I too have been pulling my eyelashes since I could remember. I've grown up doing it all my life and I am almost 15 now. My family and friends all know and try to help me stop but it doesn't work. I have tried therapy which only made it worse. I'm not sure how long they will continue to grow back and that scares me. I want to have pretty eyelashes when I'm older but I'm afraid I won't be able to stop and that won't happen. After reading everyones messages on here I am going to really try and control it though. I know how much everyone wants to stop this addiction and I think that we can help each other reach that goal. When you feel that urge to pull, think of everyone on this website and how much they want to quit. You can control yourself for all of those people. Squeeze your hands or start talking to someone when you get the urge. Rubbing your eye gently may also satisify the need to touch your eyelashes.
Right now my eyelids look completely bald but I can still feel very tiny eyelash stubbles there and growing. I don't know if anyone else is like this but I only pull my top eyelashes out. I barely ever touch my bottom ones! I don't know why that is but that's how I've always done it. This site is motivating me and encouraging me to let them grow and so I'm going to try the hardest I ever have to let them grow. Thank you to everyone who writes on this site and good luck to the ones who also want to stop this addiction. Trichotillomania cannot control our lives and we shouldn't let it anymore! Stay positive and never give up on yourself, You can stop this. :-D
Right now my eyelids look completely bald but I can still feel very tiny eyelash stubbles there and growing. I don't know if anyone else is like this but I only pull my top eyelashes out. I barely ever touch my bottom ones! I don't know why that is but that's how I've always done it. This site is motivating me and encouraging me to let them grow and so I'm going to try the hardest I ever have to let them grow. Thank you to everyone who writes on this site and good luck to the ones who also want to stop this addiction. Trichotillomania cannot control our lives and we shouldn't let it anymore! Stay positive and never give up on yourself, You can stop this. :-D
hey, after reading all this and researching about this, i feel relieved to know i am not alone, i thought i was the only one as no one else i know does this. i am 15 years old now and i think i started when i was either 9 or 10 years old. i pull both my eyebrows and eyelashes out , either using a tweezers or even my fingers... i do it all the time and seem to get a temporary high out of it when i feel my eyelids until i look in the mirror and i feel like c**p, i hate myself but i cant seem to stop especially when i get an urge to pull, its like i have to and i can't think of anything else. i hate going to the hairdressers and having my fringe pinned back as i hate looking at my eyebrows. i don't understand why i do it and i want to stop, i having being going through this battle for many years....my family makes fun of me because i cant stop.. my sisters say i look like a freak and always threaten me with it, like blackmailing me... my mother will say i am stupid and hit me for doing it... i hate my family knowing and try to keep it a secret by not looking at them directly in the eyes when i am talking to them.i am always afraid someone will ask me about it, i have no idea what to say... i am ashamed of myself and what i do to myself...when i was insulted in front of many people by my band instructor and humiliated.. i cant sleep at night, contemplate suicide and hate myself... sorry if i am rattling on... its just that i never tell anyone this not even my twin. javascript:emoticon(':'(') oh and good luck to everyone trying to recover.... ps, if anyone knows whether this has something to do with an imbalance in the brain tell me , k.. thanks
I am 30years old and I have been pulling at my hair on my head since i was 3 years old. Now that i have gotten older I realized that the problem is an urgency to pull and i have not had any problems since about 16. But recently since about 25 I have been under a alot of stress i have pulled out my hair again. Not the hair on my head anyomre but now it's passed on to different things like eyebrows and eyelashes. just recently I pulled out my left eye lash and I am so embarrased but I also have to face reality and deal with it. the night before I had a really bad headache and i took aspirin to help with the headache but then my stomach hurt really bad. now I have practically no eyelash and its been over a month but it is still bear with no stuble. Usually by now i see stubble. has anyone had this situation where you have pulled something out and over a month did not see any growth at all. Please email back. I knwo how everyone feels and its something in life you have to deal with.
I have been pulling my body hair out since I can remember. I noticed it got worse about one year into my marriage, when there was a lot of financial stress. I had no idea that this was an actual disorder, I just thought I was wierd. I have always pulled out some hair(eyelashes,Eyebrows) but in the last two and a half years it has gotten sooo much worse. To the point that I will have big patches from both missing. I have tried to hid it with makeup but I know people notice.
Some of the advice sounds like something to try. I don't know if I am willing to try medications yet. It helps knowing that I am not alone in this & others are dealing with my same problem.
Some of the advice sounds like something to try. I don't know if I am willing to try medications yet. It helps knowing that I am not alone in this & others are dealing with my same problem.
Wow! I googled "will eyelashes grow back" and I found this message board. My 9-year-old daughter has been pulling out her eyelashes and recently started pulling out her eyebrows too. I noticed her starting this habit about 6 months ago. She stops for a while and then starts again. A lot like the stories I have read on this message board. My husband is taking her to the doctor today. She does not want to go. I feel bad as a Mom. I keep wondering if it is something that I'm doing that is causing her to pull out her hair. I cancelled the first appointment I set for her because she begged me to. She's obviously embarrassed about pulling out her lashes and brows but can't seem to stop. I don't want my 9 year old on meds. I don't think meds are the answer for everything but I don't know what to do to help her with this. I question whether I show her enough love and attention. I have three girls, 10, "9" and a 2 year old. I wonder if she's jealous of our new addition. I wonder if school is too hard and stressful. I just want to help and don't know how. I printed out literature a few months ago and took it home, sat down with my daughter and told her that she wasn't alone and that apparently many people have this problem. Nevertheless, it's a problem we need to fix because it can lead to bigger problems, like pulling out patches of hair. She's not even hit puberty yet, is this only going to get worse before it gets better? Do meds really help?
I started when i was 11. Uhm, i was sexually abused as a kid, and thats how the picking started... Im 19 almost 20 and I still pick my eyelashes. My hubby is at BMT and im determined more than EVER to have them grown in by june12.
To all the parents of trich kids,
The best thing you can do for your child is to be patient and 100% understanding with them. Trichotillimania is an anxiety disorder where the affected people pull out their hair in times of stress or anxiety. It has also been associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder when a person will pull out their hair in order to fulfill a routine.
I first started pulling out my eyelashes and eyebrows when I was 10. I am now 21, and I still suffering from hair pulling. My trich became a great source of shame, and I was often teased about it. Many of those who have trich will suffer from low self-esteem, but worse, they are too embarrassed to discuss their condition.
If you have a child with trich, listen to what they have to say. Don't force them to tell you why their hair is missing; they will probably lie about it (I often told my mom that my eyes were just itchy and the rubbing made my hair fall out). Instead, ask them how they are feeling. Try to get to the bottom of why they are pulling their hair out. Figure out what their triggers are. Help them understand that they are not alone when it comes to hair pulling. Encourage them to be upfront about this condition. Find ways to increase your child's self-confidence. Be their confidant and help them find ways to hide the hair pulling if they ask for assistance.
More than anything, your child needs someone to listen to them without judgement.
In regards to growing back hair, there are many cosmetic products on the market. Talika is a famous one. It works pretty well, and can be found at Sephora. I recently started using Peter Thomas Roth night conditioning for eyelashes. It's helped make my eyelashes thicker. However, most of these products will not work unless there's hair already there. So be sure to look into therapy because this is an anxiety disorder (and technically falls under the "self mutilation" category) and people suffering from trich need to find a better way to deal with stress.
The best thing you can do for your child is to be patient and 100% understanding with them. Trichotillimania is an anxiety disorder where the affected people pull out their hair in times of stress or anxiety. It has also been associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder when a person will pull out their hair in order to fulfill a routine.
I first started pulling out my eyelashes and eyebrows when I was 10. I am now 21, and I still suffering from hair pulling. My trich became a great source of shame, and I was often teased about it. Many of those who have trich will suffer from low self-esteem, but worse, they are too embarrassed to discuss their condition.
If you have a child with trich, listen to what they have to say. Don't force them to tell you why their hair is missing; they will probably lie about it (I often told my mom that my eyes were just itchy and the rubbing made my hair fall out). Instead, ask them how they are feeling. Try to get to the bottom of why they are pulling their hair out. Figure out what their triggers are. Help them understand that they are not alone when it comes to hair pulling. Encourage them to be upfront about this condition. Find ways to increase your child's self-confidence. Be their confidant and help them find ways to hide the hair pulling if they ask for assistance.
More than anything, your child needs someone to listen to them without judgement.
In regards to growing back hair, there are many cosmetic products on the market. Talika is a famous one. It works pretty well, and can be found at Sephora. I recently started using Peter Thomas Roth night conditioning for eyelashes. It's helped make my eyelashes thicker. However, most of these products will not work unless there's hair already there. So be sure to look into therapy because this is an anxiety disorder (and technically falls under the "self mutilation" category) and people suffering from trich need to find a better way to deal with stress.
I can't believe so many other people do this. One night my freshman year of highschool I was reading a book, and accidentally pulled out a few lashes fishing dust out of my eye. In 3 weeks I had no lashes or eyebrows left.
Now I am 20 and I try so hard to stop. I have alot of very forward friends, and I always feel so self concious when ppl mention it. I've never drawn them on because I am so fair. They frequently grow back and I just keep plucking. I had such nicely shaped brows too. :-(
I'm finally to a point in life where i was so down on myself about not being attractive, I turned into what I thought I saw in the mirror. Its going to be very hard to try and grow them back (i have been using Talika and rogaine for brows) and its a slow process. But i need to feel good about myself. Thank you so much for posting your experiences, I'm hoping it will help me quit.
Now I am 20 and I try so hard to stop. I have alot of very forward friends, and I always feel so self concious when ppl mention it. I've never drawn them on because I am so fair. They frequently grow back and I just keep plucking. I had such nicely shaped brows too. :-(
I'm finally to a point in life where i was so down on myself about not being attractive, I turned into what I thought I saw in the mirror. Its going to be very hard to try and grow them back (i have been using Talika and rogaine for brows) and its a slow process. But i need to feel good about myself. Thank you so much for posting your experiences, I'm hoping it will help me quit.
I have been pulling my eyelashes out since i was about 11 years old and i am now 17. No one really understands why i do it, as a matter of fact idk why i do it! It makes me feel so bad about myself....my mom and dad are constantly on me about it, and some times make fun. I heard it was a disease but i didnt really know for sure! Right now i have no eyelashes, and im struggling to keep my hands away from my eyes even tho i dont have anything to pull. To cover it up i wear fake eyelashes but that cant last forever, i just need some help if anyone has advice, and i want to know if my lashes will continue to grow back or if eventually they will stop? =[
Well i am fifteen now, but to weeks ago when i was still fourteen... I was watching a movie... and to tell you the truth i was opsessed with my eye lashes i just love them...Sometimes when i touch them and stuff once in a while they will hurt or feel wierd so i pulled one out becuase just that one was bothering me..... So then i stopped but once i remembered how long and cool looking that eye lash was i just wanted to pull out more.... I thought it was fun and i usually did it when i was laing down or watching tv.... but the next morning i went into my bathroom and i noticed that i only had about ten eye lashes left on my left eye... I don't pull the ones on my right eye becuase i love those ones... But i am not under any stress right now.... i just think pulling them out is fun....
But if you have anything that you know works and have tried it and seen results on it please
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
:-D I really want my beautiful full length eye lashes back before school starts
But if you have anything that you know works and have tried it and seen results on it please
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
:-D I really want my beautiful full length eye lashes back before school starts
im 25 and probably the only guy on the forum, and to be honest this is the first time ive posted on any forum about this condition in my life. I can completly relate to the shame involved in doing this and personally i find it hard to even type the fact that i do this as well...i pull out my eyelashes....god...there i said it....ive done this since i can remember....i have a memory of my fourth grade teacher asking
me why i didnt have any eyeshashes and i was felt so embaressed telling her why...but i felt obligated to confess...and thats probably where the shame began....
unlike most people on here i dont really know how it started...but here i am in my mid twenties having gone through all of my school years being the kid without eyelashes...and as a male...fake eyelashes wernt really an option...it always just felt like there was an ingrown hair spanning the length of my eyelid...and that one day one of those eyelashes would be the one that would relieve the tension....i would pull the magic hair and the festering would stop....
it just got to the point where i didnt really know why i did it....i HATED the fact that i did and the self esteem end of it probably molded
the person i am today.... it just became i thing that i did...i thought it was just a bad habit....something that i may or may not grow out of...adults bite their nails right?
then one day i was like 20...i had managed to do it through my entire adolescence without really being aware of it.....aside from the moments someone would cue into something being off about my outward appearance.....these moments by the way are devastating..i would rather be interoagated by the fbi
it wasnt until i was old enough to grow facial hair....and became obsessed with those off textured hairs that i started looking into whether this may be something more than just a bad habit...
then one day i met a girl...well...a girl worth being with anyway...and like others on this forum i had a reason to try and quit...
the success of which...well...i have stopped long enough for them to grow back
which from reading other posts seems to be a hot topic....will they or will they not grow back...and i can tell your from 15 years of plucking that this detail does not matter....in the time i was plucking i picked up smoking....got addicted to smoking....smoked for 7 years.....and then quit smoking...mine have grown back...but even after plucking for 15 years and growing them back i have relapsed...
so personally quitting and quitting for good should be the main concern...because as it stands im the guy who all through school had none....and now i do.....and then 3 months from now i may not...
i have become more aware when i do it and why i do it....stress is a definate trigger.....though i found that when they are starting to grow back they are short, stubbly...and MADDENING...and they have to go....
i have found that after letting them grow past this point....i am less aware that they are there.....
i have found that if i havent done it in a while....then i find that one hair that has to go...the surrounding area becomes enflamed...creating a sensation that makes me want to pluck the neighbouring hairs...and then it desensitizes the area and making it easier to do so....
basically the longer you go without the easier it is to continue going without....kinda like smoking....eventually you will train yourself to be a non-plucker.....and when i do get an uncontrollable urge....i splash my face with water....and rub my eyes....i guess fooling myself into thinking they are clean....try it maybe it will work....and hang in there everyone you are not alone
me why i didnt have any eyeshashes and i was felt so embaressed telling her why...but i felt obligated to confess...and thats probably where the shame began....
unlike most people on here i dont really know how it started...but here i am in my mid twenties having gone through all of my school years being the kid without eyelashes...and as a male...fake eyelashes wernt really an option...it always just felt like there was an ingrown hair spanning the length of my eyelid...and that one day one of those eyelashes would be the one that would relieve the tension....i would pull the magic hair and the festering would stop....
it just got to the point where i didnt really know why i did it....i HATED the fact that i did and the self esteem end of it probably molded
the person i am today.... it just became i thing that i did...i thought it was just a bad habit....something that i may or may not grow out of...adults bite their nails right?
then one day i was like 20...i had managed to do it through my entire adolescence without really being aware of it.....aside from the moments someone would cue into something being off about my outward appearance.....these moments by the way are devastating..i would rather be interoagated by the fbi
it wasnt until i was old enough to grow facial hair....and became obsessed with those off textured hairs that i started looking into whether this may be something more than just a bad habit...
then one day i met a girl...well...a girl worth being with anyway...and like others on this forum i had a reason to try and quit...
the success of which...well...i have stopped long enough for them to grow back
which from reading other posts seems to be a hot topic....will they or will they not grow back...and i can tell your from 15 years of plucking that this detail does not matter....in the time i was plucking i picked up smoking....got addicted to smoking....smoked for 7 years.....and then quit smoking...mine have grown back...but even after plucking for 15 years and growing them back i have relapsed...
so personally quitting and quitting for good should be the main concern...because as it stands im the guy who all through school had none....and now i do.....and then 3 months from now i may not...
i have become more aware when i do it and why i do it....stress is a definate trigger.....though i found that when they are starting to grow back they are short, stubbly...and MADDENING...and they have to go....
i have found that after letting them grow past this point....i am less aware that they are there.....
i have found that if i havent done it in a while....then i find that one hair that has to go...the surrounding area becomes enflamed...creating a sensation that makes me want to pluck the neighbouring hairs...and then it desensitizes the area and making it easier to do so....
basically the longer you go without the easier it is to continue going without....kinda like smoking....eventually you will train yourself to be a non-plucker.....and when i do get an uncontrollable urge....i splash my face with water....and rub my eyes....i guess fooling myself into thinking they are clean....try it maybe it will work....and hang in there everyone you are not alone
Hi My name is Gemma,
I live in the UK and also have this disorder. I was always shouted at by my parents when i was younger and they refused me help thinking i was doing it for attention! I started when i was 11 by pulling both my eyebrows out and my eyelashes and i don't till this day know why!
I am now 25 and i don't pull out my eyebrows anymore but i have only been able to stop with my eyelashes! Sometimes i can stop for several months and bang i do it again! I have managed to stop for a year before now though!
I have realised that i stop when i am happy and start when im low! But sometimes i dont know im doing it which then makes me frustrated which then leads me to sore eyes and im crying!
No matter how much therapy you have i know it's down to you to stop! Its like quitting amoking you will always have the need but its resisting temptation!
I now wear fake eyelashes which are a blessing in disguise! But im self conscious of going swimming etc as water can tend to make them come off!
Im lucky as i have a boyfriend who accepts me for me but not everyone is the same! People just need to remeber that you are who you are and this is our vice but at least we don't use drugs/violence etc! Its a different form of coping with stress that is all and we shouldn't feel guilty as its out own coping mechanism!
I live in the UK and also have this disorder. I was always shouted at by my parents when i was younger and they refused me help thinking i was doing it for attention! I started when i was 11 by pulling both my eyebrows out and my eyelashes and i don't till this day know why!
I am now 25 and i don't pull out my eyebrows anymore but i have only been able to stop with my eyelashes! Sometimes i can stop for several months and bang i do it again! I have managed to stop for a year before now though!
I have realised that i stop when i am happy and start when im low! But sometimes i dont know im doing it which then makes me frustrated which then leads me to sore eyes and im crying!
No matter how much therapy you have i know it's down to you to stop! Its like quitting amoking you will always have the need but its resisting temptation!
I now wear fake eyelashes which are a blessing in disguise! But im self conscious of going swimming etc as water can tend to make them come off!
Im lucky as i have a boyfriend who accepts me for me but not everyone is the same! People just need to remeber that you are who you are and this is our vice but at least we don't use drugs/violence etc! Its a different form of coping with stress that is all and we shouldn't feel guilty as its out own coping mechanism!
OMG! I THAUGHT I WAS LIKE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD THAT PLUCKS OUT EYELASHES CONSTANTLY! I THAUGHT I WAS A FREAK! I FEEL SO RELEIVED THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY 1 THAT DID THIS! I DONT FEEL LIKE A FREAK NO MORE N NEITHER SHUD NY1 ELSE WHO DOES IT! i just can't stop though...... it feels nice when u pull them out n its turned into a habit. i started wen i was about 6 or 7 n im 14 now.
I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE NOTICE N SAY " OMG! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR EYELASHES?!" n im like NOTHING! n make up sum excuse to run away.
luckily vaseline makes them grow back a little faster so by the time they grow back completely if i dont pluck i might stop COMPLETELY
nyway what is so interestin about whether if someone has eyelashes or not? i wudnt go up to a person n ask them about it.
i bet if they plucked theirs they wudnt ask y mine r missing.
In an art lesson we had to draw each others portraits which included DRAWING THE OTHER PERSONS EYELASHES ON THEIR EYES!
it was horrrible :'( n im a girl n the person drawin me was a boy! n i got worried if he wud tell all the other boys so they all think me a freak :'( then no one wud eva go out wiv me ! LUCKILY i was wearing eyeliner to hide it a little, n i sat as far awar as possible n he dint notice i think..... he did pull a weird face n say "my god!"every 10 mins but he always does that to ppl n i think that was cos he found it hard to draw me lol BUT
I AM GOING TO BREAK MY HABBIT THIS TIME! THANKS EVERYONE! U R DA BEST!
I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE NOTICE N SAY " OMG! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR EYELASHES?!" n im like NOTHING! n make up sum excuse to run away.
luckily vaseline makes them grow back a little faster so by the time they grow back completely if i dont pluck i might stop COMPLETELY
nyway what is so interestin about whether if someone has eyelashes or not? i wudnt go up to a person n ask them about it.
i bet if they plucked theirs they wudnt ask y mine r missing.
In an art lesson we had to draw each others portraits which included DRAWING THE OTHER PERSONS EYELASHES ON THEIR EYES!
it was horrrible :'( n im a girl n the person drawin me was a boy! n i got worried if he wud tell all the other boys so they all think me a freak :'( then no one wud eva go out wiv me ! LUCKILY i was wearing eyeliner to hide it a little, n i sat as far awar as possible n he dint notice i think..... he did pull a weird face n say "my god!"every 10 mins but he always does that to ppl n i think that was cos he found it hard to draw me lol BUT
I AM GOING TO BREAK MY HABBIT THIS TIME! THANKS EVERYONE! U R DA BEST!
I just want to say that I relate to everyone's post here. I started pulling at a very young age because I saw my mother doing it. She always told me that I looked awful without eyelashes but I never had the courage to tell her she did too. My sister used to do it too after me but she quit the habit. She seldom picks her eyes but she has gorgeous lashes. Middle school was the the toughest for me because I wasnt allowed to wear makeup and kids thought I was wierd. I hid it very well through out high school because of eye liner and pencil. But I only got to experience ONCE how it looks to wear mascara. I really did cry when I wore it because I finally thought I was beautiful. Im 21 and still do it. I always blame my mom for this illness but I think I would of still done it if she didnt. I use this 'brow booster' that I got online and it does work. It speeds the growth to about one month. I do believe that this is an illness because I am depressed. I don't have the courage to talk to a therapist because I never talked about my illness to anyone. It's embarassing to me and I don't think anyone would understand. If anyone is actually reading this then thank you for reading and thank you for inspiring me.
oh my gosh, reading this has really helped me out. im from australia and i too suffer - never knew anybody else did it :O
so glad im not alone here
i currently have about 2 hairs on each upper eyelid and half on each bottom :-(
when watching a movie in the dark or lying in bed i will just sit there and pull one itchy one out...then another and so on till i have none , i cant believe how annoyed i am by my habit....its there a word for it??
i hope mine grow back soon %-)
so glad im not alone here
i currently have about 2 hairs on each upper eyelid and half on each bottom :-(
when watching a movie in the dark or lying in bed i will just sit there and pull one itchy one out...then another and so on till i have none , i cant believe how annoyed i am by my habit....its there a word for it??
i hope mine grow back soon %-)