Do You or Someone You Know Suffer From Trichotillomania?

Trichotillomania (commonly known as “Trich”) is defined as “hair loss from a patient’s repetitive self-pulling of hair.” Trich is characterized by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, facial hair, nose hair, pubic hair, eyebrows or other body hair, sometimes resulting in noticeable bald patches. Trichotillomania is classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as an impulse control disorder, but there have been raised questions about how it should be classified. It may at times seem to resemble a habit, addiction, tic disorder or an obsessive–compulsive disorder. This disorder “leads to noticeable hair loss, distress, and social or functional impairment”, and is “often chronic and difficult to treat.”

 Trichotillomania may at times be present in infants, but the peak age of onset is between 9 and 13. It may be triggered by depression or stress and due to social implications, the disorder often goes unreported and it is often difficult to predict accurately its prevalence. The lifetime prevalence is estimated to be between 0.6% (overall) and 1.5% (in males) to 3.4% (in females). Among adults, females typically outnumber men 3:1.

Individuals with Trichotillomania exhibit hair of differing lengths; some are broken hairs with blunt ends, some new growth with tapered ends, some broken mid-shaft, or some uneven stubble. Scaling on the scalp is not present, overall hair density is normal, and a hair pull test is negative (the hair does not pull out easily). Hair is often pulled out leaving an unusual shape; individuals with Trichotillomania may be secretive or shameful of the hair pulling behavior.

While most “Trich” patients will notice the improvement or return of all of their hair by ending the habit, some of those who suffer from Trichotillomania have damaged their hair follicles and must be seen by a qualified physician to discuss further options/treatments. Dr. Parsa Mohebi has seen many patients suffering from Trichotillomania and has helped them one-on-one in deciding options for treatments. Although hair transplantation is in no way the answer to “Trich,” having the option available for those who have previously suffered in the past from Trichotillomania is always an honor.

Please feel free to check out our Official Webpage www.ushairrestoration.com for additional information on the hair transplants and eyebrow transplantation that we offer in our clinic. We look very forward to meeting those previous sufferers of Trichotillomania and hope that those striving to achieve their quality natural looks will now know to look no further than Dr. Parsa Mohebi with US Hair Restoration.