Trichotillomania: Eyelashes And Eyebrows?
From when i was little I’ve had trichotillomania. Being a very nervous & anxious person, I pull my eyelashes & eyebrows out during times of nervousness or absent-mindedness. I’ve tried everything; meds, therapy, etc. I tend to alternate; I pull my eyebrows, & once those get noticably thin I pull my eyelashes. As of now my eyes look as usual; barely any eyelashes & thin, mishapen eyebrows.
These are two questions:
1. How have you or others stopped? Any advice on how to?
2. I feel so ugly & insecure about my eyes because of it; but hate mascara & I only wear black eyeliner. Should I feel insecure about it or is it a big deal?
WHAT SHOULD I DO!?
Tags: Eyebrows, Eyelashes, Trichotillomania
December 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am
I completely understand what you are going through. I started this habit when i was six years old & continued until my freshman year in high school. I am 20 now but I definitely remember all those years thinking why I couldnt stop. Honestly, one of the main reasons I stopped is because I was tired of being embarrassed by the other kids who would ask me questions about my problem or would make fun of me. It was extremely hurtful & by the time I reached high school I didnt want to put up with it anymore. Also, I dont know your situation but in my case my parents were very loving & would try to help me. My mom came up with the idea that any time I ever had an urge to do this that I should immediately come & talk or call her so that it could serve as a distraction. This helped me out alot. I would suggest finding someone that you trust & everytime you think you want to pull your hair out then go to that person, talk to them about what you are stressed about & release the tension that way. You can do that or find something that you can distract yourself with like chewing gum or drawing or something like that. I never tried medication or any type of therapy so I cant tell you much about that. The main thing is to find a positive way to release your emotions.
Once in a great while If i am extremely stressed or nervous I might think about it but then I always think about how far I have come since I have stopped, & then I dont. I believe it is a big deal because first of all you have hair there to protect your eyes . Secondly, from my experience once my hair grew back completely I felt alot more confident. It does have a big effect on your self esteem. It definitely wont be easy to stop but you will feel alot better if you do because you no longer have to worry what others think about it & you can be confident about your appearance. Also, by continuing this you run the risk of your hair not growing back. I was fortunate for mine to grow back even though I had been pulling mine out for years.
Think about it this way…. Some people drink to release stress others do drugs & then some of us pull our hair out. In each instance, every person has to take a stand & say “I dont want to do this any more & I am not going to!” Until you make that commitment, then you will not be successful in quitting.Of course it will be difficult to quit but you just have to stay strong & know that you can get through it. It wont be easy but it is not impossible.
I hope that sharing my experience was helpful. Good luck!