
Symptoms of Trichotillomania
Symptoms or Signs of Trichotillomania include:
- Noticeable hair loss, like thinned or bald areas on the scalp or shortened hair or other areas of the body, including missing eyelashes, eyebrows, or even something else
- Repeatedly pulling your hair out from different parts of the body like eyebrows, eyelashes, and especially from your scalp
- An increasing sense of tension before or after pulling hair, or even when you try to resist pulling
- Feel a sense of pleasure and relief after the people pull their hair
- Significant distress or problems at school, work, or in social gatherings related to pulling out hair
- Chewing, biting, or eating pulled-out hair
- Repeatedly trying to resist pulling out your hair or trying to do it less often without success
Most people with Trichotillomania generally pull their hair in private because they try to hide this disorder from others.
Treatment of Trichotillomania
There is restrictive research on the treatment of Trichotillomania. But there are a few treatment options that can help you reduce or entirely stop this hair-pulling disorder:
Various types of therapies that help treat Trichotillomania are:
- Cognitive therapy. This therapy helps to identify & examine distorted beliefs that people have about hair pulling.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy. This therapy can help you learn the way how to accept your hair-pulling urges without reacting to them.
- Habit reversal training. This behavior therapy is the key treatment for Trichotillomania. It will help you learn how to recognize situations where you pull your hair and substitute it with other behaviors instead.
Therapies helping with other mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, or many more are often associated with Trichotillomania and can be important for treatment.
Although there are no specific medications for treating Trichotillomania, some medications may still help control certain symptoms. For example, doctors may recommend an antidepressant, like clomipramine (Anafranil). Research suggests some Other medicines like N-acetylcysteine, an amino acid that influences neurotransmitters related to mood, and olanzapine (Zyprexa), an atypical antipsychotic and may have some benefit.
So it’s always wise to talk with your doctor about any medication they suggest because the possible benefits of medications must balance against potential side effects.
But even after all these treatments, there is no doctor, no medicine, and therapy that guarantees to recover you from Trichotillomania. But don’t lose hope because there is always a way out with Emily Wyant, a world-renowned hair expert, educator, speaker, author, TV & Radio Personality, and the founder of Bond Hair Bar. Emily Wyant and her team of experts can treat you through hair extensions for Trichotillomania at Bond Hair Bar:
Hair Extensions for Trichotillomania at Bond Hair Bar
Most people assume that hair extensions are only used to take short hair and make it longer. However, at Bond Hair Bar, we know better than anyone that this isn’t true.
Our hair extensions work for people with all hair types, including those experiencing hair thinning or hair loss because of Trichotillomania. For people living with this condition, their hair generally becomes very thin and sometimes even comes out in patches. And as most people can imagine, this is extremely hard to handle.
Fortunately, Bond Hair Bar has worked with many clients suffering from this condition over the years. We have helped them to gain their confidence back. It’s not only one of the best but also the most rewarding parts of what we do.
