will my eyelashes grow back

I'm 18 and in 6th form (I'm from the UK).
Again, I never realised my compulsive hair pulling was a disorder, I thought I was just wierd! Like everyone at school thinks I am. People are always making comments and I have to pretend they just 'fall out', because they'd think i'm even more wierd if they knew the truth...

My main pulling site is my eyebrows. I'm currently trying to stop! It's sooo hard and I'm not even sure that they'll grow back properly? the growth over the last few days is very patchy!

They will grow back, won't they? I've been pulling for about 3 years.

Then there's the problem of keeping them in trim if they ever DO grow back... is it like alcoholism, once you've given up you can't have a drop or you start to get addicted again? Because I can't never pluck my eyebrows again, can I?

Providing they ever grow back... :-(

Your post was so helpful. I didn't even know there was a word for it. I have a daughter who is 10 and she has picked out all her eyelashes and eyebrows. She's going through a hard transition this year 5th grade, hormones, homework etc. I know it's due to stress and partly my fault. I understand I should lay off of her but I get mad about it also. I just tell her to stop but now I understand she can't. I'm going to try and be more patient and understanding. Thanks for your post and I hope you are doing well. :D

The news posted certainly won't help with the compulsive eyelash picking but it offers a possible solution to regrowth

Eyelash-boosting drug gets FDA panel approval

I am beginning to see a pattern here. My son since has turned 10 and is in the 5th grade. There are a lot of people who say they started that exact same time! My son and I have a pretty good relationship. He talks openly about his feelings to me at times. I do not get angry, but I am realistic about it. I tell him that others DO notice and maybe won't say anything. I told him that he could be viewed as "crazy" or "weird" by peers. He is doing much better since we started having talks about it. He confided that he felt "nervous" before a test at school, even though he knew he was getting an A or B. (the grade was an 89%...B+ when I got it back :-) He said he "caught" himself, and made the concious decision to stop. He admits to having trouble still. I feel optimistic. He is getting insight into "why" he does it. He also has the strong desire to stop. I tell him how much better they look since they started growing back in. He is self concious, saying they aren't as good as mine, but I reafirm that they DO look good and are in progress. They definately are better than before... I love being able to talk to him. PLEASE PARENTS... do not "yell" at them about it. It won't help. They will end up feeling more shameful, with NO solution or understanding of why, and ostersized by their own parents. What could be worse than that? :-D

I have been pulling out my eyebrows and eyelashes since I was 12 yo--I am now 40 yrs old. I have gone to the doctor and have taken many anti-depre drugs to help stop. I cannot stop this terrible disorder. I am a registered nurse in Ohio. I am educated and sucessfull......but I cannot stop this! Will I ever?

Hi everyone. I feel for all of you, I also have been battling trichotillomania for about 12 years now. I started pulling my eyelashes when I was 8 years old and I've gone through so much embarrassment and stress because of it. I've had some good periods, up to a few months, when I can get myself to stop pulling and I feel so much better, but I always go back to it. Right now it's gotten pretty bad and I feel so angry with myself for letting it get to this point. My eyelashes are very thin, there are lots of gaps, and I get styes on my eye lids a lot. I'm considering going for counseling because I've tried stopping so many times and I just can't seem to make myself stop. It's become an addiction and I feel like I need to pull, but I hate myself for doing it at the same time. I have to wear all kinds of eye makeup to try to cover the gaps, but it's getting to hard to completely cover it and I know people can probably tell that something is up. I hate talking about my problem because I feel like people will look down on me for it. I've only ever spoken openly about it with 4 people, but I hope that writing this will help me open up about it more and get the help I need to stop for good. I hope all of you find a treatment that works and you get through this because I know how hard it is to deal with. Good luck to all of you.

I KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS ARE FEELING LIKE!! I too, think I have something wrong. It began when I was about 10, i wore mascara, and i liked pulling my eyelashes out, and clearing the mascara away from them. Then I started to become obsessed, if one eyelash annoyed me, went the wrong way or anything, I would go crazy trying to get it-pulling out all the other eyelashes out in its way. Then I found out the tweezers. I would spend hours just pulling my eyelashes and eyebrows out. I'm trying to stop now, as people have been commenting, "how come you don't have many eyelashes?", and it makes me feel very self-conscious. Does anyone have any advice for stopping? I'm 13 years old now, and I've been trying to stop for over a year, but i just can't! I really am trying now, but some tips would be great.

Thanks very much! It's nice to know I'm not alone!

I never really believed that anyone else had this! I thought it was just me! I'd heard of it-but I never imagined that so many people were suffering from it! I have very few eyelashes-it started just pulling out mascara clumps-then i discovered the tweezers. The minute i spotted an annoying eyelash-i had to get it out, no matter how many other eyelashes i had to pull out to get it. I still pull them out-but not as bad-i got rid of the tweezers not that long ago. I'm 13 years old now, and I'm trying to stop, and I think it is going quite well. I understand what all of you are going through, because it isn't easy.

Any tips on making my lashes grow back quicker? I really don't like having spaces inbetween!
Thanks for all the help, I feel a lot better knowing I'm not the only one! :-P

I never really believed that anyone else had this! I thought it was just me! I'd heard of it-but I never imagined that so many people were suffering from it! I have very few eyelashes-it started just pulling out mascara clumps-then i discovered the tweezers. The minute i spotted an annoying eyelash-i had to get it out, no matter how many other eyelashes i had to pull out to get it. I still pull them out-but not as bad-i got rid of the tweezers not that long ago. I'm 13 years old now, and I'm trying to stop, and I think it is going quite well. I understand what all of you are going through, because it isn't easy.

Any tips on making my lashes grow back quicker? I really don't like having spaces inbetween!
Thanks for all the help, I feel a lot better knowing I'm not the only one! :-P
:-D

I too have this problem and it makes me REALLY REALLY mad and upset whenever i tell myself no, but i end up finding myself infront of the mirror picking at it. It really bugs me that i know i shouldnt do it, i know that its only going to cause me trouble but for some odd reason my hands just seems like they have a mind of their own and just keep picking and picking as i watch and say no no no! I started somewhere around 5th grade too. Its wierd that as i read these posts most of people here start at around that time period. I am now 18 years old and im gradually stopping. I know for sure if you try cold turkey it will not work. I've tried that but all it does is gets you fustrated since its like... making a person who is a heavy smoker quit cold turkey. I had family problems also and my parents always yelled at me and got mad putting me into therapy and had me on medications.. which did not help at all. Im pretty sure it does work for some people, but i've had it for a long time i guess it just has no effects on me.. i had several shots because my mom thought it was allergic reactions also. Parents; if your kid has this problem PLEASE do not yell or bug them about it. Try to help with out putting so much stress and pressure on them.
I have a boyfriend now and we get along very very well. I noticed that since i have been with him i havnt had thoughts about pulling or anything at all. I think once you have something that motivates you enough to quit... you can. If that made sense!
i think the solution to it (well, for me) is that i just didnt have that motivation to stop and i didnt have anything to stop for.. even though i wanted to stop. But now that i have somebody in my life that i want to stop for, i am and yes, i still have trouble when i see or feel my eyebrows or eyelashes growing.. when i feel that fat hair and it kinda pricks you.. makes me wanna pull it out because it bothers me. But i fight with my hands and i keep them busy and my mind off so i dont think about it.

i hope you guys find something or somebody that motivates you thats worth stopping for!!! it really helps ALOT!!

Hey! I am 13 years old and I pull out my eyelashes too. It makes me cry because all my friends and family think it is soooo wierd, but to me its not wierd. I can't stop and I don't know why I do it. Hearing that there are so many people who are going through the same thing I am makes me feel so comforted, like there is someone there for me. I have no one to talk to about it because everyone thinks it is so wierd. My best friend said to my face, "That's just wierd! Why would you do that?" That makes me feel even more discouraged and aren't friends supposed to encourage you to stop a bad habit? There is this one girl at my school and she is the only one who says that it is not wierd and who says that a lot of people go through it. She makes me feel better. We are sort of friends but she is really nice and she is the only one who makes me feel a bit better. Even my parents say that it is wierd and that I need to stop immediately. My friends keep telling me that they are never going to grow back and I know they will they just need time. But I keep pulling them out. Somebody please help me! :-( I don't know what to do anymore. I have had this problem for about two years now and it has gotten pretty bad. Please help me. Write me back and tell me what you think. Please, I am begging. Give me suggestions, please. I need to stop now!

Oh my god! i have the same problem!!!(i am from Greece by the way)well, i have the tedency to pull them out!!!2 months ago, i started pulling my left eyebrow.....i realised it didnt seem nice...so i stopped it! but the last few weeks i started pulling my eyelashes out -.- ouf...they were long and much more! :( next monday i'm going to Belgium on a school trip,....grrrr i dont know what to do!

moreover,,,i've stoped using mascara because my mum says its not good and it makes your eyelashes shorter,,,,,,,

in 3 months its summer! will they grow back?

i dont feel like a retard anymore... ive been plucking for years...mostly eyebrows...then they grew back, and ive left them alone...in recent years, after graduating from college, ive started plucking eyelashes...and finally told my parents about this obsession...they didnt understand it at first, but now, they know its due to a lack of ceratonin level in the brain...my doctor put me on citalopram, its a generic for lexapro..an anti depressant...im not sure if its helping the entire issue...because i am still plucking...does anyone know about a support group in the greater washington dc area? i think that might help...

after reading everyones comments, i feel a lot better... :-D

The urge to pull out eyelashes, brows, pubic hair and other body hair is called TRICHOTILLMANIA and is an anxiety, stress and compulsive disorder. It can begin at a very young age and be hard to stop however you can stop it with a little more awareness.

I have pulled my eyelashes since I was about 5 years old. I am now 33. I have had long periods of times where I had my eyelashes and then all of a sudden I would pull them out. Usually when I am lying in bed thinking about something stressful. I start doing this without even thinking about it. Then after I have pulled a few I realize that I better get a grip. What usually helps me is once I have pulled one I will roll it between my fingers and tell myself if I pull another one, my eyelashes will be gone and my eye will be bald. I usually have a small bald spot by the time I get myself under control and have to cover it up for about two months until they grow back. Two months is a long time. I have noticed that a moisturizing eye drop used while the urge hits helps. Maybe the drops are more of a distraction but it is a different focus than pulling. Also, I have tried to keep them soft with rubbing a light coat of vasaline on them as they start growing back in. The new eyelashes are stiff and I want to pull them out again. It seems to be working.