Often people who pull out their eyelashes say that one or more of their eyelashes bothers them when they blink. The person feels their eyelashes to find the one that bothers them, which then leads to pulling eyelashes out. Despite the pain of pulling an eyelash out, the person often finds relief or pleasure when they do it. This reinforces the behavior, which leads to more eyelash plucking. Mental health specialists describe hair pulling as an obsessive-compulsive disorder, similar to one that makes someone constantly check on something, count numbers or wash their hands.
There may be a genetic trait for hair pulling, meaning the disorder runs in families. People who pull their hair and lashes may also pick their skin, bite their nails or constantly scratch their skin. They may also have symptoms of depression. Repeatedly pulling out eyelashes will make them grow back more slowly—to the point where they may not grow back at all.
Aside from cosmetically framing the eye, our lashes also protect our eyes from dust, dirt and other substances. People who constantly pluck out their eyelashes may damage the skin of their eyelids, and also have a greater risk of eye injury , scarring or infection. When the physical effects of this disorder are obvious, people may feel shame, lose confidence and avoid social situations.
Also, in the cases of eating the hair, hairballs could lead to digestive tract problems in the long term. With behavioral therapy, people who pull their hair learn specific ways to manage this compulsive habit. They may learn relaxation techniques and how to replace eyelash pulling with a non-destructive behavior. Medications, such as antidepressants and other types of drugs, can help stop hair pulling by reducing depression and obsessive-compulsive feelings.
It was with the help of my therapist that I was able to develop a list of coping strategies to help deal with the urges. These strategies ultimately changed my life. Fidget toys such as spinners and cubes are an effective way to keep my hands busy when I feel a strong urge to pull.
I find pushing buttons to be both helpful and fun, so I have a fidget cube with a whole bunch of different switches and snaps to satisfy the need to put pressure on something that is not my eyelashes. When pulling out eyelashes, normally I use my fingertips to get a firm grip on the tip of the hair follicle. The beauty of Band-Aids is that they make it a lot more difficult to get the grasp needed to pull out the hair.
This trick is a bit more difficult to use right now as frequent handwashing and hand-sanitizing are so important. If it works, it works. In my experience, I tend to pull in the same room at the same time. This includes setting-related triggers like being in the same place at the same time. In order to determine what patterns your trichotillomania follows, Dr. Gill suggests keeping a log. Of course, being around people has been a bit harder due to social distancing guidelines related to the pandemic.
If you feel the urge to pull, FaceTime one of your friends or family members who can keep you accountable even though you might be physically alone. This tip can be a little trich-y see what I did there?
Others can feel powerless to control the urge to pull or blame themselves for not being able to stop. No one knows exactly why some people develop trichotillomania. Stress may play a part. So might a person's genes. People who have other compulsive habits or OCD may be more likely to develop trichotillomania.
Experts think the urge to pull hair happens because the brain's chemical signals called neurotransmitters don't work properly. This creates the irresistible urges that lead people to pull their hair. Pulling the hair gives the person a feeling of relief or satisfaction. The more the person gives in to the urge by pulling and has the brief feeling of relief afterwards, the stronger the habit becomes.
The longer this continues, the harder it is to resist the urge when it happens again. People with trichotillomania usually need help from medical and behavioral specialists in order to stop.
With the right help, most people overcome their hair-pulling urges. When someone is able to stop pulling, hair usually grows back. Overcoming hair-pulling urges may involve a type of behavioral therapy called habit substitution, taking medicine, or a combination of therapy and medicine. In therapy, people with trichotillomania learn about urges. They learn how urges fade on their own when people don't give in to them, and how urges get stronger and happen more often when people do give in.
They learn to identify situations, places, or times they usually have an urge to pull. Therapists teach people with trichotillomania how to plan a replacement habit they can do when they feel a strong urge to pull hair. Replacement habits might be things like squeezing a stress ball, handling textured objects, or drawing.
0コメント