Girls can’t pull out their hair

Girls can’t pull out their hair. Or at least they don’t was what I firmly believed when I first started pulling. I destroyed my eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair, all the while convinced that I was doing something freakish and abnormal. I felt so incredibly isolated and alone. I didn’t know there was a name for what I was doing or other people who also felt the need to reach up and tug.

Trichotillomania (the compulsion to pull your eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair) can start at any age but is common in the teenage years when 80 to 90% of the kids who pull are girls. This is a very real condition that at least 2.5 million Americans suffer from.

So here is what I learned about coping with trich. First of all, trich does not define who I am as a person just as my love of cookie dough doesn’t define me. And there is no reason for me to live in fear that someone will see my pulling. That doesn’t mean I am not still afraid, but I have to remind myself that I never asked for this condition–nobody asks for this condition. Nobody should have to live with the shame, guilt, and self-loathing that often accompanies trich either.

If you have trich I recommend checking out the Trichotillomania Learning Center. What helped me the most was to know that I wasn’t crazy or alone. This is a great place for support and information. I hope it helps!