Pulling out your hair can damage the scalp and hair shafts. Patients dealing with this disorder incur hair loss and hair regrowth issues. It affects their confidence and may even require counseling and therapy. But rest assured, as recovery from this disorder is possible in most cases. Keep reading to know what causes trichotillomania and how you can manage it effectively. Patients develop bald patches, which often cause low self-esteem and a feeling of shame. Trichotillomania is also associated with depression and anxiety (2). Hair regrowth can elevate the self-esteem of such individuals and help them feel more confident. What factors contribute to trichotillomania? Let us understand the same in the next section.
What Factors Contribute To Trichotillomania?
While it is not clear as to what exactly causes trichotillomania, a lot of factors may contribute to its development. These include:
Anxiety or trauma, shock, depression Childhood trauma or instance of conflict in the family, abuse, death, etc. Hormonal changes during the age of puberty Self-harm tendencies due to underlying distress
But how do you know for sure if a person has trichotillomania?
How To Diagnose Trichotillomania
Patients showing a few or all of these signs can be diagnosed with trichotillomania (3): The onset of trichotillomania is usually seen in adolescents and young adults. As a lot of these patients often feel shame or embarrassment, they do not talk about the disorder. Trichotillomania in such patients can be diagnosed by keeping a few key symptoms in mind.
Bald spots on the scalp. Broken hair of different lengths and uneven hair volume on the head. Uneven or scant eyelashes. Chewing of hair (in extreme cases). Unwillingness to socialize. Preference to stay indoors.
People with trichotillomania often hide bald spots and stay in denial about the underlying mental health issues that lead to hair pulling. There are many such complications associated with trichotillomania. We have covered a few below.
Complications Associated With Trichotillomania
Delayed Diagnosis
In a lot of cases, patients are often secretive about their habit of hair-pulling. They may also resort to lying due to shame. This can lead to misdiagnosis and wrong treatments being prescribed. The right treatment could get delayed and cause long term skin and hair damage. Only a trained hair specialist can recognize trichotillomania associated with hair pulling with signs like stubby hair, and irregular and geometric bald spots.
Emotional Distress
Hair loss associated with trichotillomania often results in more emotional distress, with people developing body issues and shame.
Hair And Skin Damage
Pulling of hair can result in permanent skin damage over the years. It can also damage the hair follicles and impair the normal rate of hair growth, especially in cases where people pull out hair from private body parts.
Poor Self-Esteem
Teenagers with trichotillomania can have a hard time developing stronger self-esteem and self-confidence. Even slight bald patches can hurt one’s self-confidence at that age. This may even affect their notion of self-worth.
Social Dysfunctioning
People with trichotillomania often become too conscious about their appearance. A lot of them resort to wearing wigs, bandanas, or scarves. This affects their social and work life. Some people also suffer from intimacy issues due to the fear of their partners discovering their habits.
Does The Pulled Out Hair Grow Back?
For most patients, recovering from the mental stress of trichotillomania can be much smoother if hair regrowth occurs and the bald patches subside. Patients must always visit a licensed practitioner who understands the condition better. For the majority of people with trichotillomania, hair regrowth occurs naturally. It may take a little longer, but hair does grow back if the hair follicles are not completely damaged. However, those with broken hair shafts have a higher chance of permanent hair loss. The time taken for hair to grow back may also be higher than normal, especially if they have been pulling hair out for years. In some severe cases, the hair follicles may be too damaged to allow any regrowth. There are several treatments available for trichotillomania. Here, we discuss some of them.
How Do You Treat Trichotillomania?
Trichotillomania is an impulse control disorder. Hence, those with the condition are often prescribed behavioral treatments.
Habit Reversal Therapy (HRT)
Here, the undesirable habit is replaced with something that is not harmful – like journaling or keeping a squeeze ball and working on the triggers.
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Here, the patient is taught how to accept the urges and normally live with them without having to pull their hair out.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Here, patients learn to accept any form of distorted beliefs pertaining to hair pulling. This therapy may help reduce the frequency of hair pulling in patients.
Pharmacotherapy
A doctor may sometimes prescribe pharmacotherapy – which includes a dose of 1200 mg of N-acetyl cysteine to be given twice a day (4). In a study, this treatment had shown remarkable results in 4 to 6 months (5). Doctors may also prescribe medications like serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRI), fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), fluvoxamine (Luvox), clomipramine (Anafranil), paroxetine (Paxil), valproate (Depakote), and lithium carbonate (Lithobid, Eskalith), depending on the case. There are several other useful treatments that people with trichotillomania can follow. Check them out.
Other Treatments For Trichotillomania
The following treatments help improve the physical and mental well-being of patients. Should I shave my head if I have trichotillomania? It depends entirely on you and your condition. However, shaving has been the solution for many individuals dealing with trichotillomania and the problems it causes. Moreover, some people experience pleasure and a sense of rediscovered freedom from the confines of this condition after shaving their head. Can biotin help with trichotillomania? Some people suggest using biotin supplements to help with hair growth. However, there is no proof that it can help you deal with trichotillomania. Does castor oil help with trichotillomania? Castor oil naturally moisturizes and soothes itchy skin. Many people say that the compulsions they experience in trichotillomania are similar to itching. Therefore, it may be able to assist in reducing the symptoms of trichotillomania by getting rid of itchy skin. What vitamins help trichotillomania? According to a study, vitamin D intake not only decreases the urge to remove hair but also considerably enhances hair regeneration, which is sometimes not observed following treatment with antidepressants or other drugs alone. Additionally, vitamin D3 has been shown in studies to promote hair growth (6).
References:
Articles on StyleCraze are backed by verified information from peer-reviewed and academic research papers, reputed organizations, research institutions, and medical associations to ensure accuracy and relevance. Read our editorial policy to learn more. Trichotillomania and Its Treatment: A Review and Recommendations https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3190970/ Trichotillomania and Its Clinical Relationship to Depression and Anxiety https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28429625/ Diagnosis Evaluation and Management of Trichotillomania https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4143797/ Trichotillomania https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2016.15111432 N-Acetylcysteine in the Treatment of Trichotillomania: Remarkable Results in Two Patients https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jdv.13690 Trichotillomania associated with a 25-hydroxy vitamin D deficiency: A case report https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6956975/#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20reducing%20the,analogs%20to%20stimulate%20hair%20regrowth
