About eyelashes

Thank you for continuing to take the time to help others. My worry is why I"m not seeing all the lashes grow in at the same time...though I know it's cause I've been pulling them...and for so long...

: (

wouldn't that be ironic...that when I actually want to stop..and try with ALL that I have in me....that they wouldn't grow?

I can't think of that...I will just take it lash for lash...

That reminds me of a line from one of my favorite songs...from one of my favorite groups...The Scientist by Coldplay...

"No one ever said it would be this hard...
Oh take me back to the start.."

wow...those lines really make me sad...wow.

me, I've been attacking the hairs on my legs with tweezers. how about trying there instead of on your head? it feels just as good. well, for me anyway. i've never been an eyelash puller, myself. but i attack my eyebrows on a near daily basis. nothing makes me happoer than seeing little clumps of eyebrows falling. You know what weird thing I do? I leave my eyebrow hairs in books that I read. Down in the spine. So that someday, someone will open up a book and see my little hairs and know "someone was here". and maybe someday in the future they can test the DNA (I know they can do that already, I am thinking back 20 years ago when I started doing this) and find out that it was me and someone will know "Pilgrim was here." and not forget about me.

i have also been attacking the hairs on my legs with tweezers cause thats one place i dont want hair anyways. but i would like my eyebrows and eyelashes to grow in fully like they used to be. i was so much more confident back then. its a never-ending cycle for me..if im lucky ill go a few weeks and i can see a significant difference but then with one stressful day im back to where i started weeks ago. i wish i could stop permanately. i know what you mean about swimming though, i use eyeliner as well but am CONSTANTLY worried about it rubbing off and have to go check in the mirror as soon as anything touches my eyebrows. its like im imprisoning myself. i prevent myself from going certain places and doing certain things because im afraid people will see my lack of eyebrows. i also have to get up much earlier to pencil in my eyebrows and eyelashes, which is a pain. its reassuring to know that im not the only one suffering from this, as i have yet to meet someone in person who i know has it.

I just stumbled upon this page through google... I've been pulling my darn eyelashes out since I was a child of 6 or 7 years old. I'm now 27 and really trying to figure out how to STOP without having to take meds. I hate this. I WANT eyelashes, but as one of you said, at night I almost can't help myself. If I have spare time, I'm plucking. And then I feel a gap with my fingertip and feel guilty and try really hard to leave them alone... distractions and what not. But then once they're all growing back and starting to look healthy and normal, I go and pluck one... and then another one. And yeah, that one seems out of place....and then it starts again. Any thoughts to help me?

Hi
Having suffered with this hair pulling problem for 28 years it was only early this year (in a magazine article) that I discovered that I wasn't alone. I had no idea that so many others suffered. I imangined that by pulling and eating the ends I was providing myself with some magical powers - I know it sounds mad but it was the only way I could rationalise why I did this.
Since discovering there are loads of us I have in the main been pull free. I think what I am struggling with is the habit of putting my hands on my hair now. Another sysmpton of this horrible habit is biting your nails - I to used to bite mine but don't now. One thing that did help me a lot was ensuring my hair was washed daily and kept nice it really did help me. Pluse like those who pluck hair from their legs I regularly shave mine and wax my other bits and this helps and the feeling is as good as pulling your hair. As they say with never give up trying to give up.
I really wish you all so much luck for the future and I hope soon you will all pull free.

Hello,
I have been struggling with this problem for a few years now. Each time I pull out a lash, I tell myself that I will stop. But it never seems to happen. I try to hold onto a squish ball, or make something out of string, but I always seem to pull.
During School, and when I'm bored at home, my hands always seem to be on my eyes. I don't even usually realize a lash is missing until I find it in my hands. I then rub the end of the lash (the white bulb part) on my face. This is part of the sensation that I get. I feel like a freak!
PLEASE HELP ME!

I have been pulling my eyelashes and eyebrows like it's my job for about 8 or 9 years. I am 26 years old now. Every day I enjoy pulling more and more. I love doing it so much that the remorseful and shameful feelings that were so severe after a pulling spree are almost completely gone these days. It's disgusting, I know. I haven't been able to wear mascara for about 4 years now and I spend a lot of time applying eyeliner and eyebrow pencil. Have you ever thought that this affliction tends to affect people (girls mostly) who would be considered by society to be "pretty?" I, like the girl who posted above, have not met another Trichster in person. I am curious to know what your overall image of yourself is. Personally, I feel like I could be a "pretty" girl but I am constantly making myself "ugly" by pulling out my hair. It makes no sense.

I can't understand why I would do these things to myself and why I love it so much (I'm pulling even as I type this). I have been on Prozac for a few years now and it hasn't helped me at all. I went to a Christian therapist to talk about Trich and, of course, she knew nothing about it and didn't bother finding any information upon my next visit. My family tries to help and I have done research on Trich for years now. I know it doesn't stop until you really and truly want to stop. Pray for God to take the desire to pull away. I haven't because I do not want to stop bad enough and would only be wasting His time.

hey. i have a little problem with pulling my eyelashes out. like one of my eyelashes will feel weird and like i want to pull that one out, or something and next thing you know i have pulled out several and then i realize there is a little bald spot where my eyelashes are...so here i have a question...will eyelashes always grow back? cause I WANT looong pretty ones but mine are average looking, and sometimes i just find myself from being stressed out pulling out my eyelashes, i wish i never ever did it once, but now that i have done it, i just cant stop, i have been doing it for about a year and a half now, and i am concerned with the fact will my eyelashes grow back. can someone help me out on this??

Oh yes, its maddening isn't it? I've been at this for the better part of fifty years. Anyone tried hypnotherapy? Something must be possible, its surely embarrassing for a middle aged man! No amount of keeping busy seems to help, all of a sudden there you are with wrecked eyebrows again. Good luck all.

Hi, i suffer from this problem and it does wreck your life! when you do it the brain releases a chemical high so you think its good (mmm we know its wrong though!) i have tried hypnotherapy and it wouldnt work for me as im to strong minded in other ways! i was thinking at one stage to even go live in the bush away from mirrors and stress! for 6 mths, but it never happened, still its not a bad a idea? :)
one thing i have found (even i still suffer with this conplant) is not to stand to close to the mirror! so you cant see any detail in yourself, the other is to take a mind set to train your mind to think "i dont give a f... what they look like and screw everybody else" i have found this can work some times, i do know myself the problems stress/worry/bordem/been to fussy about my appreance, i do my best to try work through each problem. The only time in my life where i was nearlly cured was working 7 days a week 12 hrs a day, had no time for anything so hair grew close to normal, but idle hands are the devils work, these days i spend as much time with other friends (away from a miror) and hobbies, life is better but not normal, still i do feel i can beat this with wisdom and age on my side. Just hope when i decide the time is right? the hair still wants to grow? :)

hey wow theres acually people out there like me .. i have pulled my eyelashes out since i was like 7 or 8 what the heck makes you start and how can you make them grow please help me!! its a habit you know its like a bad addiction i hate it i want long pretty eyelashes : / if anyone has any advise help me

Angus,
I have had this problem since 4th grade. It is so frustrating! After each lash is pulled out, you really get mad at yourself. At times I had NO lashes pretty much at all. I am starting to get better! I sat myself down one day, and said to myself that if I keep doing this, I will soon permantly have No eyelashes. It was hard. But it REALLY does work!

comment back!

I pull and pull and pull! it feels good! one irritates me so I pull it. Then i end up pulling out clumps pulling as hard as i can to see the roots and stick them some where. The mirror is fine. It hurts then it feels good when the give in and come out. I feel horrible go look at myself and cry then try to fill in the spots at 3 in the morning so i can be prepared to cover it up. i scratch and massage the gaps with my fingers, it feels good and weird, but i think it helps them grow back. i have hope. my mom thinks im allergic to some mascaras, and is so proud when the grow back. i was too! they were beautiful! now they are gone. I hope they come back soon. i was using some type of sally hanson maximum growth masacara and if it wasnt my imagination, it helped them really grow in. Yeah! pray for a cure. i do everyday. meds are not for me.

i've been pulling since i was 13,and ive been doin it all morning..people just say well stop pulling then if you don't want gaps but it's easier said than done. I don't want to look like this and have to cover it up.i think it makes me so less confident about myself. I went to the doctors about it, they were like it's probably an eye infection but i took antibiotics and it's still happening..and has been for 5 years.they were all growing back, 3 weeks i hadn't pulled then one evening, bamm they're all gone! i feel like all people will see when they look at me is oh my god,no eyelashes!they aren't,they've got better things to do but i feel so self concious because of it.and ive never met anyone who does this either

I keep thinking of getting false eyelashes but will they work..if there's no lashes to stick them on,what do you do?i find that my eyes irriate me of a night but i only ever seem to pull out the middle lashes...i have both ends just a huge gap in the middle.when i was younger the patches were small but now its half my eyelid.i hate it but i can't seem to stop...if there's no cure..i need something in the meantime to help?anyone used fake lashes before?any recommendations?

ok. Right now i'm 17 years old and i have had this problem since i was in the third grade. It wasn't that bad back then. I remember it got real bad around the 7th grade. Thats the first time i had a bald spot. And thats the first time someone asked me wut had happened to my lashes. I came up with some lame excuse that my younger sisters had put tape on my eye and yanked them out. w.ethe problem escalladed as i went into 8th grade. in 8th grade is when i first took out all my lashes from both my eyes. my mom saw them and grounded me until they grew back. and they did. 9th grade year i really dont remember pulling so much. 10th grade year was the best i had all my lashes and no blad spots. perfect. but as we all know life is a series of peaks and valleys. and i was headed staright for a valley. I started to have pulling sprees more frequently. now 11th grade current situation ... left eye about an inch gap in the middle of my eye ... right eye has more lashes about 15 in the middle .. more covered up than the left. I just had a pulling spree about 10 mins ago. I have tried everything to stop. I have noticed that when i dont do it my eye starts to itch and twitch. i feel them poking through my sensitive skin and as soon as i feel that i get the tweezers and pull it out. And wut a feeling.... as soon as that lash is out i feel such a sensation. The bigger the root the better. I pass my finger through my eyelid and try to feel and small lashes and wait until my eye is irratated and pull pull pull... im scared ... i want lashes but cant seem to have them .... not most guys i kno have this problem... i dont want to go to the doctor or take meds... im not crazy am i ??? i have no will power... i cant even control myslef...im afraid soon my lashes will no longer grow out.... and whn that day comes ... im screwed... if there are any known remedies for this life ruining condition... please email me !!!

I can feel your panic thru the screen. The lashes WILL grow back. Here's what I did when I was going thru it: I put Vaseline on my eyes at night. It seemed to help the urge and itch. Plus, whenever I put my hands on my eyes, it was goopy and reminded me of my goal. This is only a night time solution because you don't want to go around all greasy-eyed during the day. If you are pulling during tv, get your hands busy with a string to tie knots in, or a deck of cards to shuffle, etc., to keep both hands busy.
If you pull with your fingers, try putting some tape on your thumb tips for a reminder, plus it makes pulling almost impossible. If you pull with tweezers, make a deal with yourself that you won't get the tweezers out of the drawer for 5 minutes, or two hours, or until next Monday, whatever you think you can handle. Then get away from 'it' by walking out the door and doing something else that takes your mind off. I don't know how to stop completely - I only know what helped me stop pulling out my lashes. And, no we are not crazy, we don't do it for 'attention' (who WANTS to hear, "What happened to your eyelashes?" I think its stress that doesn't know where else to put itself.

Very reasurring to know about others experiences. I remember my aunt telling me once that eyelash pulling was a sign of mental illness, but I know that that is PURE BULL, and that it's mostly cause by stress (for me anyways).
YOU CAN GET OVER IT.Your lashes grow back and you can finally wear mascara again. No more filling in bald spots with eyeliner.
Although I dont understand, because I've only started to pull 2 yrs ago in grade 9, at around age 15. I think it's because of all the stress I get at school, because on summer break all my lashes grown back and I hardly get the urge to pluck.
Right now one of my eyes is almost completely full grown, while the other is half bald. But I know that if I really want to have beautiful lashes, I have to resist the urge, as hard as it may be.
Good luck everyone!

I am 31 years old and I have been pulling since I was 13. Trich is something I have always tried to hide and been very ashamed of. I am so sick of it. I keep wondering when I will stop. I am a mother and I have a 6 year old and I do not want her to develop it. I feel so disgustingly ugly without my eyelashes and eyebrows. I always have to put on eyeliner and eyepencil as like a "Camoflage" I cant go swimming, just wash my face with people around etc, I always have to look in the mirror and check. I feel like everyone can tell that I am EYELASHLESS. I am so unconfident / selfconscious when I dont have them. When they growback in, I feel so happy - I want to think that I will never pull again but eventually I pull them out again & feel disgusting again. I do not tell my friends or boyfriend. I dont want him to know. I dont know how to explain it. I avoid so many situations in fear of being discovered... I did not take my daughter to the beach once all summer or go with my friends in fear of my makeup washing off when swimming. Why cant I stop? Why has this been happening for so long? I just want to be pull free. I have NO lashes & brows far more than I ever have them. I keep trying therapy, hypnosis, medication - NO LUCK. I use a topical hair growth serum from my dermatologist. I just want to stop pulling. How can it ever stop? It is out of control.

I am a high school student and not sure whether I belong here or not. I have been doing research on Trichotillomania for sometime as my assignment and saw this website. I thought I might help some of you by giving this website info, where I have found some important things about Trich.

"Trichotillomania Learning Center · About TTM & Treatment: Introduction"

I have more websites, but I just don't whether to put it in or not, because I know that all you have done more research than I did.

it's nice to hear that im not the only one with this problem but at the same time i'm sadden to know that other people have this problem. wow everyone is saying how they pull their eyelashes out, well me i do it all from the hair on my head to my eyelashes to my eyebrows. i hate it i feel like a freak. i have to pencil in my eyebrows and i'm no artist so everyone is always saying why i pencil them in. and i always get the same question "why dont you ever wear your hair down?" if they only knew. the hardest part about me picking is noone knows, not even my boyfriend of six years. he tells me that i better wear my hair down on our wedding day. the longest i've gone without hair pulling is two months and one day i said i'm just gonna pull one and that was it before i knew there it was! a bald spot. i always say why me, why do i do this. my confidence has gone way down. i have long beautiful hair but it is always held up by a ponytail. my big brown eyes are covered by glasses cause i wont dare wear contacts and my eyebrows are penciled in. i look like a clown. i hope that one day we can all over come this so good luck to all and i'll be praying for us.

I have been pulling since I was about 8 and 8 years later I still am! I am so sick of this, I just want to stop, I want to be able to wear mascara, I want to be able to go swimming, I don't want to feel ashamed anymore! Does anyone know of ANYTHING that might work. I am open to absoulutely anything! I'm glad to know I'm not alone, or a freak. Trust me I feel all of your pain! I know how hard it is. You just can't stop, and for many of us this problem has been going on for years, and years. You just can't stop. I'm also scared that if I dont stop now my lashes will stop growing permanently! Please someone help me, I don't know what to do!?!

I have found a weird way of stopping myself when I go to pull my from eyes and head. When you find your hand going up or touching your hair,
* tap five times on your forehead, then
* five times on the apples of your cheek (any cheek),
* then with both hands tap the side of your palm with the other hand under your little finger (as if you were doing a karate chop)(five times),
and then the urge to pull has gone. I know this sounds so odd, but if like me you only pull on your own, it won't feel silly. Try it, and see.

Dear Kayla,
I have been pulling my eyelashes for a year now.I hate it.I tried your "weird way" of resisting an urge and it worked!Really,it did.I just wanted you to know that it's not weird.I will do it more often now!Thank you!

Whoops.I meant to say,Dear Jo.Sorry.

I Have Been Pulling Out My Eyelashes For 20 Years. I Started Out On My Head And Then Stopped And Moved Onto Just My Eyelashes. I Guess I Do It When I Get Stressed Out.istopped Trying To Quit Years Ago.

Im glad that its working for you Amy, let me know how you get on with this method.

If anyone else is using my 'weird way' of trying to stop, please write. Im just glad that I can be of some help.

wow. yes i have done this for years. i have found that i have been able to stop when i allow my lashes to grow back to a decent length.. then i see how much better i look and feel and i really don't touch them. of course, i have always relapsed, but i have found lots of ways to get them to grow in the meantime... just to be able to pull them out again =( there is an eyedrop for glaucoma called travatan that spurns eyelash growth very quickly, and i have been using that recently to help them grow (it really works!). i spoke to an opthlalmologist and i used to be an opthalmic tech, so i know there are no negative side effects of using this drop on a fairly regular basis, although i haven't used it for more than a couple of months at at time. once i see the improvements, i cut my first two fingernails on each hand down to practically nonexistent length (hard for a lot of girls but not for me.) i hope that i will able to keep this up long enough so that i will see the results and not pull again. i did this near the end of high school, and i was so happy i didn't pull for nearly 3 years. maybe, just maybe, i can do it again for good...?

I'm middle-aged. That means that I have been around for a looooong time. In all that time, I've not run into anyone with my problem! There doesn't seem to be any help out there for adults. I have found pediatric studies - but nothing for the grups. Maybe it is because there isn't any "pill" for trich? Or maybe because we are so hidden that no one realizes how many of us are suffering in secret? I dunno. ..

Hey Ette - I'm "middle-aged" too (almost 42), but don't feel that way most of the time! I made a recent post to Cody's current post. You should go and check it out. I found this website: www.essentialdayspa.com and all these women are talking about eyelash and eyebrow growth accelorators. I got some the other day at CVS. It's by Ardell and only cost $4.00. I am a controlled puller, so I have many eyelashes, yet they are sparse and thin. This stuff is supposed to stimulate growth, therefore, your existing eyelashes look thicker. You should all give it a try - even if you don't have any lashes! Also, like you, since I found this site, I have not pulled AT ALL. I feel like I owe it to the younger troops out there to try real hard and be an example of hope. Keep your eye on the prize everyone - we ALL want pretty lashes. Also, to Jo from the UK - I tried your "tapping" exercise and I think that motion actually takes the physical urge out of my hands, which makes me feel better about myself and keeps me goal-oriented. Everyone - hang in there. We've come this far...

Melissa from New Hampshire

Thanks Melissa i'm going to check that website out. Ive been doing it about 8 years. My eyes are my nicest feature, but im just ruining them, i want t look pretty and not have to spend about £40 a week buying fake eyelashes. I could have bought so much with that money :S
I'll try that site, i feel if i can just get them back to normal, then i will stop.
Thanks
xxxx

Hi Sarah - I just want you to know that I don't think the women chatting on that website have trich (if they do, they're not saying). Anyhow, most of them have eyelashes - some have outrageously lush lashes and some are like me - sparse and thin. But the bottom line here is that they are all getting eyelash and eyebrow growth from these products. So for those of you out there who don't have any lashes at all - give it try! It can't hurt and it's only four bucks!Be sure to read all their stories. I've been using the Ardell for 3 days now. Nothing new that I can see yet, but I'm not pulling AT ALL either. Another product that they talk about on that site is Dreamlash. They say you can get it at Walmart for $10, but I didn't find it, so I bought it from a website (don't remember what the site it, but they talk about it at essentialdayspa.com). Lastly, there is one more product the women are RAVING about - it's called Lucia Essence and is only available in Japan. The cost is $28 a vial. Again, you can read all the posts and find out how you can get Lucia. There is one women on the site who seems to know A LOT about all these products. Her username is carekate. Read her messages about how she prepares a "cocktail" of various products and applies them. Oh, btw, you have to register to get into the site, but it's free! But, remember: we ALL know how long it takes to start growing lashes again after pulling, so you must be patient; don't expect overnite results. This sure beats what I was looking into a couple weeks ago: something called Lavish Lashes. A salon here in New Hampshire does this and the cost is $300.00!!!! Screw that. But I was hoping that if I had that done, it would help to prevent me from pulling. So,instead I'm going to try these products and will keep you all posted. Everyone have a FABULOUS day!!

Melissa in New Hampshire

Hi Sarah - I just want you to know that I don't think the women chatting on that website have trich (if they do, they're not saying). Anyhow, most of them have eyelashes - some have outrageously lush lashes and some are like me - sparse and thin. But the bottom line here is that they are all getting eyelash and eyebrow growth from these products. So for those of you out there who don't have any lashes at all - give it try! It can't hurt and it's only four bucks!Be sure to read all their stories. I've been using the Ardell for 3 days now. Nothing new that I can see yet, but I'm not pulling AT ALL either. Another product that they talk about on that site is Dreamlash. They say you can get it at Walmart for $10, but I didn't find it, so I bought it from a website (don't remember what the site it, but they talk about it at essentialdayspa.com). Lastly, there is one more product the women are RAVING about - it's called Lucia Essence and is only available in Japan. The cost is $28 a vial. Again, you can read all the posts and find out how you can get Lucia. There is one women on the site who seems to know A LOT about all these products. Her username is carekate. Read her messages about how she prepares a "cocktail" of various products and applies them. Oh, btw, you have to register to get into the site, but it's free! But, remember: we ALL know how long it takes to start growing lashes again after pulling, so you must be patient; don't expect overnite results. This sure beats what I was looking into a couple weeks ago: something called Lavish Lashes. A salon here in New Hampshire does this and the cost is $300.00!!!! Screw that. But I was hoping that if I had that done, it would help to prevent me from pulling. So,instead I'm going to try these products and will keep you all posted. Everyone have a FABULOUS day!!

Melissa in New Hampshire

thanks a lot i will definately have a look, trouble is im into animal rights and i dont agree with using cosmetics which are tested on animals, so i'll have to find out whether or not it is, this could be a hard decision :( Hope you start seeing some results soon xxxxxxxx

I was going to a Chinese healer for over a year, once a week. I never mentioned trich. They showed me the "tapping" thing and it works for a lot on conditions (most of which I forget) like sinus headache, tobacco urge, upset stomach, vertigo. You can tap right between your eyes, between your eyebrows. Do it for awhile, and then tap on the sinus cavity on either side of your face - or both at the same time. Thump with middle finger. Don't be afraid to experiment by tapping on your chest bones, wrists, etc. You won't hurt yourself. BTW, I tried it for pulling this week and it really helped. Thank you for reminding me about it!

Just stop pulling out your hair... What a bunch of freaks.

Alex - guess that makes you a freak too if you're on this website. Loser.

I have been pulling my eyelashes for about a year now and i cant seem to stop even though i really want to and I am 15 yrs old.My mom gets really mad at me and tells me just to stop but, it is not that easy at all. I need to stop so will one of you give some advice?

Hi Heidi - you can read some of my earlier posts about my struggles with eyelash pulling. Please have your mom read my entries too. Also, Mom, I understand your bewilderment. But it doesn't help Heidi at all if you show anger towards her. Support for her, discussion and being non-judgemental will help her. If you would like to respond and I am sure you have many questions, please email me, or respond to this forum. I too was once a 15 year old young girl with this problem. It is bizarre, but now I am 41, still struggling, but controlling it. Take care Heidi, hang in there and try not to pull. Use the "tapping" exercise mentioned by Jo from the UK. IT REALLY HELPS!!! Feel free to email me privately as well.

Melissa

My parents were hard on me too when I first started pulling my eyelashes, and it was only recently that I actually found out there was a name for what we had (what a relief - i'm not nuts). I would cry myself to sleep because I wanted to stop but couldn't, but now I have found a way to at least stop the urge to pull and it seems to be working. I still wonder now 21 years on how it all started, but there is no use in thinking about the past but to try and focus on the future. My 'tapping' method has worked so far, and I have a whole top left lid of lashes and it feels soooooo good.

My parents REALLY knocked me around over my pulling. And there was no Child Protective Agency back then, so I had nekked eyelids and a black and blue rearend, too. Plus a mean sister who assigned herself to the Verbal/Emotional Abuse Committee and would only refer to me as "Eyelashes" or "Turtle eyes". So, I am asking all parents to understand that being strict or mean WILL NOT STOP THE PULLING. We don't know what causes it, and we don't know how to stop. We might find out that it is caused by a chromazonal flaw, or a brain chemical reaction to our childhood immunizations. or mercury in dental fillings. We just don't know. I know I come here to learn about new ideas, and to not feel alone.
And I really hope that the parents get what I am saying.
Your child won't remember the name of every kid at school that teased them about pulling, but you can believe that they will remember how YOU treated them.

Ette - Nicely said. It is true. My parents were either silent about it (recommended by the doctors) or abusive, especially my father. Can you imagine being a little child, not knowing WHY you do this and then being knocked down becuz you do? Talk about COMPLETELY ruining the on-set of self-esteem. I am the mother of a nine year old son and cannot IMAGINE beating on him if he did this (which, thankfully, he doesn't). So, Moms and Dads out there: please be compassionate. Your son or daughter is going through a rough time already - can you imagine how they feel at school and how much they get picked on (like I did)? Be their comfort zone, be the ones they can talk to after a really bad day at school. And I know you love them no matter what. Hey - I should be on Dr. Phil. :)

Melissa

I am shocked and relieved that there are so many others that pull their eyelashes like I do. I didn't know that there was even a name for this until tonight. I see myself in all of you and the experiences you write about mirror my own and give me chills to know I am not alone. I have been pulling my eyelashes and eyebrows since I was about 12 years old and pulled them all completely out when I was a freshman in high school. I don't pull any other hair, just eyelashes and eyebrows. Everyone thought I was a freak, I didn't know why I did it, it just felt good. I told everyone that I used an eyelash curler after putting mascara on and they stuck to it and came out. It took SO long for them to grow back and I found myself pulling them again after they got long enough to grab. I pull with my fingers, never tweezers. I am extremely embarrassed and ashamed of this and no one knows. Even writing this right now feels so weird because I'm being completely honest. I'm so tired of having to lie and try to cover up the huge gaps in my lashes with eyeliner and no amount of eyeliner can make you look normal when you have no eyelashes at all. I always pull at night, when I get home from work and I'm stressed out from a long day and I still have so much to do because I'm a single mother of two. Pretty much the moment I get in the door, the overwhelming feeling of needing to pull begins. It's such a stress reliever and it feels so good. I love to see how many I can get out, and when a whole clump comes out, this high comes over me. I think I do it at night because I'm so stressed out then and I always have mascara on, so the lashes come out so much easier. I usually don't get any out if I don't have mascara on. I get a better grip on them and they come out several at a time. By the end of the day, I can feel the lashes that want to come out, it sounds weird I know, but it's like they're trying to push themselves out and I'm just helping them. It's like a tingling feeling, then I pull them and sure enough they come out and it feels SO much better. Then when I stop my eyes look awful and I cry and get so angry at myself. I feel so stupid and ashamed that I don't just stop, because now I look so bad. I'm 24 now and I pull every day, but I haven't pulled them ALL out since that time that I was a freshman in high school. That was so traumatic to not have any lashes and be made fun of so much. I swear I'd never do that again. I pull every day and I get a few out of both eyes and then I stop...only because no more will come out. So my lashes are just thin and sometimes bald in spots....easily concealed with mascara and liner though. It's been getting worse lately though all of a sudden and I've been pulling harder and harder. I've had some bigger gaps in the last few weeks. Now tonight, I just pulled them all out...every last one. I've been really stressed out lately and I just kept pulling until there was nothing left. I just zoned out and it felt good while I was doing it, it relieved the stress. Then it was over and I was even more stressed and my heart was racing...I was thinking, "Oh my God, I can't believe I just did that, what the hell are you thinking?!" It was a temporary escape for a few moments, with a long term effect now. How do I even go to work Monday looking like this? It was one thing when I was 14, but now I'm an adult and it's ten times as hard to have to face everyone like this. In my job, I see dozens of clients everyday, not to mention all my co-workers and everyone else. I got online to try to find false eyelashes and I came across all these websites talking about trichotillomania, I had no idea that there was a name for this and I truly believed that I was the only one on earth who struggled with this. I have to stop, this is ridiculous. It's just so overwhelming and in the moment I'm not thinking about the consequences, I'm just thinking about the feeling I'll get from it. I even pull my kids lashes and brows, not to the point where there's any noticable difference though. Just to get any that are "on their way out", you know, the ones that come out easily when you just pull gently once. Right now, I am vowing to myself to stop this. I don't want to do this anymore, and I don't want my children to develop it. I've got to find an alternate way to relieve my stress and feel good. I also think that if I wash my mascara off right when I get home, I won't pull it off and a bunch of lashes with it. I'm also going to try the tapping thing. I was reading that trich is thought to be associated with obsessive compulsive disorder, and maybe that's true. I don't think I'm OCD, but I've had people joke about it with me sometimes because I am so particular about organization, hand washing etc. and I'm a perfectionist. I've read about OCD though and I don't do things to that extreme. Maybe I do have it and it's just a mild case, I don't know. I've also been cracking my knuckles since I was little, because I saw my Dad do it. I've tried to stop that and I can't, it hurts if I don't. I don't do it under stress though, I just do it whenever they feel like they need to be popped, which is usually several times a day. Anyway, I just want to say that I've learned a lot tonight and feel somewhat better knowing there are people out there struggling with Trich too. I also found the eyelashes that I set out to find and they'll be here in a couple days. Then I guess it's just a waiting game for my real lashes to grow back. I'm not pulling anymore. I think if I say it outloud and write it here too, it'll help me keep my promise to myself. Being honest with myself and putting my feelings and thoughts into words has helped me face this problem. Now I just have to do the work to overcome this disorder. I wish you all the best of luck in overcoming it as well and thank you for your openness as you all have opened my eyes. I want to have long, thick lush eyelashes and I'm on a mission to get them and keep them. I'll keep you updated on my progress and I'll be praying for us all to have the strength, determination, and self control to beat this. God bless.

Shannon, you are SO obviously a fine, caring, expressive, intelligent and honest person.
I hope lots of people around you realize it - and that they wouldn't care if you pulled your very last hair. That said, we all are trying not to pull, and all have had to face the music (Monday mornings at work/school) when we go too far. I do hope your Monday (and the rest of the week) go just fine.

Hi.

This looks like a really helpful site. Please may I ask a bit of advice?

I know about the itch of the eyelashes BEFORE they get pulled, but has anyone who has gone pull-free found that they itch because they are growing back?

Also, has anyone ever decided to have them checked out by a doctor/optician and was that helpful? (I know that might feel really scary.)

Thanks

lil, I have gone pull free on eyelashes for long times. I found that putting vaseline on my eyes (at night) soothed the itch and urge, and every time my hand went to my eyes I felt the vaseline, and that reminded me of my goal. They grew back faster, too.

P.S. I have thought of a new phrase for us: "Pullers Remorse". No one else could know what pullers remorse is - except us. Maybe I'll write a book about trich and title it that?

That's a good suggestion. Thanks for your advice Ette!

I've (sadly) been a smoker for a large part of my life, but I was watching a bunch of people puffing away on their cigarettes at the bus stop yesterday, and I thought 'Now THAT REALLY IS seriously weird. Pay hundreds for the pleasure of something you can almost bet on will shorten your life, and will make you smelly with yellow teeth and a wrinkly mouth.'
But lots of people smoke. It's in the media. The government charge a tax on it. Hair pulling may be largely secret and misunderstood, and people that don't understand it often react in stupid and hurtful and unhelpful ways.
But in reality, hair pulling really is not that uncommon (with prevalence rates not dissimilar to anorexia, which I bet everyone has heard of) and frankly, compared to the other things as people we do to our bodies, not even a hundredth as dangerous.

It's just crazy. I'm the most normal 17 year old kid you could meet, likes football, plays sport, works in school, has loads of mates but I just have this one problem and its killing me. People say you can pinpoint a moment when the self-harm started, I don't think I can. I now know there are people out there like me, I just haven't met them as we like to keep ourselves well hidden.
I've been doing this for 7 years and just want to let go. I thought I had conquered it a year ago but in the past couple of weeks I've been through a pulling spree and it's worse than its been for years. I used to think 'I can't wait for when I'm 18 so I have enough will power to conquer this' but as my 18th birthday approaches there's no sign of fleeting pulling, infact it just got worse.
After reading everyone elses comments it seems as though I am to be burdened with this my whole life, or does anyone know of anyone who has stopped pulling for good?
I've just bought Abby Leora Rohrer's book on stopping, I pray it will work. Going to keep my head down for a couple of months and just work for my exams. Hopefully in that time they will have mainly grown back if i can get over the prickly stage without pulling.

David, We people who write in this site are the ones who haven't completely (or at all) stopped pulling. People who have stopped pulling would, therefore, not visit this site. I don't know if there IS a site for people to write "Hey, I used to pull out my lashes/brows/hair but I don't anymore." You are just reading one side of the story.

I personally stopped pulling out my eyelashes in the 9th grade and haven't pulled them out since.

They grew back and, actually, are so long and pretty that they now bring too much attention as I am still self-conscience about having any comments made about my eyes. I had been lashless for nine years until I stopped. I stopped because I made myself - because I wanted to be beautiful - and I had a best friend to cheer me on.

However, I did start pulling my hair out throughout my 20's. And still do, although not (now) enough for anyone to notice.

You have a lot on your plate, and I have read that trich sufferers are often overachievers.

Don't start labeling your future "DOOMED".
You are an individual, not a statistic.
Besides, the "statistics" say that many adolescents stop pulling in adulthood.

UPDATE: I haven't pulled AT ALL for 2 weeks now, since I wrote for the first time on this website. My lashes are growing back and they're about half the length they were, but sparse. It's going to take a month or two for them to completely fill in thick again. I see new lashes budding through every day. I had a real life changing experience...the night I found this site and discovered that others do this as well. I made a vow to completely stop and I'm sticking to it. I hate how I look without lashes and that's what is giving me the willpower to stop. I've been so self-conscience the last couple weeks and I don't like it at all. I am focusing on my job, my children and exercising to keep me on track. I'm determined to have long, thick lashes and then leave them alone! There is hope everyone, hang in there! I'll keep you posted.

wow...this has been really interesting to read some of these comments...tonight was my first night looking into this habit of mine...it's really weird...and i always thought that i was the only one cause i never saw anybody ever pull out there eyelashes...but my eyelid will get irritated and i pull out an eyelash and it feels great and i'll pull another one when the irritation comes back and i'll keep pulling and i like to look at the little white end...but sometimes it's just a little black bulb (why is that?)...like right now i have this gap in my right eye where i've pulled tonight...i'm a little self conscious about it but i have little bitty eyelashes (probably because i've been doing this for so long) but what really is the cause of this...i've heard that it's stuff like mascara but i don't wear any make-up...what is it, and why do i do it?

I have been traveling the internet and found a couple of interesting sites: www.stephiesmith.com. She has trich and has some good thoughts, she recommends an excellent false eyelash glue, and has a link on her site for www.trichotillomania.co.uk. You fill out a questionaire, you can find a trich-buddy your age, and learn not to pull - while not beating yourself up for set-backs. They are saying that you CAN learn to be permanently pull-free. David, there ARE sites where people write about beating trich - and nearly 270K people have visited it!

Hi, I am 11 years old and have been pulling for about a year and a half. I have almost fully grown my old beautiful eyelashes 5 times and I always pull them all out in a week or so afterwards. If you have some ideas to stop please email me with them! Also I have worn mittens and they do help until you don't have them and start again!

To Make It Stop, the site I found last night is: www.trichotillomania.co.uk. There seem to be a lot of good ideas there. I don't know anything about these people other than they are in the United Kingdom, and they are offering practical advice on stopping. I am going to go check it out again - and see what kind of advice they are giving parents, kids, and adults. ..I can't see any harm in trying them out. They want a questionaire filled out about how often you pull, from where, and what seems to set pulling off. I can tell you what has worked for me. I have used this technique to break other bad habits, too. Instead of telling myself that I'm not going to do (fill in the blank) anymore, I say to myself. "I don't do it". "I don't. I don't". I don't". It seems to give me more willpower than saying "I WON'T do it anymore". I can convince myself that I simply DO NOT DO IT. I do lots of self-talk. "ME!!? I don't DO that! I do not. I'm offended! I do NOT do that!." (I know it sounds silly.)

I am 35 years old and I am an eyelash puller.... I started when I was 13. I stopped for about 4 years and had really pretty long lashes, but recently I changed jobs after a very stressful Christmas and before I knew it my eyelids were virtually bald! I feel so sick about it and I don't even want to go out of the house! I feel like everyone is looking at me, but are too polite to say anything, but I can tell by the look on their faces. I read somewhere in the above posts that a lot of you consider yourselves to be relatively pretty, and I think I would be too, if I could keep my lashes! I feel so ugly and self concious! I bought fake lashes the other day, but they seemed to look even more ridiculous than having none at all! They looked so obvious... I am absolutely heart-broken about this all...My boyfriend doesn't understand, he just thinks it's wierd.

I was doing a google search for an answer to whether eye lashes grow back when i came across the word "trichotillomania." I had never heard of that word before and decided to look it up. "Disorder characterized by compulsive hair or eyelash pulling." I then did research on it and found this website. In elementary school, at the age of about 10, I had a bad habit of pulling out my eye brow hairs. I had thick eye brows then so the hair-less patches were easily noticeable. My mom noticed these patches and freaked out. She didn't want other people noticing, so she started covering it up with eyeliner at times and on school picture days. Frustrated with my habit, she decided to tightly wrap a bandanna around my forehead to stop me from touching the area. I wore it for a month or so and my habit went away. But it was in 6th grade where I found a new area to obsess over. I remember sitting in back of one of my friends and noticing her pulling her eye lashes out. I told her to stop, that she didn't want her eyes going bald. She told me she couldn't help it. Four months later, I started playing with and tugging out my eye lashes as well and understood how she felt. It was exam time, and I remember I pulled out so many that part of my eye was bald. I never liked wearing eye make-up, but stole my mom's eyeliner in an attempt to cover it up. I felt embarrassed and didn't want anyone noticing. But I liked pulling them out and looking at how long they were and then rubbing them between my fingers. I started doing it in class without noticing, during which my friends started to ask me why I did it so much. My best friend hated and still hates seeing me do it. She said it looked nasty and weird seeing the skin of my eye being stetched that far. I told her I couldn't help it, that my eye lashes "itched." She didn't understand, probably because there's just no word to describe the feeling. Reaching adolescence, I really want to stop. My eye lashes were known for being long, black, and thick, and I was always complemented on them. People always ask if I'm wearing mascara. I remember always being yelled at by my dad and accused of wearing make-up, and when I'd wash my eyes to prove I wasn't, he'd tell me he wasn't dumb, that I had the "water-proof kind off of the tv." Now I regret starting this habit in the first place and imagine how my eye lashes would be if I hadn't started. My mom always told me that people put on fake lashes for eyes like mine and never understood why I couldn't control myself. But the problem is, I do it without noticing. My mom and friends tell me when I do and when I realize it, I stop. Reading that continual disruption of the hair follical may cause permanent hair loss and thiner hair really freaks me out and gives me more of a reason to stop. I was completely surprised when I randomly found out this was an actual condition. My friends always thought I was weird for pulling out my eye lashes, especially since girls usually wish for more. Reading other people's stories made me feel.. fuzzy? inside. It felt so weird suddenly discovering I've had a condition all these years and that other people have been doing and feeling the exact things I've been. I always thought it wasn't that big of a deal, that I just did it when I was bored or while studying and that I could stop if I really wanted to. Now trying, I realize it's not that easy. I'm going to try Habit-reversal training, a treatment I found while researching trichtillomania. It states, "The patient should institute competing responses. The competing response should be incompatible with hair pulling (e.g. making tight fists and holding for 2 mins). I already have been trying to stop and when I'd have the urge to pull my eye lashes, I'd push them up with my fingers instead, kind of like what an eye curler does. It doesn't make the urge go away completely, but it helps. I'm glad I found this site, and I'm really thankful for all the people who have posted their stories. I know I'll eventually stop, I'm just afraid that by the time I do, I won't have any eye lashes to save.

Yes, they will grow back, even if you have been pulling for decades and decades. This site is full of people who know what they are talking about. I found this 'paper' by a moron-doctor from Korea, Chull Wan Ihm. According to this duffus, we are all permanently hairless in every place we've ever pulled. It is obvious that he doesn't know what he is talking about. I'll stick here, with people who DO know what they are talking about, and will try the new suggestions as they come in.

Hey fellow pullers. Listen I've been struggling for as long as I can remember. Hair, eyelashes still not all good, but everyday is a new one and I have gone for periods of 12 months or so. I think the secret is, get out of routine. Do something different, I travelled, yes lucky, but I also met new friends and did different things and my mind was there looking forward to the next day, not on that moment lying in bed. Word of advice though, your eyelashes will be stunted if you continue. I have a spot on each eye now where the eyelashes have stopped growing and have remained stubby. Look after yourselves.

a little advice about stopping the awfull pulling on the brows and the lashes set your mind on something else that is what i did when i had habbits like that i am 10 years old now .i wish all of you people can fight through this awfull habbit like i did

My Fellow Trichsters,

I think the best "cure" for Trich is to come to this site and read all of the heart breaking messages every day. I haven't found anything else that lessens the urge to pull more than reading about other people's personal struggles with this. Add your own story and when you are on the verge of a spree come here and read about how hopeless, helpless and ugly pulling makes you, and others with Trich, feel. I'm so thankful for the person who started this thread. Everytime I start to pull, I think about the person who posted "I can feel the panic through the screen ..." That small sentence really put this problem in to perspective for me. And I think about the desperation in these posts. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Be patient when you are waiting for regrowth. It won't happen over night ...

"If you are struggling according to God's will, keep on doing what is right (i.e. not pulling) and trust yourself to the God who made you for He will NEVER fail you." - 1 Peter 4:19

I just realized that I have been plucking and playing w/ my eyelashes for years. It seems to calm me down and distract me from stressors. I do not pluck until there all gone but some times they look wierd and will have to put extra mascara on one. I'm trying to figure out if this is a disorder. It's like if I see one going in a different direction or a thicker texture I feel the urge to play with it and sometimes I will tug. If i see someone else w/ an eyelash out of place I will want to play w/ it. Is this a mild form of Trich?

UPDATE: I was really proud of myself up until two days ago when just out of nowhere I pulled loads of lashes from my top left lid. Im really angry with myself because I was doing so well. I am going to keep on trying because I KNOW that I can do it. Is it me or does stubby lashes want to make you pull even more?

To Jo-UK,

Congratualtions on holding off on the plucking as I know that is quite difficult!!!
Yes, I too find that when the stubbys grow in they are usually thicker and do not blend well w/ the other lashes therefore you wanna tug.

Dear Courtney, I have wondered about some of the things you mentioned. Like whether there are celebrities who have to have special make-up artists to hide their pulling sprees. I suspect that there are. After all, being famous IS stress. We are always reading about (famous) anorexics, drug/alcohol addicts, ragers, and all the other ways the celebs mishandle their stress. Maybe no one famous has confessed about trich because it is just too embarassing and rare. Which is kind of funny, really, since famous people will confess to ANYTHING (stuffing gerbils up their butt?), but no one will talk about trich. Maybe it's because the admission would go something like this: "I pull my eyelashes out". Q: "Why?. A: "I don't know why." Q:"But, why do you do it?" A: "I don't know. I just can't help myself. I get this overwhelming urge. I can feel it. It wants to come out. It tingles, it feels loose, thicker, coarser. I want to look at the bulb. Rub it on my lips. Save it. Then, another lash feels just exactly the same way. It has to come out. Right now. Another. Another.
Oh, look what I've done. A gap! Now I have to pull them all." Q: "Alrighty, then. I just remembered! I have to be (anywhere but near you)". And THAT, girlfriend, is why you never hear about trich.

I hate mirrors. I need makeup to survive. I feel like I'm stuck in a whirlpool and everytime I try to pull myself out I go right in the middle again. I have stubs for eyelashes, basically my eyes are covered with eyeliner. I have bald spots and small eyebrows covered with eyebrow pencil. I feel so disguisting all the time and I'm trying to recover. When I'm not pulling my lashes, out comes the hair. I need help, no one can do this alone. I want to wear mascara again, I hate eyeliner. I hate looking around a room and being the only one with a problem, hopefully, I'm not alone.

I’ve been pulling my eyelashes since I was 11 and I’m now 22. It’s very strange how it started because I remember sitting in class one day in the 6th grade and I began playing with my eyelashes and something felt good about that. After that I kept on and on until I began to pull them. I feel like I relate so well to everyone who has posted. I have good days and bad days. I definitely pull more on days when I’m really stressed. I get these urges to pull and when I finally give in I feel really relieved for a few minutes and then when I begin to look in the mirror and I see what I’ve done I begin to hate myself. I feel like I’m apart of a never ending cycle. I’ll go for a while and they’ll grow back enough that I can cover most of the gaps with mascara but then something will happen or I’ll begin to feel stubble poking through and I’ll try to get to those but while trying to get to those I end up pulling the others out too and cause these big gaps. I’ve found that the little stubble that grows in bothers me worse than anything because I generally don’t want to pull the lashes that look fully grown but the little stubbly ones drive me crazy and I just feel like they have to come out. I’ve been reading the posts on here for a while and I’ve tried some of the techniques that have worked for other people and they just don’t seem to work for me. I thought maybe if I actually come out and talked about how I felt that might help. It’s embarrassing for me to talk about this with my friends and family because they just don’t understand. My mom thinks that I stopped pulling a long time ago and it’s pretty easy for me to hide it from her because I go to college away from home and now I feel like I can’t talk to her about it because I’ve hid it from her for so long now. I just want to encourage everyone to keep trying and thank you all for your posts and helping people like me not feel so alone.

I have been reading everyones postings. I started sometime back in elementary school. I remember people asking me if my lashes were real because they were so long. I used to pull them out to show them they were real. I have found that by pulling one, it can cause a chain reaction almost like setting off or triggering an attack (as I refer to them as). To me, one is irritated/hurting and the only way to make it stop or feel better is to pull it out, but then others get pulled and then they begin to hurt, or one gets turned into your eye and before you know it... Bald Spots! Over the past many years, I have found some things that help me to keep from pulling. As soon as I feel "An Attack" or irritation coming on, I wash my face and remove all makeup. I have anti-histamine eyedrops that I use (they are o/c at most drug stores)I forbid myself to rubbing or touching my eyes. If they are still irritated, I have tried vaseline or neosporin with the pain reliever. I have found that if I do this at the onset, I usually have very few casualties. I can go many months to years without an episode that resorts to the eyeliner filling in the gaps. I try to stay away from mascara if my attacks are frequent. I find that if I don't act promptly, I am usually faced with that run to the mirror to see what damage has been done. I had never come across anyone else that suffered from this* and like most of you, I found this site beneficial. However,about 10 years ago, I found my biological mother, and discovered that she too suffers with this. I have two sons, and guess what, my oldest, now 13, is doing the same thing. I contribute my problem to be related to #1, allergies, #2 stress/nerves, and #3 hereditary(inherited).

Hi Everyone! I have an encouraging update! I haven't pulled now since pulling all my lashes out on Feb. 10! Over a month has gone by and my lashes are finally grown back completely! There aren't any gaps and they're thick and pretty long! They'll just keep getting longer now. It's been a really rough last few weeks, but I feel like I'm past the most difficult time. I hated the stubs and it's been a real struggle not to mess with them. When they started to grow back, some grew in faster and thicker and my eyes looked weird with patches of stubs and patches of baldness. I had to use a lot of eyeliner and I have avoided letting anyone get too close to my face so they wouldn't notice. I have been extremely self-conscience though and every time someone made eye contact with me, I just knew they noticed and were thinking, "What's wrong with her eyes?" It's SO good to feel confident and beautiful again. It's so nice to put mascara on and see beautiful, lush eyelashes again. That's what gave me the strength to stop...focusing on the outcome. I kept focusing on how awful I've always felt about myself after I pull. Finding this site that night, pouring my heart out, and really being honest about this problem is what changed everything for me. I finally knew that I wasn't the ONLY ONE ON EARTH suffering from this. I had always felt that way...so different, so weird, so ashamed. I don't want to EVER feel like that again. I just have to be stronger than the urge and be IN CONTROL of my behavior. Every day is a struggle, but I am determined to beat this! I have found other outlets for my stress, healthy ones, like exercise and I'm taking a dance class now too. I am really focused on my career and my children and our future. I only want to focus on things that are going to be positive, not detrimental. Life is too short. I just don't have time to pull and I don't want to. I want to keep feeling good about myself and not go to that dark place anymore. When I feel like I need to pull, I come to this site and read what I wrote that night in February and everyone else's stories too. It helps me maintain my strength and remind me of why I can't pull anymore. A lot of great things are happening now as my whole outlook has changed. I just got a major career advancement and we're moving! I also just bought a brand new house, it's still under construction and will be done in May! My children are SO excited and this is an absolute dream come true for us. Also, my 6 year old son was just accepted into a phenomenal new charter school! He and my 3 year old little girl are thriving and so happy! I want to provide the best life for them and give them the BEST OF MYSELF as the mother they deserve! I have become my own best friend and it feels great to hold myself to a higher standard and just do my best with what I have. We all can do that, it's just a matter of finally wanting to change and taking the first big step. I was never ready before and you really have to be ready...TRULY FED UP and DETERMINED to change the pattern. Finally admitting to myself that my pulling was a REAL problem was the first step. Then you have to find what works for YOU, what's important to you and how bad you want it. Here is something I read everyday that I thought you all might like too:
What will today bring?
This is the beginning of a new day.
It is mine to use as I will.
I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is important, because I'm exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever...leaving in its place something I have traded for it.
I want it to be a gain, not a loss.
Good, not evil; Success, not failure.
In order that I shall not regret the price I paid for it - Because the future is just a whole string of NOWS.

Make every day count!

Here's to a life-changing 2006!

God Bless,
Shannon

Shannon, your update was great inspiration! I caught the tailend of some talk show yesterday - something about a man who has started a trend for people who are keeping secrets. The person with the secret can tell it, anonymously, and get it off their chest. Something about sending a postcard somewhere. But, the part that got my attention was this: The man said that, when people keep a secret about themselves, they feel that their loved ones don't really love them because 'they' don't know the 'real me'. He said that, by releasing that secret to another human being, without fear of being rejected, allows healing to begin. Right away, I thought of this site. And how coming here and being honest about trich has helped me beyond words. Like most of you, I cannot discuss this problem to outsiders. Total loss of credibility (professionally and personally), and rejection combine to make even hinting at trich to a doctor or friend impossible. I can't tell you how much it means to me to know that I am NOT all alone. I really enjoy reading of each of your victories. I guess this is our version of the anonymous postcard. I feel blessed.

hey... i'm not in very good condition trich-wise right now and if anyone has advice for me to stop my problem, i'd love to hear it.

Hi, I am 20 years old and I have been pulling my eyelashes out since I was 11. When I was growing up I always thought that I was the only person that did this but now I see that Im not/wasnt alone. There were times when I was younger that people would constantly question me about not having any eyelashes and it would literally get on my nerves and make me feel like I was different than the other kids. But I have always had confidence in myself even though I don't have eyelashes but I want them so bad because I feel as if having some will make me feel complete. I always tell myself that I will let them grow but once I actually start to let them I start to pluck them out again. Lately Ive been trying a product by Talika that helps you grow your lashes back. Its a gel-like substance that you apply like mascara twice a day. It only cost like $20. It works but its a really slow progress but it does help the eyelashes grow faster. Have any of you tried wearing false eyelashes? If you have I would like to know how you felt wearing them and would you just prefer to let yours grow instead?

I have worn false lashes before and I didn't get on well with them as it felt like I had two catepillars on my eyes so now I just stick to wearing lots of eyeliner and dark eyeshadow as it covers the fact I have little lashes.
I think us trichsters would be fabulous make-up artists, as we have taught ourselves to cover such things, like having no lashes.
I have just bought some Talika over the internet, and will update you on my progress.

I actually want to be a makeup artist for movies when I'm a bit older... because I've learned every possible way of making it LOOK like I have eyebrows and eyelashes... even thought it's just makeup.

Like everyone else on this site, I had no idea there was a name for this disorder and I felt like the only one who suffered from it. As someone else mentioned, my mom considered this to be a "bad habit". It all started one day when I was about 7 or 8 (I'm 19 now) and my mom had driven me to McDonald's to get a happy meal and I was sitting in the back seat of the car. I had this urge to just pull out my eyelashes and see what it looked like. I have no idea why or what caused me to do such a thing, but I did.. and outcame my long, pretty eyelashed on my fingers. I looked into the mirror once I got home and realized I had the bald spot I imagined in my mind. I was mortified because I knew my mom would notice and she would KILL me!! Surely enough, she noticed. She was talking to me and then all of a sudden in the middle of her sentence, she squinted her eyes and leaned closer to me and asked me what the hell I had just done to myself and practically panicked. I continued to pull and every once in a while, she'd catch me and scold me for doing it. I remember the tone in her voice when I withdrew my hand knowing she had just seen me. "Were you pulling out your eyelashes again? ... Don't lie to me..." I was so ashamed of myself, yet I loved feeling the new, stubbly eyelashes grow in and I'd just have this urge that I HAD to pull them out because they were out of place or "didn't look right". A year or two later, I finally started lying to her so she wouldn't scold me. I never actually told her I stopped pulling, though. She'd just ask me if I was pulling them out and I'd simply reply with a "No". She would always look at me and examine my eyes and say things like, "I guess your eyelashes just won't grow anymore... you must've damaged the root... I wonder if there's any surgery to help implant something." I usually wouldn't say anything. I still pull to this day, and I could NOT tell my mom I have been all along or she'd be so disappointed in me and think I'm a freak. I still have eyelashed on the outsides of my eyes and very little toward the inner side. The gap is very large and noticeable, so I am very self-conscious about going out in public or even around friends without eye makeup. Eyeliner became my best friend many years ago. Again, like many other people on this site... I am horripilating from reading the things you guys have posted here. I am sitting here thinking, "Wow, that's exactly what I've gone through" or "I know what he/she is talking about!". It is such a relief knowing I'm not alone. I want long, pretty eyelashes like my mom so I can wear mascara, and for days I don't want to wear eyeliner and mascara... I can just walk out the door and feel like me--confident. Thank you guys so much for having this website here. The success story I read above makes me feel like I do have potential even though I have the urge to pull. My mom lost all of her hair when taking chemo for breast cancer and everything grew back except the armpit where her right breast was removed. Her eyelashes look as long and pretty as ever and to be honest, they were the first thing that grew back along with her eyebrows. I've been told that I have really pretty eyes, but I think to myself... if only they can see them without this eye make-up.. this eyeliner I use everyday to conceal the oddity caused by my psychological disorder. I wish you all good luck in prevention of pulling. Please wish me luck as well. I'm seriously going to try to keep my hands away from my eyes (as many times as I've told myself this before), but at least I know now that my eyelashes CAN grow back to full length. I have something to motivate me. Thanks again. =)

OMG IAM SO HAPPY THAT I HAVE FOUND PEOPLE LIKE ME!!! iam nealry 17 years old and i have been pulling my eyelashes out since i was 6 years old.....i have always been picked on for pulling them out....i ended up really depressed..i couldn't go anywhere coz everyone would notice and say something...i even felt like killing myself...but i new that was just stupid..i hate it when people get to close to my face...i have no respect for myself at all......i pulled my lashes out for about 10 years now...and last year i started pulling out my eyebrows..so i had to pencil them on...one day in class last year i had to speak infront of my class and a boy said to me infront of everyone? what happen to your eyelashes and eyebrows? everyone look that them she has none and she pencils her eyebrowns on....and everyone was laughing..i had never felt so imbarrassed in my life..i didn't come to school for a week..i just cried and cired i HATED myself...i thought i was the biggest freak in the world....i have tried soooo many times to stop but i never do....my eyebrows have actually grown back alot and i don't pull them out anymore..but i still pencil them on abit coz they havn't grown back fully. at the moment my eyelashes have grown back abit...and i have told myself that this time..i WILL NOT PULL THEM OUT!!! iam going overseas to see family in 5 weeks and i want them to be fullygrown so i can show my sister that they are back...and i want her to be proud of me..im giving it my all and i reckon i will finally have them back.

I've always plucked my eyelashes at some stage of my life I'm so over it i just wish i could find or do something to make them grow back faster my little girl said why do you look strange with no eyelashes where have they gone i felt sick on the stomach i don't look at people cause i don't want them to look at my eyes what can i do to make them grow faster

i hate myself. i can't stop tweezing my eyelashes out. i feel like they need to match perfectly. if one isn't going in the exact same direction or isn't the same length, it has to go. i can't stop. why can't i stop? i do the smae with my eyebrows, but i do that with my fingers, it's more of a nervous habit. i can't take it anymore.

UPDATE - I have been using the Talika solution on my eyes and it seems to be working, I have still managed to pull a few lashes out, but they are growing back faster and blacker than they have done in the past. They grow back really soft so you don't get the stubby lashes. I'm getting married in a few weeks time so fingers crossed, and hope that I don't pull any more out. Im feeling proud of myself for achieving this much in a short amount of time. I can actually use some mascara now. I wish the best of luck to the rest of you. You CAN do it. I have been pulling for 21 years and yes they do grow back.

I am happy I found this website I thought I was the only one who did this. Someone please tell me if getting fake lashes really work or if there is a cure for this problem? I am tired of not looking people directly in ther face because of this problem please help.

I've been pulling out my eyelashes since I was 3 and I will be 33 in July. I even remember the day I started doing it-my sister and I just stood in front of the mirror and did it (she has it too) because it seemed like a good idea at the time. It's been an uphill battle ever since. I pull from other areas (head, pubic area) though not nearly as frequently from the head. (but of course the head seems to take longer to grow back.)

I've had a bad last few months and right now I'm commtting to growing them back. Someone mentioned Essential Day Spa and the products they were recommending, and I agree that that is a great site. A product I'm using right now is Jan Marini Age Intervention Eyelash, and it's very expensive--a tube costs about $130 and lasts about 3 months. But I will say that I've been religious about using it, almost as religious about not pulling (I've had a few episodes, but only one or two each time) and over the last month I've gone from having about 10-15 lashes per eye to having about 2/3 regrowth--not complete, but enough to wear mascara. It usually takes me about two months to get to that point, and the lashes I've grown are longer than they normally are. So it really works. The price is extreme, though, but to make a long story short, one of the EDS members has created her own formula that provides the same results and will soon be selling it. I'm looking forward to that!

Some things I've noticed that are definitely triggers for me:

1. Refined carbs. Namely things like cereals, pizza, and sugars eaten by themselves. If I have them with protein (e.g. turkey sandwich, scrambled egg), then it's not an issue, but by themselves, I can practically time it. I eat a bowl of cereal, half an hour later the hand is doing the upcreep.

2. Stress. Duh.

3. Boredom/inactivity. Watching TV, reading, not typing on the computer though, for the most part.

Things that help me to reduce urges and/or prevent pulling:

1. Exercise. I've been marking my calendar off with the days I haven't pulled, and I can see that the urges went way down when I was exercising regularly. Back to the gym I go!

2. Cutting down on trigger foods.

3. STAYING AWAY FROM THE MIRROR. If I can't see them, they won't bother me! If I need to tweeze my eyebrows, I make sure to do a controlled session (ironically, eyebrows have never been a problem for me, only lashes) and then put down the tweezer and go away. If I have to use the bathroom, I try to keep the light off (it helps that I live alone!) so I can't see myself and be tempted.

4. Not feeling the stubby ones. YES, they are definitely an incentive to pull, and I find that it's so much easier to keep on track when I have *more* eyelashes, so the stubby or 'weird' ones don't stand out as much. It's like there's a turning point where I can actually feel my lashes and not feel tempted. But that's a dangerous line to walk so I try to avoid it. One of the most aggravating things about this is that we can go for days and even weeks without a single pull, and yet when the urge strikes, all the hard work goes down the drain. That sucks. The results from NOT pulling seem to take forever, and the results from pulling only take a few minutes. Bah!

I've read that Trich is actually related to Tourette's Syndrome, in that people who suffer from it are usually quite high-functioning (I'd be willing to bet most of us score pretty high on the smarts scale), and like Tourette's, it's an irresistable urge that creates a building stress level that is only relieved by giving in to the urge. (Contrary to popular belief, Tourette's isn't all about swearing uncontrollably--it's mainly in the form of tics or repetitive actions.) So I'm hoping that they will soon find a treatment that will be effective.

Anyway, I hope our younger readers aren't discouraged by so many of us who have lived with this issue for 10, 15, 20, 30 years with no end in sight. Please keep in mind that though many of us have had periods where we've been unable to quit, we've had periods where we HAVE, too! It does take work and constant vigilance. Yes, it's unfair that we have an added burden, I won't deny that at all. It totally sucks! But whatever helps each of us to stop pulling, whether it's for 5 minutes or 5 years, we have that going for us, and each other to know how we all feel, too.

just a quick comment from a fellow trichster too, for all trichsters-I find this site very useful-it has forum and lots of caring members to support your healing process: it's trichotillomania.co.uk , it has many members from all around the world-mostly UK and USA, but for instance, I'm from Croatia.

And sending my best wishes to Cody :) hope you'll get through it all.

i am 17 and i have been pulling my eyelashes out for 3 years now. i just can't help it, even if my friend eyelashes are out of place i always feel the need to pull it out but they know me and watch out for me when i get a sudden urge of pulling power. my sisters are not very sensitive towards my feelings cause they have their own problems. they have nits.
can you get me a number to call to help my sisters as i dont want nits because i have t.........mania. thankyou.

i am 16 nearly 17 i really need help!!!! im pulling my eyelashes out, where can you get false ones from in the uk?
ive been doing it for about 12 years, i just cant stop when i see lashes longer than other ones i have an urge to pull them out. every body in school is starting to notice now so i would like some fasle ones to try and hide,i am ashamed of what i do. i have started to get realy bad eye infections and my mum suggested that i wear false ones but i cant find any, any where. i wear alot of eyeliner to try and hide the baldness but when i turn my head to the side i know people are looking at me, probally wondering why i havent got no eyelashes, them occasionally when im sat with a group of friends one will ask me why i havent got any, them well have a full on chat why i do it.

i have no hair left! help me please!!

i got no hair so its not a problem for me

I'm an eyelash puller, eyebrow puller, under armpit puller, former leg hair puller, etc. I don't know how to stop. I have a serious problem. I want natural brows but all I have is penciled ones. I've stop pulling the hairs on my leg. I don't know what to do.

To Sarah,

You can find fake eyelashes in Boots the Chemist, for around £5.00. I think you can stop pulling if you put your mind to it. Try to keep you hands busy and try my tapping method as mentioned in one of my earlier messages. It does work and I sympathise with you entirely. I still pull the occasional lash but Its been hard work. At least you have some understanding friends to support you. All the best.

I have been pulling my lashes since i was 7 years old. First, i started with my eyebrows then i discovered my lashes. I didnt even know this was a disease.I am now almost 35 years old,and i cant stop.I have tried dyeing what is left of my eyelashes or going to a salon and having fake ones put on Thinking if i spent money on this i wont do it. Wrong!I also pull the split ends off my hair i dont know if it is one and the same but who knows.When i wear fake eyelashes i feel as though it changes my whole face and i feel fantastic. I would go on vacation and pull them out thinking i have left a part of me in Greece or when i went to Hawaii . I think this site might help us help each other understand why??

hi
i have been puling since i was 17 ,im now 33. i havent me anyone with this problem , only read about it online.i dont have strong will power but i do get "GEL NAILS" fake nails, make em a little longer too , whatever works , which your eyelashes are hard to get at, i still manage to get some ,but it does help , me anyway . I hope i can help someone out ...chow

Wow, I have listened to everyones statement about pulling out those damb eyelashes. However, I think that I am the only one that thinks the irritation feels good. Today is June 2nd and I have a 1/4 inch gap in my eylashes and cant stop. I haven't pulled in years and out of no where it started again, without warning! I can scream! Just by writing this damb email I feel like stopping to stoke the bald spot on my eye. I cant explain it but I dont know how to stop. Actually my life is really good so I dont have a reason for this rediculous obsessive compulsive behavior. Strange Strange Strange. I thought I was cured and it flared up again. I relate to everyone's testimony. I started in High School and it has been down hill since then. The only thing I can say right now is.... Atleast I am not alone. Our eyelashes work as a protection for our eyes. Sometimes I panic and think that I am going to generate an eye disease because of the loss of eyelashes and protection of my eyes.

HELP!

JMMJ

Viv, i havent started with the hair from my scalp, but i think after years of this i wont start.I hope not, Since i wrote in May i havent pulled but only twice. Thinking that this is a form of terets,i read that on another web site , scares me. am i crazy? I think not because i am not alone. Is it something i can control? I havent met anyone with this disease but who advertises?? However, i look at other girls; eyelashes to see. On the train on the street but i dont notice. Are we so few and far between?

wow...i feel so...not alone now...i really did think no one else did it...i tend to pull out my eyelashes and eyebrows when im reading or doing something that doesnt involve my hands...then i get the urge to touch my eyes and then i pull at my eyelashes, i have no idea why, but i always check my finger to see if i pulled an eyelash out...like im waiting for it to happen and want it to happen. but i dont! good god, i HATE covering up these damn bald spots on my eyelashes, and its so frustrating, because i know i can have long pretty lashes and i have used mascara before, but i always end up pulling at them...i had no idea this was a medical condition.

should i take meds or something? i mean, i pull at those stray short hairs that stick up on the top of my head...actually...i remember pulling out long strands when i was a kid...and i bite my nails...i stopped when i had braces, but i started again...and i stopped pulling my lashes for a while, but i started again...i have no idea why...i just love seeing the lashes in my hands...then i look in the mirror and hate myself for looking stupid and ugly with a baldspot on my eyelashes...im so scared people will notice..and think im a freak...is the nail biting connected to the hair pulling? should i get help... this is making me sad...im still normal, but im not at the same time..

hey everyone... viv again... I'm getting worse and worse. I have no left eyebrow, a small right eyebrow, no left eyelashes, very few right. I have two main areas on my head where im bald the front and the back. I am going to see a behavioral therapist to try and fight this. I need to stop... I really do... it feels so good...

Well ive had a relapse, and pulled most of the lashes from my top left and right lids. I managed to stop pulling for a while just until my wedding was over, but I just cant stop playing with the bold patches, which in turn makes me want to pull. Its driving me nuts.

I cannot believe how many people have this condition of pulling out ones eyelashes. I am 48 years old and I started pulling years ago when I was in the single digit age group. I started pulling with tweezers; now I can pull equally well with my nails. Most people don't notice the bald gaps in the middle of my eyelids; not even my husband of three years. I know he would ridicule me for days if he knew that I pull daily; mostly at night.
Sometimes, I will go on a tear at work. I will pull all day, line the lashes up on white paper where they can be easily seen. I usually get my lids sore from running my nail over the same spot in a vertical motion. After it's good and sore, I start to pull out the
lashes in the sore spot. The feeling is absolutely euphoric. I only pull from the middle of my lids, I haven't a clue as to why. I know I look ridiculous, I guess I don't care. I can go long periods of time without pulling then, all of a sudden the urge to pull comes over me and I'm at it again. I know I need help...
It's been great reading the experiences of others with this condition. Some of it is very funny. Sorry, but I had to laugh out loud. I know it's a serious affliction and people don't understand it...hell, we don't understand it either. Thanks to everyone for sharing; this is exactly what "pullers" need.

I`m 18 years old, and I`ve been pulling out my eyelashes since I`ve been 5. That`s a very long time. There have been times where I`ve stopped and they grew back in but I can`t seem to let them grow back anymore - and in all honesty, I think I`ve seriously damaged the follicles in my eyelids and they won`t grow back. I forget what it`s like to have eyelashes, and all I seem to notice on a person at some point is how long and beautiful their eyelashes are. I know that I would feel like a much prettier girl if I had full lashes, but I don`t know if I`ll ever be strong enough to let myself have them. I`ve recently read about eyelash transplants and that`s sounding very friendly to me, but it`s a rare operation and imagine the price. As badly as I want eyelashes, I`d most likely do it. Pulling for 13 years is a long time, is there any hope of them still growing back if I make up my mind to fully let them heal? - to let my self-esteem heal?

Caty,

Yes, there is hope for growth. Before you try the major surgery, try some of the recommendations given by everyone on this website or vitamin e. Try calming the actual pulling. Nothing would be worse than getting an eyelash transplant and then pulling those out too. There is hope. I've been doing it for 13 years as well and there is still hope that they will grow back. Set goals and keep yourself busy. Vacations always help me. I keep busy and get so preoccupied that I don't bother with them (and so exhausted with running around that I'm out as soon as I hit the bed. Bedtime is usually my pulling time). Hope this helps! Keep hope!

P.S.

We need to get this awareness out to people! So many people are ignorant of this disease (I get looks and questions from everyone! I finally had to get bangs to cover up the obvious)and it's time we go beyond the chat rooms. Heck, I'm sure Dr. Phil would listen up! ; D

I have been pulling out my eyelashes for about three years now, I started because a friend said if you pulled on your eyelashes they would become longer...she was right they did become longer...but they became so long that after a while instead of growing they came out. In the past five months I have also started to pull out my eyebrows... I don't know why but I have. Its been fairly easy to cover up since I have light blond hair, its just been extremly annoying. No one really knows about my problem, mostly because its so weird that everyone would pass it off as a minor problem, but people don't get how much angst I've gone through just because of me forcing tiny hairs to come off of my head. This site has really gotten me motivated to stop pulling both my eyebrows and eyelashes, Thank you

UPDATE: Well, after pulling every single lash out whilst on holiday, it has taken just over five weeks of not pulling to grow my lashes back. It can be done, and they do grow back. Im fed up with having to cover my little habit up now, so im determined to stop. I AM going to stop.

i really need help, since i was very little ive been plucking my eyelashes out i no its a habbit, and now im 17 and im still doin it. How long does it take for them 2 grow back? also have u got any ideas how to stop doin it? i would be very greatful if u could help thanx x

I'm 16 and I started pulling my eyelashes in february. I dont know why, I was just bored and I liked the feeling alot. Just last week, I was searching on the internet about how I could make my eyelashes grow or something, and actually found out that it had a name- trichotillomania. It really scared me. It made me think something was really wrong with me. I cant stop pulling and its scary. I just want to share with everyone that before I go to bed every night, and whenever im sitting around my house, I put Johnsons Baby Oil on my eyelashes to help them grow. It really helps! I just wish now I could learn to leave them alone when they're growing back!

Good luck everyone,
Bridgette

oh my God just reading all of these comments makes me feel weird..i have been pulling out my eyelashes for 2 years now and my mom will never get why i do..because i dont know either.i guess i just like the feeling of taking them out. Now i dont have anymore left.When they do grow i try to take them out.I'm scared because every time i cant find my tweezer i get really mad and nervous..so i try to take them out with my fingers..i dont know what i can do.

i remember when i used to go to the eye doctor( i have bad eye site) to get glasses..and this lady that always check my eyes saids "you have very pretty eyelashes" and now i feel so bad that i dont get that attention anymore because i dont have any..or just wont let them grow..my eye lashes grow everyday and sometimes i let them grow for like 2-3 days and i think there is like some demon in this one mirror i have in my bathroom because that is the only one i plucked them out at..to see which one to take them out..and when im at school i hate when ppl just stare at me in my face because i dont want them to notice that i dont have any eyelashes...i have tried everything!!! i have tried to go outside,have fun, eat normally which i do anyway,i mean i actually wanted to kill myself...i think its just depression..just like the symptoms of depression..."} we" people are not freaks at all..so when ppl ask me what happend to my eyelashes or what ever i dont lie to them anymore..i just tell them the truth straight up. Someday we will have something to cure this..but i didnt want science's to try and find a cure for this diesease we have..i wanted us people to step up and do it ourself..so everyone..do NOT give up...(im not)..

Stay strong everybody and make a conscious effort not to pull. You must train your brain to think about something else whenever it wants to think about pullng.

I have just gone on a crazy pulling spree, it was horrible. I'm so depressed now! school starts soon and I'm going to look so ugly. Whatever...Just another tip i found from a different site- get fake nails. It takes away the great feeling you get when you pull.

hey u guys..i think im doing better!! my self esteem is going up again like it used to...( i sometimes have the urge to pull them out) and it can be really hard but now im not anymore and there growing..come on u guys if i can do it i know you guys can do..don't give up!!

hey everyone, I'm 21 years old now and started pulling out my eyelashes when i was 8 or so.. Its weird, I got a stye one day and my mom plucked it out with tweezers, it hurt and then it felt like the stye was still there so i tried to pull it out with my fingers and it just started from there.. i havn't pulled on them in...ow jeez, 8 months or so and they are just now starting to grow back, but some areas are full and others are barely stuble.. what i found works is to wear false eyelashes, i wear them everyday, even to bed sometimes. i trim them down so they're shorter and put mascara on them so they look more natural, helps to keep from pulling them and makes you look better too. only problem is it takes forever to get ready in the moring and you can't get them too wet, i.e swimming or in the shower. works for me though!

so its been hmm almost a week
an i can see a pretty good improvement. i havent pulled any! ..except for today, i pulled ONE out. Yes its bad, but i made sure it wasnt another set back :] my self-esteem is slowly improving. unfortunatly my parents are no help any way what-so-ever :[ . but i dont need them. i found that baby oil works from pulling. it smells good and its a little reminder to not do it. Some say it helps the growth, maybe im not 100% certain,,but i think it might

this is ridiculous
they were so good today
but no..yeah you guessed
it..im back to square on
....am i ever going to
get better ?

this is ridiculous
they were so good today
but no..yeah you guessed
it..im back to square on
....am i ever going to
get better ?

Just referring the to the comment about how nobody's really met any one else with trich and what they look like...I feel like I was a fairly pretty girl before all this started, and when I let them grow back in for my freshman year in high school, it was a great time, I felt beautiful and had senior *gasp* boyfriend haha. But I hate that bc I pull, I feel uglier than every person I see..which I guess is also a blessing bc it makes me see how beautiful everybody else is, how naturally beautiful everyone is, bc I compare myself to everyone now. I just wish I had eyelashes, I dont know what to do anymore, I feel like I am half the person I could be, and my family doesnt really see how just a few eyelashes is such a big deal, but your confidence, your body-image all goes downhill, and you are self-conscious all the time, which really doesnt let you be the person you want to be. I just want this part of my life to be over, and im trying really hard and hope that I can get past it. thanks everyone for putting yourselves out there it makes me and im sure everyone else going through this feel a little less crazy and lonely.

Well I just dont know where else too go... I feel so horrible. Tonight my 3 old beautiful daughter with amazing blue eyes and dark lashes got into my bathroom cabinet and got ahold of my nail glue. Hailey got it in her eye and we went to Emergency room.... Her eye is not damaged THANK GOD but she did pull out alot of her top lashes.. You guys are the only people I trust asking if hers will really grow back.. I feel like the worst mom in the world, like I have damaged my child. Please help.

well i dont think your child will have trichotillomania..but it might take a while for her eyelashes to grow back cause the pores in the eyelid is probaly blocked from the nail glue since nail glue is much stronger then the other normal glue..but if u just talk to the doctor of how to remove the glue...( i was gonna say acetone but um yeah hell this is a little girl and that might damage the eye some more) but just dont panic thats the worse thing to do..but i think she will grow eyelashes in maybe 3 weeks so dont panic!! everything is gonna be alright

im writing because i dont want to pull right now. i have pulled three and i dont want to pull more so im going to ramble for a little. i have been doing some reasearch latly and i found out that that urges for the adverage person only last 15 minutes. so if you have a urge just time yourself..itll be a hard 15 minutes but think. itll be over itll be over itll be over soon. thats what i have been doing and it seems to work,, mainly because i just forget about it and have already moved on to something else. good luck :]

update. ive still been pulling. im in pretty bad condition, i need a side part to cover up the whole... bald... midsection of my head. its so humiliating, i look ridiculous and its worse because im in high school, where you have to look perfect all the time. i have no top eyelashes, but the bottom are growing in nicely, and my eyebrows, well. they dont matter. its only the hair on my head that im worried about. im getting a hair dresser to come to my house because im pretending i burnt my head so she wont think im a freak, the damage is so bad. its astonishing what a few months of hair pulling can do to you, it can ruin your appearance for so long. i miss my hair, i didnt like it that much, but i really do miss it. the eyelashes and eyebrows... i can survive without them. makeup can take care of it! please, any tips are useful... and needed.

omg...:( viv i feel so sad for you..all i can say is try to get some treatment for hair growth..but i mean whats the use of that and your gonna keep on pulling...-sigh- um wow i dont have any idea for that..u just got to look mentally and keep telling your self your not gonna do it because thats just hurting u both now and in the future

I think one way of trying to stop pulling hair/eyelashes/eyebrows, is to work out when you actually do it. For me its when im tired/on my own or watching TV or on the computer (oops). I wear my glasses whenever possible, which seems to work. Also, I find that I pull my eyelashes after I have eaten something sweet. At least I now know what the triggers are, and try to avoid them.

hi i have had this problom since the 4th grade and i am now in the 11th grade. i have never told anyone about it before and only my mother knows. my dad also has this problom but when i try to talk to him about it he gets very mad and offensive, so i have to decided to quit tryin to. its nice to finally be able to come out and say yes i have a problom and im not the only one. its off and on for me but researching and this site especcially has helped, learning theres others and that you can get through it.i wear false eyelashes and have been for about 4 to 5 years. it really sucks not being table to do as many things becouse of the embarassment, but i have found wearing false eyelashes help becouse they get in the way and you cant get to your real ones to pull them out,so some of u guys might want to give that a try. i also try and set goals and i have gooten alot better in the past six months becouse one day i read and article about this stating if you keep plucking, eventually they will never grow back and never will. since that day i have had a lot more control, and everytime i think about it i just think about my goal and i want to be happy and i want to know one day that i accomplished my goal.its very hard especially when most of the people with this also suffer from other probloms such as depression and ocd, i know i do,and i have also suffered with a very difficult drug problom as well but i have gotten over it and this is something i plan to get over as well. it is a very embarrasing problom but all you girls(and guys)know that you are beautiful no matter what and if people wanna talk bad about you they are really low and really have there own self esteem probloms, besides in a year are you or them even going to remeber,by that time it wont matter. its not your fault so dont ever think it is. try to worry about having a good time in life becouse as many of you will find you dont live forever, and whats the point of going around wasting that time on worrying about what people think about you and how you look. it could be alot worse than something like this so think about your positves, we all have them, and for those...

omg! I am soooo glad that I found people with the same problem as me. I pluck my eyelashes and I cant seem to stop. Normaly I pluck them at night or when i am board and I have a little bald spot in the middle of both of my eyes. I dont know how to stop and I try to tell my self that i will never pull again but it just happens, I cant controle it you know? I am 12 years old and it is sad when i go to school and it looks like I am a sickly looking person. I have been plucking for about a year ina half now. But i dont know what started it. I think it is caused by stress but i am not sure. And like right when the little stubbs are growing back i happen to just pluck them all out again. And I need help. I dont want to do this for years like most of you have I want to be pretty and ware mascara and stuff. I try soooo hard to stop plucking but I just end up doing it anyway. I wish there was somthing out there that would make your eye lashes grow back faster than they do on there own. But I thought i was the only one who did this.And my friends dont know why i do it and i get imbarest when ever they bring it up. What can i do to make it look like i have some????????? Please help.

omg! I am soooo glad that I found people with the same problem as me. I pluck my eyelashes and I cant seem to stop. Normaly I pluck them at night or when i am board and I have a little bald spot in the middle of both of my eyes. I dont know how to stop and I try to tell my self that i will never pull again but it just happens, I cant controle it you know? I am 12 years old and it is sad when i go to school and it looks like I am a sickly looking person. I have been plucking for about a year ina half now. But i dont know what started it. I think it is caused by stress but i am not sure. And like right when the little stubbs are growing back i happen to just pluck them all out again. And I need help. I dont want to do this for years like most of you have I want to be pretty and ware mascara and stuff. I try soooo hard to stop plucking but I just end up doing it anyway. I wish there was somthing out there that would make your eye lashes grow back faster than they do on there own. But I thought i was the only one who did this.And my friends dont know why i do it and i get imbarest when ever they bring it up. What can i do to make it look like i have some????????? Please help.

I have been pulling my eyelashes out for a year and a half. Right now, all I have is stubble... I don't know what to do sometimes. I have already been asked at school, "Did you get burned?" I said no and asked why... I knew what the girl was about to ask me: "where are your eyelashes? It looks like you don't have any." I came up with the lame excuse that my eyelashes are really blonde and it's just really hard to see them. Not many people have noticed yet though... Well, my mom has... she keeps trying to get me to go to a psychiatrist, but I just keep telling her one more month, one more month... I promise I'll stop this time, but so far i haven't been able to. I hate to look in the mirror now because I feel so hideous with out my eyelashes... It's weird though... I never knew so many other people had it too... In fact I never even knew what this was called until tonight. I am 14 right now, and I don't know anyone else who has this. We went to my doctor not long ago, and he said this was the first time he had a case of this come to him... Well, can someone please offer me hints on how to stop? oh, and Jo, that "weird way" of yours actually works!!!! Thanks for putting that tip in this website!! God Bless you all!!

This is incredible. I have been suffering from this problem since i was at least 5 years old. My Dad always blamed himself because i had a very disruptive and unhappy childhood but i always blamed myself. If i started it, surely i could stop? My parents tried absolutely everything: bribing, begging, threatening, hitting me. Nothing worked, it was purely psychological. I have managed to quit a few times, but still occasionally feel the urge to start plucking them again. As everybody seems to agree - in times of stress or late night restlessness. I know how it feels to be embarrassed, to be questioned "what's wrong with your face? why do you have no eyelashes? do you have any idea how stupid you look? no one will ever find you attractive". All these things i knew but it still didn't stop me. I would spend hours upon hours crying at the way i looked, but i knew it was all my own doing. I used to be a competitive swimmer and i remember how embarrassing it was to hop out of the water and be self-consious about how my eyes must look. The amount of damage i feel i've done to my eyes from the continuous application of eyeliner and stretching my eyelids is awful. Nobody understood why i did it, my own friends continuously made fun of me and my parents would only get angry. Once i came across this site, i never knew it was a disease. I never even knew so many other people suffered from it. But i don't want to be labelled Obsessive Compulsive and i don't want to be labelled with Trichotillmania, so the only way to avoid that is by taking control before i do any serious damage. They won't grow back forever, despite what people say. I'm 22 now and i've been doing this for 17 years. I had beautiful lashes as a child and now they're very fine. My advice is: if you really want to stop that badly, if you really want to stop feeling so self-conscious and you really want to stop being so embarrassed, you'll quit. Get a hobby, do something with your time and most of all: remember how long it takes for that one lash to grow back if you decide to pluck it. Eyes are the most beautiful aspect of your face, don't ruin them. And remember how good it looks IN your head rather than out! I seem to have my plucking relatively under control and i never make massive gaps that i know i will be ashamed of and unable to hide. But God knows i don't want anyone else to go through what i have either.

It had been weeks since I last pulled, and my lashes were finally normal looking. There were no gaps to be found...then tonight while I was studying I pulled because it felt out of place.

Then I pulled more.

Now half of my left lid is bald, and I'm mentally abusing myself so that I don't go for the right eye. I've tried wearing fake lashes and have some in store for just in case, but when you dont have any existing lashes it's hard to stick the fake ones on.

I wear *a lot* of black eyeliner, so no one can ever tell. But then when I go to wash my face at night and see the pink baldness surrounding my eyes, I know I look like a mole or something.

The guilt I feel tonight is terrible. Even as I began plucking the small, stubbly ones with my tweezers I was screaming inside my head, "STOP IT! YOU'LL REGRET THIS WHEN YOU'RE DONE!", I kept doing it until my lid was completely smooth.

It took so long for them to grow back... and I just ruined that in one night. Uggh, I'm even pulling at them while I type this. My roommate doesn't understand and tells me to just stop. But it feels so good. I can't even explain it. I used to pluck everywhere; my lashes, legs, arm pits, and pubic. I've never been a brow or head-hair puller. Now I only go for my lashes. I do the same thing as some other people have said, such as twirling the end of the pulled lashes on my lips or collecting them in the spine of a book.

I want to stop so bad, but one night can just sneak up on you.

i have been doing this for about two years now. i am completely EYELASHLESS and have NO eyebrows. I go to a boarding school and have a roommate so washing my face and everything is sooo hard around people because i have to avoid washing my makeup off that covers my secret. It is so embarassing when people ask me, do you paint on your eyebrows?? I've gotten this three times now and I always say, no, why? I haven't told anyone except my mom who just found out when she looked at me. WILL MY EYELASHES GROW BACK?? I used to have the lonnngeeestt darkest beautiful eyelashes ever and now I'm so ashamed of myself and so self consious because they are completely gone and im afraid they will never be so beautiful again. HELP
How are ways to stop!???

maggie... there is a way to stop. its no cure, but i have to tell you, that this is all in your head. a good obstacle to stop you is to wear gloves, or tape on your fingers. keep fighting. i am. my hair has been getting gradually healthier, but i cant stop pulling. im losing my control, and i hate it. im so proud of you all for putting yourselves out there like i have, we all have to fight this together.

Wow. I've just found my new favorite website. ^-^ You're all like me! Or...I'm like you... I had no idea what was wrong with me, I've never seen anyone else with Trich... I've pulled my eyelashes since I was 6-7 years, I'm a freshman in High School now, I figured this wouldn't ever go away..I feel a little better now. =D Pray for me, I will for you!

I think it's horrible that the most pleasurable hairs on the body (at least for me) - the eyelashes and eyebrows - take the longest to grow back. :( I used to only pull from my head. Recently I stressed out and pulled out all my eyebrows + eyelashes; I had beautiful, thick, dark ones and now they're all gone. I feel so depressed and upset. It's taking forever for them to grow in. I pulled out most of my eyebrows two months ago and they are still gone. I worry about permanent damage. I wish I could just shut off part of my brain that tells me to do it, or gives me pleasure when I do it. I feel like I am addicted to a drug. This is hell. My whole mom's side of the family suffers with it so I am going to be so sad if my kids get this horrible disease. Has anybody invented fake hair yet?? Squishy balls don't work for me. I need to pull. I want something that feels like real hair, attached to fake skin that I can touch and twist and pull out. I would shell out good money for a product like that.

Okay, I'm going into a little more detail now that I have more time..
Again- I'm a freshie in High School, and I'm determined to meet someone like me. But it's hard because you're all so good at covering it up. Since I was 6-7 I've pulled, I remember when I started. I was at my grandparents house and I watched this movie called 'The Rescuers' or something like that..And I saw that creepy mean lady pull all her eyelashes out. I wondered what that might feel like, so I tried it and.. It all went downhill from there. I've never told my friends, though my closest ones know. Some people have asked me about why I have 'tiny eyelashes' and I'm getting really good at coming up with excuses. A few days ago a girl asked me if I had eyelashes and I told her yes and looked straight at her. They looked really tiny, but I told her they were just light colored and kinda hard to see. I /think/ she believed me... But I hate it. I feel so helpless and ugly, though people tell me I'm not..
When I'm doing well and haven't pulled for a while and all my eyelashes are grown out, people compliment me on how dark and beautiful they are.
I've noticed whenever I just think about them, whether it's thinking they look bad or good, I feel that urge again. If it runs through my mind, my hand's on my face. ((I do pick my eyebrows, too...Just not as often. I've almost completely overcome pulling the hair on my head out.))
I thought before it was OCD, because it felt so irresistable.. It's really really annoying. And when I look through the webs now with all these people telling their stories..It makes me think more than before. I read about
-people who never get over it and learn to accept it
-People who out grow it in adulthood
-people who are still trying to overcome it
-people who don't overcome it or accept it.
So I don't know what to expect, which drives me even more crazy.
The thing is, I feel like I'm becoming less and less able to resist it. I used to be able to lock my brain on not doing it, but not it's getting incredibly hard to do that.. The first time I've been totally bald on my eyelids was about 2 months ago. I'm trying, because there are others..I dunno. You're all helping me a lot. You've given me TONS more confidence, I almost have that willpower back. I'll try my best to get better. I'm going to try and find a fellow trich to talk to via email or MSN...maybe.. If I can find someone..

So I have been doing what somebody posted awhile ago, their method to stop pulling (tap 5 times on your forehead, 5 times on your cheek, karate chop your hand 5 times). Wow! It works... you definitely have to do it more than once but for some reason it helps my brain switch gears when I feel that overwhelming urge to pull.

I started when I was 11 or 12. I remember the day quite clearly. I felt this weird kinky hair on my hairline, so I climbed up on the countertop by the bathroom mirror and I pulled it out. It felt good to get rid of that bad hair, so I did it more and more until eventually I had a bald spot. And when the hairs grew back in all short and stubbly, they felt weird so I pulled those too, then accidentally pulled good hairs which turned into "bad" hairs. What an endless cycle. It makes me so angry that I was born with kinky, short hairs along my hairline, and I have this horrible widow's peak. It makes me self conscious. So I kept pulling out my widow's peak even though it gave me a receding hairline. All I wanted was a perfectly straight hairline with no short curly hairs around it. Why couldn't I have been born that way?? It is so frustrating how much of a perfectionist I am about my body...

I am 21. I told myself I would conquer this by the time I was a senior in high school. The saddest thing is that I have discovered that I have no willpower. I am no superhero... Now I just wish I had my hair back and never started.

I've relapsed again, and yet again I have to keep reapplying the make-up to cover-up the fact that my lashes are patchy. My nightmare has just got worse, I'm about to travel to Australia and have found out that you cannot take make-up onto the plane. Oh my god. I really don't know what to do. I think I will have to wear sunglasses on the 24 hour flight to stop people staring at my eyes.

wow!!! this is so cool i thought it was just me!!! i have only been doing it for... wow a year now! it started with eyebrows... then gently eyelashes! and now.. every two weeks right when eyebrows r ok, BAM! pluck pluck pluck!eyelashes... ATTACK!! no i dont have any mental problems..... I have all As. and im in BETA club and advanced classes.... and i hate people now! cause when my friends and i r bored at lunch every once in a while... what happened to your eyebrows?? or, wow! u have tiny eyebrows! do people have a urge to say this?????? ugh. its a saturday night and while i was watching an anime... i pulled out half my eyelashes on one eye. i hope the cold I have stays until a few weeks till they grow back! i even have these mini scars on my right and left index finger sides from plucking... i hate this so much. i hate having to place my bangs over my eyes so I dont look people in the face... please help me! i really hate feeling so stupid and weird! oh, but I love plucking, then taking the white stuff and rubbing it against my face! and i love pulling eyelash hairs out and dropping them in books! ahhh! no! and i also like when u pluck and there is a clear, wet, tube around some of the hair! eeek! i hate this! help me! i feel weird? am i???

Hello everyone. I am a trichster too and I have been pulling since I was in 7th grade.... I am 27 now. During high school I lived a normal life with friends, boyfriends, sports... but no eyelashes or eyebrows. Every morning I would wake up to bald ugly eyes and have to pull myself up for another day of hiding and making sure no one came too close or making sure no one looked at me from the side. I covered everything with eyeliner and sometimes fake lashes, but in my heart I wanted to die. I felt so ugly and started to hate my world. After being put on meds at the age of 21, I stopped for a long time and enjoyed a carefree life of waking up and putting on MASCARA not eyeliner. I no longer had to use make up to make my look... I could use it to enhance it. Since then I became a 6th grade teacher, got married, swam, and just lived without the curse.... I started to relapse a little and got scared. My husband suggested to go back to my doctor... I did and was put back on the meds. It was supposed to keep me from a complete relapse. Well, the dosage was not enough and I relapsed completely. Then my docor put me on a higher dose and it seems to be helping, but I am back in the same darn boat again. WHY?!? I ask myself that everyday. Every morning, this is no joke, when my alarm goes off I say a quick prayer to God, "Please let me have my lashes when I look in the mirror." NOTHING.. as a teacher... I am scared the kids will notice... I am back on guard again and fighting that up hill battle. It has ruined many areas of my life and I wish someone would find a cure for this. There is a book my husband and I just ordered that is supposed to really help. If anyone would like the name I will be more than happy to give it to you.

In the mean time... I just try to hold on. I tell myself, "Just hold on." It's hard and I want to feel pretty again... not like the ugly duckling. Thank God for sites like this where we can go to know we are not alone and we are not strange and this is a PROBLEM not a HABIT that can be solved through willpower or band aides alone. It takes courage and strength and I have to say that those people who live with this everyday and still try to funtion a normal life are some of the strongest people. I think the word needs to get out about this so that more people will know.. they are not alone. SO, HOLD ON EVERYONE... HOLD ON!

i was reading one of the messages and i started mine the summer before seventh grade. it sucked bad. and i was in the back of my parents van two weeks before seventh grade started and i pulled out every singe lash with my hands. i'm better now.

im improving so much. email me... if you seriously need help... email me what your current situation is. i can help you, i WANT to help you all. im trying to help myself too. my eyelashes are coming, i had them all for a while, then i pulled a litte. my hair is coming back nicely, im so happy with it. my eyebrows are full and... emotional. i love them. im almost over this, i just need to take that last step into fully loving myself. ive been seeing a therapist, taking medicine for my anxiety, the works. so... PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU WANT ADVICE! I REALLY WANT TO HELP AND I KNOW ALL OF THE TRICKS FOR STOPPING! my email is clearblueskyz@aol.com

P.S. IM REALLY PROUD OF EVERYONE ON HERE... we can fight this... together.

Wow I really never realized how many other people have this problem. In the beginning of high school I began plucking my eyebrows. Then one day I noticed a lash darker than the rest and pulled it out, well that caused a strange irregularity and I plucked more. Then I began doing it with my fingers as well. Eventually by the end of senior year the problem had gone away. My mom had noticed it and was keeping an eye on me, and I got so frustrated one day that I threw the tweezers into the doors under the bathroom counter. I didn't dig it out for quite a long time. Things were fine for a year or so, but then I came to college. Earlier this year I began plucking again. I'm actually back to having no more than a few eyelashes. I can't even help it, I know I shouldn't be doing it but if I don't it's like they're annoying me by existing. There's some strange satisfaction of pulling them out, especially when I'm stressed or anxious. I guess this could have been the start of my GAD (generalized anxiety disorder). Though when it began I thought I was depressed - not anxious. I was never diagnosed with depression, I may have just been having strong anxiety issue instead. I think it all sprouted from one bad year in high school.

To add to what I just said, on top of that, I tend to run my fingers through my hair and pull out any spares. I never yank them out, but I definately find the ones that are there. However this problem is solved when I wear my hair up!

wow so im not alone. i never knew how many other people have this problem... well anyway i started pulling my eyelashes in grade 5 and i think it was my teacher who noticed first and asked me about it and then when i finally had to tell her she gave me a stress ball. i continued on and off up until now. Im now in grade 10 and i only have like half on both eyes well less then half. Any way i have a modeling photo shoot in a month and it means the world to me... is there any way to make them grow back faster other then just leaving them alone. Im desprit and looked every where for ways to make them grow faster and all i have got it just to leave them... But since im in such a time crunch i need something to help ... anything !

FOR ALL HEAD-PULLERS:
to make your hair both stronger and to make it grow faster... go to a drugstore and by BIOTIN. its a vitamin that helps you hair grow. its a once a day pill that ive been taking for a month or so... and its made my hair grow like crazy, i love it. if your in the long process of waiting for your beautiful hair to return, this is a little speed-up. its perfectly natural and trust me... it WORKS.

ITS CRAZY TO SEE THAT IM NOT ALONE..LOL IVE BEEN A HAIR PULLER SINCE I WAS 7 YEARS OLD. IM NOT REALLY SURE WHAT STARTED IT, I JUST THINK I STARTED RUNNING MY FINGERS OVER MY EYELASHES AND I WAS IN A STRESSFUL HOME AND I PULLED ONE OUT AND I LOVED THE FEELING THEN I CONTINUED AND IM NOW 23 AND I NOW PULL OUT Y EYEBROWS TOO.I HATE IT! IM A REALLY PRETTY GIRL AND IVE BEEN OFFERED MODELING DEALS BUT I DONT THINK THEY NOTICE I DONT HAVE EYELASHES. ITS SOOO EMBARRESSING, I CANT EVEN DO EYE CONTACT WITH PEOPLE BECAUSE IT WORRIES ME THEY WILL NOTICE AND AS ME "WHY DONT YOU HAVE EYELASHES" ITS REALLY DEPRESSING I TRIED EVERYTHING, MEDS COUNCILING NOTHING WORKS. I FEEL THAT IT HOLDS ME BACK FROM RELATIONSHIPS, DAILY ACTIVITIES, AND FRIENDS..I NEED HELP!!THANKS

wow i thought i was the only one in this entire world.. ive read alot of these and a lot of people feel the EXACT same way i do. Ive been doin it since 2nd grade i am 19 now. it is embarrassing and very depressing sometimes. u cant EVER look people in the eye ever. and ur scared to death someone will notice. when someone asks you "what happened to your eyelashes?" you feel a sudden deep pain of embarassment and paranoia. it is a horrible experience. I believe as well as others have said, it might or might not be a mental disorder, no doctors seem to know anything as ive read. It is more of a sensation of the feeling of them being pulled out. its probably the only type of pain that feels good. the bigger the root and the more it stings to pull it out, the better it feels. and it is VERY ADDICTING indeed. i just keep doin it and doin it KNOWING im gunna regret it bigtime and k nowing im gunna lose all the time ive used waiting for them to grow back. time wasted.... all the time waiting for the to grow back for nothing. it is very hard to quit for some reason. the longest ive quit is about 3 months MAYBE im not sure. they take a very long time to grow back. I quit recently for about a month and slowly started up again but very seldomly. 2 months all of the bald spots were growing finally but werent to a full lash yet... i promised and promised myself this would be the last time.and then.. i blew it. i started having sprees. they are now bald as could be in the middle. ends never seem to be a problem for me. the sensation and good feeling is too hard to beat. its not even that great. It has made my life empty sometimes and it hurts foreal. if i could just stop my confidence would skyrocket and i could look people in the eye, dead in the eye, feel good about myself, live on, and try not to think about it. ill post some ways that ive tried to quit.

MIGHT HELP YOU QUIT

This sounds funny but try it. ive done it everytime ive tried. it really worked but i always screwed it up which is my fault.

1. sign yourself a little contract. "I will not pull my eyelashes out anymore. I promise. no matter how tempting."
put your signature and date under it. so u signed, u cant break it.try your hardest. put the date and check after a week or 2. write how they look and put the new date on there. a month or so later do the same thing.

example.- orginal date signed was 10-31-06... "they startin to grow now but theres stil bald spots" 11-15-06.... "all spots are filled with growing ones" 11-31-06.. remeber the progress.

PUT this writing where noone will see it, it wil be embarassing if someone reads it.

2. after that, just dont even think about your eyelashes no more. just let them grow. mine dont seem to grow straight and perfect like normal lashes but they WILL grow back. always do. but ive heard if u keep pulling and pulling, they will NOT grow back any more.

3. keep your hands AWAY from eyes.

4. USE EYEDROPS if u have itchy eyes and stys in your eyes. itchy eyes and stys make it more likely to pluck and more tempting. or flush your itchy eyes with cold water or if u keep rubbin them flush your eyes too.

5. keep thinking to yourself, the sensation feeling ISNT WORTH the time uve spent letting them grow. if u let them grow for 3 months and they look way better, and u pluck them again, thats 3 months wasted on that and you will feel devistated. ive done that COUNTLESS times in my 10 years of this habit.

6. if you leave them alone, and they grow back. it WILL be all worth it. u will feel much better, u can look someone in the eye, NO MORE HIDING, and you will have a lot more confidence.

7. Growing back can take a VERY long time. as hard as it is, u HAVE to be patient. it usualy takes me about 1 month for them to look acceptable but not perfect. keep lettin them grow, in 2-3 months u should be as good as new.

8. just becuz u have some growing back in the bald spots dont mean u can pluck other areas. "well theyre growing back so i can start again and it wont hurt anything." WRONG if u start again while they growin back, even in another area, it will eventually lead closer and closer into your new eyelash area.

9. SHORT GROWING lashes are better than no lashes, so u gotta leave those alone!

10. its hard, u gotta try your hardest! this is a hard fight foreal but ive never 100% suceeded, my goal is to go a year without pluckin

I have been doing this for as long as i remember, but i eat the hairs, after playing with them in my mouth for a long time. i do it to my eyebrows too. the problem is that i inherited beautiful, long, curly lashes from my dad... and they are diminishing by the minute. my eyebrows also look odd. I've tried SO SO hard to stop, but i can't! something that sometimes works for me is piling on the mascara and eye makeup, so when i pick, my fingers get dirty (keeping my nails clean is also an obsession of mine.) I don't pick the hair on my head (not coarse enough to play with in my mouth) but i DO pick at my scalp until it bleeds. I do this a lot when i read. i think it's generally from stress... it's amazing to learn that other people suffer from this...

my eyelashes are hardly back. it's been more than a month. six on one eye. they are stubby and prickly. the other eye has only one. this has been MORE THAN A MONTH.

I also pulled out my eyebrows in August and have seen very little regrowth.

maybe it's just my genetics..but I want to warn people your regrowth may take much longer than a few weeks.

sadf

Hi everyone....I stumbled upon this site recently because I have suffered for about 5 years now... I will be 22 in 2 weeks. I never understood this condition or really looked into why it is happeneing. I finally went to a Dr. today, but I think I may still be in denial of whether or not I acually do this on purpose or not. I jsut know that I do it because I have to live with the hideous outcome everyday. By societies standards I am what most would call pretty.. I have accomplished alot in my life but nothing ever feels like enough to me so I think I may somehow punish myself in some way. I want more info and I am researching this further. It was so hard to see a Dr. I have tried everything you can imagine for helping myself. Nothing seems to work for a long period of time.

WOW... i thought i was the only one with trichotillomania. I have been pulling since i turned 11 and i am now 21. It suck sept 0f 05 through april 06 i stopped. i ahd beautful eyelashes and well a week ago i yanked them all out. im so scared now that its christmas that the family is going to feel shame for me! Ahhh but as for everyone therapy and meds didnt help. What helped was having a constant daily scheduale and using my free time to enjoy things i loved. Unfortunately that has changed. i moved to a state i hate and married with a baby im nor prepared for on the way. LOL i think that is why i pulled. I think some of it is a way to escape bordum and unhappiness. im not sure. But if anyone wanted to chat my email is angelhugs4223@AOL.COM

I have been pulling my eyelashes since I was in Grade School. I am not 54 years old. They start to come in and I can not help myself - I have to pull them out. I do not pull all of them - I have some on the corners of each eye, but not many. I do not know how to stop. I did stop once for about 2 years. I don't know what triggered it again, but I am doing it again. How do I stop? I don't want bald eye lids! I try to hide it with eyeliner, but they I see people staring at me - and I know they see it. I try not to look anyone in the eye.

for all of you who have the problem of pulling out your eyebrows and eyelashes, i can relate in that i have been doing this for a few years now. It started maybe in 6th grade and i am trying so hard to stop. i have tried many times but in the end i know i will pull again. i used to have beautiful eyelashes and eyebrows and i just hope i haven't done any permanent damage. I pray that i will actually be able to stop forever this time because i can't take having to wear makeup all the time. It's killing my spirit. I saw a dermatologist 3 or 4 years ago about this and her only help was the idea of implanting hair follicles for regrowth. That wasn't the problem though. The eyelashes and eyebrows were growing back fine. I was the one who just kept on pulling them out

Vacations were good times to let the hair grow back because i was relaxed and always occupied with something. but then i'd return home and there they all went again. I get urges mostly when i'm by myself on my computer, doing work, reading, or watching tv. This time i am so serious about stopping and i have the motivation, willpower, and confidence in myself to stop this stupidity, forget about it entirely, and move on with my life. Good Luck to you all.

ok, here goes, but where do i begin? im opening up for the first time, or should i say my eyes are opening up for the first time. i never knew that trichotillomania ever existed before. not until this summer where my case began to become so extreme that i decided to do some research. i remember typing in: "i cannot stop pulling my eyelashes and eyebrows out," on the computer, and stumbled across this word called trichotillomania. similar to almost everyone here, i had the most beautiful, long, and abundant amount of eyelashes; of course before my trichotillomania. in addition, i feel like everyone here wrote a piece of my inner core, my exact feelings; the same pains engraved, the same agonizing grief branded deeply on my heart and my very soul.
i am 16 years old and a junior in high school. sweet 16? yea right! (for many factors i will not delve into; i will just stick to the topic at hand - my trichotillomania.) i feel as if it is spinning out of control. even though i never started on my hair yet, my trichotillomania has gotten extremely terrible with my eyelashes and eyebrows. most of my once-gorgeous-brows are missing, some of my bottom lashes arent growing back, and recently i've done the worst thing yet: i twisted, i tweaked, i tugged almost my whole top row of lashes out. my lashes are thinning. i cannot describe to you how i look, but my mirrors can; every single mirror: the bathroom, the bedroom, the million hand-held ones, the school bathroom... the awful, haunting, soul-wrenching tell-tale mirrors. the mirrors that get you in trouble the first place. the mirrors where you see the very tears that saturate and overwhelm the already pain-inflicted, damaged face. "Face refers to someone's public self image. It is the presentation of the self which they would like to project for others." (definition of the word "face") however for me, and probably everyone who has trichotillomania, this is an untrue statement, and i say this as i regretfully pull another eyelash out.
being laughed at and deemed as crazy by family, the only "support" people i should have, is a tough thing to swallow, like those salty-bitter tears rolling down my face. for a long time i had to endure the external pain, as well as the biting internal pain; the internal pain of hating myself, seeing what i looked like on the outside (due to my trichotillomania) and the extreme internal pain my family caused me (even when i try to explain to them). the internal pain of reading the fate of everyone who had and has trichotillomania, and that that same future fate shall be mine as well. it is so tough when your dad leans in with a incriminating and evil stare at your eyelashes or eyebrows, which really crushes you on the inside, when your trying to eat dinner. just as courtney posey mentioned; i have to turn my face or pretend to look at something else everytime.
just almost 2 weeks ago i did the worst damage to my face. i tried my best hiding it from my family. however, that one morning when i woke up and forgot to apply my tons of make-up to cover up, i experienced the most internally devastating and humiliating day of my life. to have my own family see me like this... all of a sudden my mom screamed out: "what happened to your eyelashes?!?" and i thought she meant eyebrows (which she knew about) so i ran upstairs, applied eyeliner to my eyebrows and ran back down, forgetting the top row of eyelashes that were newly missing. she yelled out "OH MY GOD" and then called to my dad saying "your daughter is missing a HUGE amount of her eyelashes, most of them are gone!" and then he came over, and i tried to leave, and all i kept hearing was "we need to send her to a psychiatrist" and "she did it on purpose to spite me" and "no guy will ever look at her because they will think shes crazy" and many more dehumanizing comments were screaming at me from everywhere: my parents, my mind, and my mirrors. as i was trying to run upstairs my mom and dad were chasing after me with my mom saying to my dad "i want u to look at this now; look at her face" and he was chasing me and my heart was racing with pure panic. all i kept saying was "no, please, dont; please dont.." "please dont make me do this." while they were screaming at me for my running away from them; my running away from me.
school is so tough. the place where im so self-conscious. albeit, i try to cover the damage as much as i can i feel people are looking, are staring, are seeing right through all the make-up. i have to turn my head when someone is speaking to me or just when im walking down the hallways going to class. EVERYWHERE. i feel as if they can see, i feel as if they KNOW. then i wonder what do they think of me, they must think im mentally insane and should be thrown into a looney bin.
these wicked gaps and spaces are scars of a dreadful, never ending war we face, or should i say "deface." hopefully the tears will heal the wounds on our eyelids and the wounds in our hearts. it hurts to have someone else scar you, but when we scar ourselves it doesn't even classify as hurt, but as torment and aguish we engulf and store and let build inside of us. it is not hurt, it is an excruciating inner pain.
i want to help and inspire others, as many others have done for me. here are some ways that might help your trichotillmania condition (they sort of helped me):
* if u have long enough hair, focus on picking and snapping the split / dead ends (it works for me sometimes). it will keep you busy and distracted while you're still playing with your hair
* get your hair cut on a angle; meaning let the length of you hair gradate from shortest in the front to longest in the back. the shortest it can be (but no shorter) is as far as the bottom of your eyes / or longer (my shortest length is down to my chin) so you can take that piece of hair and cover your eye / eyes (as a look with your everyday hairstyle - people will thing it's bangs, etc)
* use mascara for eyeliner (i just recently tried this, i dont know if this is any good, i only put it on the open space and do the rest (non-open places) with regular eyeliner
i really hope these ideas may help! just remember we're all in the same boat, and you're never alone! <3

I have been pulling them out since i was a child also. Now i went and did it about two weeks ago and i cant even see little stubs poking threw! Are they never going to grow back. im 14 i want to model, im going to an agency next month someone please help me.

I'm 13 and i've been a puller since i waas 12. I hate it because i believe in God and i just don't see how he could love me if im hurting myself. I pull my eyelashes, eyebrows, leg and arm, and pubic hair. But the pubic hair is wat gets to me. See i started pulling my eyelashes out and i had LARGE GAPS that my mom noticed and i was lik FAR away. then i went to my eyebrows but i didn't lik the fact that people could see wat i was doing soo i somehow switched to my leg but found my pubic hair even MORE calming. I fell so sick. Even as i write, i feel horrible for i have just gone on another pullling spree. I'm reading the bible going to church. I'm trying so hard, can anyone giv me advice that helps stop the triggers. Cause most of it is stress and feeling stupid or ugly. I am soo ashamed. Someone PLEASE ease my pain.

Hi everyone!

Like all of you here who have posted, i have some sort of hair-putting habit; I'm an eye-lash puller and *ahem* arm-pit hair puller, and pubic hair puller...

I guess I'm not afraid to share with all of you about how I felt, since we're all in the same boat.

CHELSEA of 24th Jan>>
your eye lashes will grow back... you are still so young! I know it because I started plucking since 7 or 8 yrs old. BUT IT CAN TAKE A LONGER TIME THAN USUAL TO GROW BACK. I remembered once it took about ONE WEEK before they started to poke through and grow back.

ANA of 26 Jan>>
my mum sorta found out when i had those gaps in between mny eye lashes. You know, i thought they shouldn't be that obvious, after all they're just a small part. But man, I'm so wrong! But what I want to say is, we are not perfect see... I believe these weird compulsions that we have are also due to our fallen nature.
I don't exactly have a way to stop it either. I still pluck my eye-lashes once in a while.. I kind of out grew that. But i'm still plucking my arm-pit and pubic hair (and this started during my puberty, just like your case I believe). Nowadays, i just treat it as some form of waxing. When I want to stop myself from wasting time plucking, I simply shaved it all off so that I have nothing to pluck.

Ms.Take...
I'm in the exact same situation. I am also a junior in high school, a self-concsious 16 year old. I have no eyebrows, no eyelashes, and bald spots on my head. I wear enough makeup to cover ten girls. Literally. My parents found me crying in my room one day, looking down at a pile of hair on my floor that I had just ripped out, and they decided to take me to the doctor. The doctor, after an embarrassing session with my parents and I, told me that I needed a therapist. I'm still seeing one. Within this problem, I have found the real me. I have discovered that High School is just an illusion, and that all of the people don't see the actual me, they just see the mannacin walking by. I have many friends, new and old, all whom don't know me. I'm discovering new things about myself everyday, and although its horrible and scarring, trich has brought a new light into my life. Something for me to look back on and laugh at.

I have the same problem and i just get a rush outing pulling my eyelashes out...eveytime i feel one that i think will hurt a little if i pull it...comes out!!! then i pull alot and have a bunch of gaps. i put loads of mascara which is making it worse becasue they are easier to grip onto. it sux but i find if i hide my tweezers and wear my glasses alot...this will prevent for a week or two and by then they are growing back.

i plucked again my poor eyelashes its been almost 3 weeks and not even little stubs are poking threw! what do i do im a total mess help me

me again CRB will they grow back even though they have been bare so long?

Hey..

CRB>>
I think once my eyes lashes also took that long to grow back... its like, the more you pluck, the longer it takes to grow back. Wait for 1 more week?

TRICHOTILLOMANIA IS LIKE DRUGS.

i used to plucked ALOT... but i'm thankful to say that by the grace of God, i don't find that much urge to pluck that now.

i feel tricho is like drugs. EX-drug addicts live a normal life like everyone else, except that they maybe tempted to take drugs once in a while, due to their PAST.

Tricho is like that. I believe all of us can overcome that habit and lead normal lives again, except that we have the urge to pluck once in a while.

I hope that perhaps by sharing my experience, I could show you that it is possible.

I used to pluck my eyelashes alot. Before I go to sleep, while on my bed. I go to school with gaps on my eye lids too. and i have to use eye liner back then to hide those bald spots. Some of my classmates started asking about it too.

And then i grew tired of my lifestyle. I wanted a change. I prayed a prayer to God, asking Him to take away this bad habit from me. If He can heal the blind and lame, why can't He simply help me kick a bad habit?

Over time, I realize that the urge to pluck my eyelashes began to reduce. It took some time, but finally, it came to a point that plucking my eyelashes doesn't seem so appealing, and I don't pluck that much, except for 1 strand or 2 when i'm really bored. But that's ok... because of my PAST.

ITS POSSIBLE TO OVERCOME TRICHOTILLOMANIA.

DON'T GIVE UP HOPE EVERYONE...

i don't mean to be preachy, i'm not a pastor, just an ordinary 22-year-old girl, who had Tricho when she was 7, but reasonably nice eye lashes now.

if you would believe.. you can overcome trichotillomania too.

at the mean time, God understands what you're going through dealing with embarrassment and distress. He went through that too, on the cross. Ane He accepts you for who you are now, even though others are laughing at your appearance. :)

Does anyone else here like rub the root on your fingers or cheeck....sounds weird but...yeah

I do.. it is wierd. i also like to look at the root and compare it to others

WEll, so it will come back even after taking like a month to poke through?

crb>>

Yeap. :) You're still young. But the best scenario is to get out of the plucking habit asap.

well ive been trying, im getting some help. but SO everyone is absolutely sure they will come back even after taking a month to poke out?

well ive been trying, im getting some help. but SO everyone is absolutely sure they will come back even after taking a month to poke out?

Mine tend to poke through within days.

I just started doing it a couple years ago. I dont think I do it for stress, I feel one that feels strange, like a hair that is going the wrong way, then I pull lightly till it comes out and it kind of hurts and I like that feeling, then I'll keep doing it till I have a huge gap. I just started with Jan Marini eyelash intervention about four months ago, and just watching them grow so well makes me think about it before I even touch them now because of my progress. Only once and a while I slip up, but I have people asking if I have eyelash extensions now and that alone gives me encouragement to be hands off.

I just started doing it a couple years ago. I dont think I do it for stress, I feel one that feels strange, like a hair that is going the wrong way, then I pull lightly till it comes out and it kind of hurts and I like that feeling, then I'll keep doing it till I have a huge gap. I just started with Jan Marini eyelash intervention about four months ago, and just watching them grow so well makes me think about it before I even touch them now because of my progress. Only once and a while I slip up, but I have people asking if I have eyelash extensions now and that alone gives me encouragement to be hands off. I just ran into this site, I had no idea other people did this wierd thing I do with my lashes.

:/ i just picked another one out :(
i really cant take this disorder.
if anyone has some one to one advice please add me on msn
Gezstar314@hotmail.co.uk

OK i know i have asked a hundred times before but, im an aspiring model and I cant go in to an agency looking this way. They are taking forever to grow back! WILL THEY EVER COME BACK? please help

these made me cry b/c i felt they were talking 4 me...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivY25YKfscA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-OI7NvgZbM

I've been doing ot for 8 years now and really want to stop, i've heard something about putting oil on your eyes but I'm not sure..
what is this Jan Marini eyelash? does it really help? what does it do?

Wow, while reading some of the posts here they really hit home. I have never seriously said that I have a compulsive disorder but I have for a long time thought about it. Since I was young I've pulled hair from my head, eyelashes, eyebrows, arms, legs anywhere that hair grows. It's so embarrassing, I always remember my friends in school telling me to "stop that" when they'd catch me pulling hair from my head or eye area. I'd just laugh and act like it was just a funny quirk, but then I'd see the bald spots in the mirror, and the gaps in my brows and lashes and realized it was a self-inflicted albeit a superficial compulisve dsorder. I have been doing it for as long as I can remember, and I have times when I don't allow myself to do it for awhile, but then as soon as I get stressed over something I just sit and pick. My boyfriend goes so far as to call me a freak, and when I stop and think about I know that I probably do appear that way. I have never seen anyone else do it, although I know many probably do, its kinda an ironic relief that I stumbled upon this forum (I don't wish this on anyone) because I now feel that I am not so weird as I had believed. I initially typed in the query about whether or not eyelashes grew back but I didn't expect to find people who do the exact same thing as me, and that it has a name! Well anyways I wish everyone the best, and I guess I'll keep restraining myself from pulling my hair as a form of stress relief.

I've been pulling my eyelashes since I was 12 and I'm 22. It’s when I get so upset, I start. Going straight for my eyes. I don't pull all of them out I have a gap.. It’s such a good feeling pulling them out. I say to my self why do they have to hurt. My sister understands what I'm going threw. I wear false eyelashes, to cover up what I've done to myself. I use this certain kind of of glue and the lashes stick for almost 1 month. I'm happy that I found other people like me. It makes me feel so much better about myself..

i have been reading what everyone else has been writing and it feel somewhat good to know that i am not alone...i like many other people go through periods where i dont pull AT ALL..and then all of a sudden after a couple of weeks i pull everything that ive worked so hard to keep ;(....im soo tired of this ALL OF this...why doesnt it just stop...i feel so awkward..i feel like everyone can see...im sooo tired of ALWAYS having to wear eyeliner to cover it up as well as putting makeup on my eyebrows..im always wearing HATs to try and cover my face. I also always wear sunglases out doors. in class i always try to sit in the back corner so no one can see me. i feel so bad..sad and exhausted with it..i feel as though its literally ruining my life..i often cancel plans with friends because i feel ugly with the way i look..like others have written Mirrors are literall the worst enemy..they continue to show the damage that has been caused my pulling..i dont get many chances of expressing myself and it feels kinda good to get this all out...reading these comments was like reading sections of my own life..going through these things and feeling like a complete outsider...i am going to try to make it better..

Omg! i cannot believe how many ppl suffer with the same problem! ive been 'pulling' since i was 7/8 i can't remember why i started i just did! i feel so ugly! im 21 now, and completly bald! i can stop but its such a habit now its second nature! sometimes i dont even know im doin it! im gettin married in 17months time and i really want to look lovely on the day! so im gunna quit! when i get the urge to pull im gunna stop myself and think about what i want to look like on my wedding day! my fiance doesnt even know i do it! i told him i had alopecia and they might grow back someday! how the hell can i tell him the truth with out upsetting him! its so damn hard! i always thought i was weird! im scared of going out because im scared somebody will ask me why i havent got any or why im ugly! my biggest fear is when i have children, and my children gettin bullied coz the way i look! its got to stop, and got to stop today! i just hope and pray that they grow, otherwise i have nobody else to blame but myself! i find wearing false nails help coz you cant pull them at all! ive kept this secret inside for a hell of a long time! im so glad ive got it off my chest and now i know there's more of us out there, i know im not alone! its give me confidence to turn my life around! ill report back step by step my progresses! its gunna be hard but im determined to do it! i hope we all get what we want! its starts today! good luck!....x

Have there been any updates on ones using the eyelash accelorators mentioned at essentialdayspa.com? Has anyone noticed them helping the time of regrowth when there are no eyelashes there??

Its been a while since I last wrote on this site, but since then I have managed to regrow all lashes to a superb length and then to go and ruin it by pulling most of them out again. I have been using a gel which I bought on Talika.com and it helps to regrow lashes within 28 days of using it, albeit you do have to refrain from pulling, but it really does work. I fully recommend it.
Good luck to everyone trying to stop. We can do it.

i feel really upset...ive refrained from pulling for about a month and then out of no where i pulled EVERYTHING!!!! i dont know what to do anymore i feel so lost and alone ;(

I have been pulling for about 6 years old. I pencil in my eyebrows and put eyeliner on my lids(hairless) Im so sick of getting up so early in the morning. It takes me half an hour or more to get my eyebrows straight. Yeah, i freehand them. im in sports so i cant wear fake lashes without worrying about them comming off. anyone know when your lashes will stop coming back?

i no how u feel,i went through it,im over with it.i just kept putting CLEAR mascara on my lashes,making them look pretty,then,i just looked in the mirror,doing a pose making me look like the girl i am within.uther than saying i look horrible,i said 2 myself i look pretty,and im not gonna keep plucking!think of reasons y not 2 pluck aka:looking preety for you're bf,not looking sick,& freedom 2 hav no one stare at you because of the gaps on you're lids, and so on.just wuteva you do,dont say you look horrible,that will put you under stress,and even more plucking.but hey!some ppl in this world are stuck with addiction to eyelash plucking,but i got over it!Listen to these words,i wish to help.a nurse once told me,eyelashes together,are one.They fight off dust and microscopic things that can easily hurt ur eye.without eyelashes,all we get are stys,wich then to blindness,thats another reason i stoped,im not done seeing my world.i have soo many things yet to come.

I hope my advice can help some1,b4 its 2 L8.

Omg!im just so happy,knowing im not the only one with this-thing.i thought i was crazy at first.i quit plucking,yes,but i thought i was the only 1.now i feel like im safe.:) im willing to help any1 who needs advice.
-lol[lashes of love],no1needs2know

Hey,its no1needs2know.i just changed my nickname.Im not a veggieterian,but im still against fur and that stuff.Anyways....i've only started last yr,but i was like a roller coaster,i only quit,than started again.will my lashes grow back?im sure they will.all the ppl on here are just like me,we can alll do this.hobbies r 1 good way 2 quit.i resently started doing lion king fanart.I never new i was so good at it too!its just,now i cant put it on to that website Lionkingfanartarckive.com.how do u do it without makin a picture ON ur pc?but anyway,this hobbie of mine might sound stupid,but it keeps me from picking.& wen i feel a sorrow,or a madness 2 pluck,i take my sadness out on the picture,and draw something sad or mad on that.Drawing is a good hobbie,for those who w2 quit,if i feel sadness,insted of plucking,i draw,and so can u 2.

does anyone know if eyelashes fully come back after ive been plucking them completely out for six years? i started in the summer of the 1st grade,now im in the 7th grade. for some years i was uncovered with no lashes or brows, then i went to hiding behind bangs, then i uncovered the bangs and had drawn on eyebrows, now i have eyeliner with drawn eyebrows... im trying to grow my lashes out, but are afraid they wont come back. My question, will they grow back after 6 years of plucking? how long will it take?

i used to pull out my lashes. i never lost all of them though. everytime i pulled out a lot i felt guilty, mad at myself and scared i would never get them back. luckily they grew but unfortunately my lashes became very thin and sparse. still i liked touching them and pull weaker ones out. a few yrs ago, i was removing mascara when i noticed i lost about 30 at once. i was depressed as i knew it served me right. i stopped even touch my eyes in order to make them grow back. they still keep growin but they are weak n fall out all the time. i stopped wearin mascara, i use just grey shadows. i visited many doctors but nobody has any clue what to do to make my lashes stronger. i want to warn anyone who pulls. even if ur lashes seem to grow back it doesnt mean it will always be like that. pulling on lashes makes them weaker n weaker n one day it will be too late to get them back;(

EVERYONE CHILL IN THE REGROWTH IN HAIR. LASHES AND EYELASHES WILL AlWAYS GROW BACK. EVEN IF IT IS THIN, IT WILL JUST TAKE MORE TIME TO HEAL. INFO STRAIGHT FROM THE DOCTOR

;)

............AND REMEMBER ALWAYS SAY YOU CAN STOP PULLING!!!!!

i wish it was the truth, but its not. if u keep removing hair with roots and uve been doing it for years, the root will certainly stop producing new hair. im sure of it as it happened to me.

DO NOT THINK THE HAIRS WILL NEVER COME BACK. ALWAYS HAVE HOPE. I PUT VASELINE ON MY BALD LASHES, AND I NOTICED A DIFFERENCE WHEN LITTLE LASHES CAME INTO VEIW. THE LITTLE LASHES WERE A LOT THICKER. IF U HAVE JUST PLUCKED A SPOT, PUT VASELINE ON AND WHEN IT COMES IN IT WILL BE THICKER! ALSO TRY CASTOR OIL! :) (PUT THE VASELINE OR CASTOR OIL ON THE BALD SPOTS BEFORE YOU GO TO BED EVERY NIGHT) U WILL NOTICE A DIFFERENCE. I NOTICED A DIFFERENCE IN A WEEK. JUST TRY THIS AND GIVE UR OPINION.

ok, bad news. so i still don't have my eyelashes from since october, the reason is... it would be easier for me to not pull them if they all grew back in at the same time because the uniformity would deter me. instead they seem to want to grow in one or two at a time, and the sensation of bald skin then a prickly hair is too much to bear, so i pull out the prickly regrowth, not thinking i'm doing too much damage because it's "just one or two hairs". but in fact it's all of them because i am not letting any of them come back. mental battles...

i have found if i DO NOT 'test' my eyelid and see how much has grown back then i will not pull. the first second i touch and sense that prickly hair, even if my mindset was not to pull in the first place, it is going to bother me and be in the back of my mind -- and then eventually i will pull it out, no matter what.

SO: the trick is, DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYELID. AND DO NOT PULL EVEN THE FIRST HAIR. as soon as you do, the domino effect emerges..where you pull one, and another, and soon you do not care anymore if you are bald. also do not look at them up close in the mirror. when i saw my porcupine eyelids i felt like i'd rather have them bald. it's our OCD emerging, we are perfectionists. we want everything to be neat and tidy, and it is most definitely not neat and tidy during the regrowth phase.

hope that helps..at least it has in my situation. and i am praying for them to grow back. they seem to grow back a LOT slower than you ladies have reported... even though they are naturally dark and thick and i would assume that would mean faster regrowth..sigh..

i have been wearing false eyelashes because i am so self conscious about it, the problem with it though is that the glue irritates my eye since there are no real lashes there to protect it. and my eyeliner is reeeally dark and heavy, and i worry that the chemicals have been causing the lash re-growth to take longer than normal. because i worry about my bf's reaction to my bald eyes (he knows about my problem and worries about me) i keep my makeup on at night even tho i don't want to.

i forgot to mention in my last post that most of my eyebrows have grown back from after i pulled them all out in August 06. i only need to fill in the middle spot, where it seems that the hairs are taking longer to regenerate. anyways, just though i would pass on the good news, but damn it takes a LONG time for these hairs on my face to come back. the hairs on my head come back within a week or two.

crb,

My eyelashes take about as long as yours to grow back. I am surprised some women are blessed enough to have theirs grown back in a week. If I pull out mine I am lucky to see any results in a month. Right now my eyes are still bare as ever, even parts where I pulled more than a month ago have NOT grown back. I have a feeling I will need 6 months to a year before they all grow back in. I have only pulled my eyelashes out since October 06 so it's not like I have been doing extensive damage. I only pulled them out one time as a child, but since moved on to my head, where I have had bald spots since I was 13.

I worry about my makeup use contributing to the eyelash follicles becoming damaged... and I worry about trying any medication to accelerate the hair growth because that might make your hair 'addicted' to it, and you'd have to use it the rest of your life.

So I am going to try to go against my boyfriend's anxiety and wash my face every night...I do wish I could take 6 months off and just do nothing, no jobs no school no work no outside world...just bare makeup less and stress and trich-free...and then emerge with all my hair back like I had a huge transformation..

:sigh: only a dream..

I'm an eyelash plucker and have been for about 6 years. I'm at the lowest point of my plucking (completely bald) and reading all this makes me want to quit so bad. I'm starting right now and am serious this time. I'll keep you updated and wish everyone else luck.

u guys hav gr8 advice! do u no n e ideas for eyebrows? mine r almost non existant & i really want em bak! =]

u guys hav gr8 advice! do u no n e ideas for eyebrows? mine r almost non existant & i really want em bak! =]

sry it posted twice
:)

i thought i was some wackjob the only one in the world who would ever think of doing something like that. I thikn it was about when i was 7 and my mother and I were cleaning out my room when we were just sitting there and she got this confused look on her face and said, "sweetie, you dont have any eyelashes." I acted confused because i really had only plucked once at that point but then i was like "oh wow", of course i knew. When I would pluck i would work at it intul my complete upper lid was totally bare. The way it felt, felt well good. and after you had plucked alot you get up and go look in the mirror only to have that satisfying feeling overcome by anger towards yourself. I would feel worthless like no wonder im not pretty i dont have any goddamn eyelashes! I knew people started to ask questions in middle school, horrible names, people buying fake eyelashes, not even understanding the problem that I myself did not. My mother took me to a optometrist convinced that i had a infection which caused me to rub my eyes/eyelids leaving me with no lashes. The doctors were convinced i was doing it myself but my mother backed me up and i falsley agreed I couldnt admit that to people that i ripped my eyelashes out for the feeling it gave me of accomplished or sweetness, then rub the eyelash inbetween your fingers feeling the texture. But i couldnt stand the way i looked or felt. 6 years later, after all the names i made myself grow eyelashes, as horrible as it sounds whenever i contemplated plucking i told myself do you want to look like this forever! BE stong! You could be so much better! but believe me it took me many trys. Even now though, when i have my mascara on and one looks out of place everyonce and a while i will take tweezers to it, but thats the end of that jsut one. Still i dont think im over the problem. Any therapy type suggestions?

Katie...
Trich is commonly related to being an alcoholic. Both are hard to defeat, and no matter what you do, you can become vulnerable. By having one drink after being sober for years, Alcoholics can slip back into their deadly pattern. For us, pulling one eyelash can do the same thing. No matter how long you haven't pulled for, you are still a Trichtillomaniac inside. The only thing I can reccommend is to avoid pulling AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Try hard.

JUST TRYIN 2 HELP OTHERS LIKE ME, wen i red ur cmnt about puttin vaseline on eyelashes it made me really interested to know: would applying vaseline to my eyebrows hav the same effect? b/c 4 a few days now i tried it juz 4 fun ((after readin ur cmnt)) but wz really hopin it wud work...
if u hav n e idea plz let me no! thank u!!
=]

Hey Miss Take I just wanted to let you know I pulled out half of my eyebrows last year and most of them have grown back in. I haven't tried vaseline, my only worry is that it could cause breakouts and clogged pores which might not help regrowth. Hang in there, they should grow back it just takes an unfortunate amount of time for eyelashes/eyebrows.

I stopped pulling out my eyebrows since my stress level has gone down. Maybe we all need to re-evaluate our priorities in our lives and try to eliminate whatever stress we can. :) Good luck!!

I forgot to mention, you may already be doing this but seriously having bangs and eyebrow liner has been a life saver! After I stopped pulling my eyebrows I was really happy to see that I was using less and less eyeliner to fill in bald spots. I used to have to fill out all of it because my eyebrows became so sparse. And my bangs covered up any eyebrow liner rubbing off during the day.

Viv, interesting comment relating this habit to alcoholism
i am an alchoholic, and have been a hair puller on and off most of my life.
it started when I was about 13 or so..and now all the hair on my head (my pubic hair too) and I am starting on my eyebrows and eyelashes..
I believe this habit is stress related, and I don't believe in antidepressant therapy...but...I have been lying to my friends, family and the community about my habit (tell my family that I shaved my head , and let everyone else think I am in chemotherapy!
I am not sure how much research has been done on this seemingly neurotic behavior.
Granted, it's nice to have a place to come and share, but does anyone know of a site (or group) that has ideas on where/how to get help?
The pulling is extremely gratifying it seems to help make me feel 'alive' a comment I have also heard from 'cutters'
I am wondering (like everyone) how to break the cycle or habit
I seemed to be able to stop the habit somewhat when I had a spouse or lived with someone, but now that I am alone (going on 10 years) it is worse than ever!
Any web sites or drs. anyone knows that can help?

hey anonymous 21 year old girl, ty 4 responding to my bulletin! i wish u all the luck, as well! =]

MISS TAKE, I am pretty sure they will work on eyebrowz, i mean hair is hair, right? I have been pullin' for bout 6 years now and i have absolutely no hairs on my face, eyelashes and eyebrows. i use pencil eyebrows and eyeliner for my eyes. Question, Will my lashes be the same again? i used to have beautiful lashes, and now i have stubs. the vaseline makes them thicker, or try castor oil. :) i think they might clog pores, but only use it on your lashes or browz and it should work! try it! try not to pluck for a week and see how the browz/lashes grow in. also try to pluck leg hairs instead of facial hairs. i just tried that now and after a day without shaving, little growth is coming in.... so i pull that out and it feels the same as pulling lashes... if u pull this your hair will not come in as much( meaning pulling for a long time) so u wont have to shave as much!!!;0

i feel soooo lost and sad i feel like a freak it feels good to get all this emotion out...im a very stressed out person and i am trying desperately to change my ways but its sooooo hard!! i wish i didnt do this...i want it to stop!!

I checked this thread out of curiosity, thought ti might be about how to promote eyelash growth, but didn't know about eyelash/eyebrow pulling.

I was just posting over at the Blackstrap Molasses thread, and one of the outstanding things about this
wonderful food is that it helps the nerves. As I said there, among other things, I feel more relaxed and sleep better. Since it seems this eyelash-pulling compulsion is related to stress, maybe blackstrap and other anti-stress foods like brewer's yeast would help, also an exercise program such as the Tibetan Five Rites, a very effective stress-releaser. Info about the Rites and how to do them can be found on the Web.

Using an affirmation, such as "My energy is free-flowing and directed toward my goals" would also help, I think. Takes the focus off the problem and onto something constructive.

Good luck., all!

Sad Girl, U R NOT A FREAK. plz dont tell urself this or feel like this. i no how u feel tho, & wut ur goin thru! b strong, albeit i kno its tough. u def CAN do it!! & u will!
i wish u ((and everyone here)) the best of luck!
=]

HEY, I FEEL LIKE A FREAKIN' FREAK! I MEAN, I HAVE PENCILED ON EYEBROWS AND I AM CONSTANTLY PROTECTING MY FACE SO THEY DON'T SMEAR. YOU KNOW HOW IT IS, "MY FRIEND SMACKED ME WITH HER COAT ON MY FACE, IS MY EYEBROW STILL THERE?" YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW SOMETHINGS IMPORTANT UNTIL IT IS GONE.......:{

HEY, IM SO GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE. I FELT ALONE AND GUILTY BEFORE I MET OTHERS LIKE ME. I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF SOMEONE ELSE WITH TRICHOTILLOMANIA WHO GOES TO MY SCHOOL. I HATE BEING ALONE. IM IN AN ENRICHMENT PROGRAM, FOR "SMART" KIDS, AND I FEEL ALONE THAT EVERYONE ELSE IS LIGHT COMPLECTED (WHITE) AND IM NOT. I HAVE A MEXICAN LOOK..... WHICH I DON'T LIKE BECAUSE SOME MEXICANS(NOT ALL!!! I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST THEM... ONLY A LOT OF MEXICANS AT OUR SCHOOL ARE SL*TS) ARE B****ES. WHEN I FIRST ENROLLED IN THIS PROGRAM, I WALKED INTO THE ROOM AND I SWORE PEOPLE WERE THINKING... O MY GOSH, SOME STUPID(MEXICAN) GIRL WHO THINKS SHE IS BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE IS IN OUR CLASS. IT REALLY DIDN'T HELP THAT I DIDN'T HAVE ANY EYEBROWS OR LASHES. IM IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND I HAVE MANY FRIENDS. IM NOT IN THE "PREPPY" GROUP OR THE "NERDY" GROUP. IM JUST IN BETWEEN.

HELLO......... IS ANYONE OUT THERE? JUST FORGET WHAT I SAID IN THE SECOND POST... I WAS KIND OF FREAKED OUT WHEN I WROTE THAT BECAUSE I JUST PLUCKED AND I FELT GUILY...SO GUILTY. I JUST WANT TO HAVE A FRIEND WHO IS IN THE SAME BOAT AS ME.

I'm tired of getting notifications from this site for a new post when all they consist of are multiple, ignorant posts by you , JUST TRYIN 2 HELP OTHERS LIKE ME.

Your posts are ridiculously ignorant, childish, and annoying and happen to be the sole reason I've contemplated taking the new post notification option off my email address. Your sad drivel isn't helping anyone. Go blog on your LiveJournal or MySpace page if you must. Just leave this site alone until you have some sort of actual contribution or are able to communicate in an effective manner.

K? Rofl brb, lmfao, ttyl lylas. G2G <3 O rly.

Thanks Miss Take...i wish the same to you!! and to everyone!! Its incredibly difficult and at time i FEELLL sooo alone..it feels good to be able to get it all out!!

and by getting it all out i mean my emotions!! Its tough but we have no other choice but to try and beat it!! Miss Take i really like your positive energy and hopefully i can stay positive ;)

So many posts, so many people. But it really would be nice to have someone to talk to about it in person. Anyway I'm 21 and I've been doing this since I was about 7-8, seems about standard. When I was younger I used to bite off the white root. I don't do that anymore but I think I pull a lot more now. Eyebrows and eyelashes. Mostly when I'm stressed. Studying and taking tests are the worst, then sometimes just boredom or standing too close to the mirror. I used to have nice, thick, long lashes...now they're sparce. One's out of place - I pull. I don't like how it feels - I pull. I've gotten so close to my boyfriend now that if I look at him and don't like the way his eyebrow looks I'll pluck one out (he probably thinks I'm weird as hell). I don't try to hide it in public because the desire to do it is so strong. There's more I could say about it, but it's all been said. I read posts and think they sound weird, then I realize I do exactly that. I'm going to try today to stop, but I've tried before and it hasn't proved easy. I also have a problem biting the inside of my mouth but that's something different altogether. I just wonder if anyone else has both problems. I know this is related to stress and being a perfectionist. How many would say you're the same way?

I'm guilty of the whole biting the inside of the mouth thing as well. It's pretty much incessant.

As far as my eyelashes are concerned, I can go for weeks at a time without pulling, and then suddenly I'll pull out more than half of them in one sitting.

I've progressed to the point where I'll only pull the lashes from the inside corner of my left eye, leaving some on the edge of the eye and the other alone completely.

i wear mascara everyday..like 3 different kinds!!one to lengthen, one to thicken n one to seperate...n on tp of that i CURL my eyelashes constantly!!!n they fall out alot sometimes!!! is there a mascara or vitamin or something i can do to make them stronger n grow faster?

hello i have been dealing with this since the 5th grade and now i am starting college and i feel so horrible about myself i am going from doctor to doctor trying to help and nothing is helping me. i am curently on lexapro i have no eyelashes and eyebrows nd spots on my head now and it is getting really bad can anyone help me out and how you try to control it i have tried everything i have even hand cuffed myself at night and while watching t.v to try not to do this please someone out there give me some advice on other ways to help with this because i am a new diagnosed person and actually really scared thank you

Stephanie...
I'm a bit younger than you. I'm a junior in high school. I also have Trich, and we're all scared, it's okay. I'm in horrible condition myself, I have no eyebrows or eyelashes, and now a baldspot the size of a mango on the top of my head. it's horrible, shameful, embarrassing... everything. I hate it, it's hard, but we all have to get through it. I see a therapist, take medication, everything I can to rid myself of this problem, but really, the only thing that can stop it is utter devotion, you need complete control by distracting yourself. You never can lose focus. Keep trying.

thank you viv i dont feel that alone anymore i actually thought i was the only one that had no eyelashes its so hard to cover up this problem and everything its a non stop look in the mirror to see if my eye liner is ok e-mail me if u want to talk smk22426@yahoo.com

thank you viv i dont feel that alone anymore i actually thought i was the only one that had no eyelashes its so hard to cover up this problem and everything its a non stop look in the mirror to see if my eye liner is ok e-mail me if u want to talk smk22426@yahoo.com

thank you viv i dont feel that alone anymore i actually thought i was the only one that had no eyelashes its so hard to cover up this problem and everything its a non stop look in the mirror to see if my eye liner is ok e-mail me if u want to talk

Hey its me again...Im such an idiot. My hair and everything was growing in just fine and everything then i go on a pull the hair out from the top of your head trip and I have a wide part but at least i can find a way to cover MY mom caught me i was hysterically crying, i dont even notice when i pull. I pull my eyelashes eyebrows head hair and even leg and arm hair. Luckily the only thing i do now is head mostly. BUT THAT is the most noticable! I havent done it for a month now and im happy its just sometimes i relapse and yank.

Stephanie..
Yeah, I'll email you. We all need support. This problem has taken the best of me, and I'm trying to fight it as best as I can, but it is very hard to get over.

I stumbled ascross this website- becasue I accidently pulled my eyelashes out with a lash curler. I was devasted and I wanted to know if they would grow back. My scenario is a one time thing - but after reading about what others live with on a daily basis I just want to say - You all are very strong to deal with your problem head on. I'm sure it is a daily chore for you and you experience inner conflict- I just want to say I hope each of you find peace and a solution, don't feel hopeless, or different, or strange because you do this, try different things that may help you. I hope you all find your inner strength to stop. I hope my lashes will grow back and I know the fear I felt when I saw - my lashes were ripped out in a section. I have nothing there and I feel embarassed like people could see a big gap and I look odd as a result. I may not know your problem - but I feel the result. My prayers are with you!

Hey, Im so happy i stumbled over this site. I have no brows or lashes. I draw on my eyebrows and put eyeliner on my bare eyelids. I am in middle school and i do sports. But I think i will start wearing fake lashes after spring break. Maybe the kids who go to my school will think they grew back. Should I do It?

I am a 50 year old woman who pulls out her hair occasionally and habitually pulls out her eyelashes. I have gone to a psychiatrist for therapy and I take medication for obsessive-compulsive disorder, but I still pull hair and pluck eyelashes. I've been doing this since I was a child.

you girls need to get mental strength and pull yourselves together. You are all weak and making excuses about eyelash pulling. I just found out about my daughter doing this and she has now became ugly. her asset was her lashes and now she has non. I dont undersand how a girl who has verything can do such a revolting thing.I am strong and would like to think that all my children have mental strenght not a weakness such as this. I sugest you all find something to do with your life and stop being a victim. You are the type to be bashed up by your boyfriends. so pull yourselves together and empower your self

Dear "mum",

I would think that a woman such as yourself (in your words, strong and have mental strenght) would spend a little time and learn to spell, punctuate and use proper English grammer and spend less time being harsh and judgmental of others. I am especially concerned for your children. You really have no effect on us, but your children need a mother who will find a way to help, support, and encourage them.

I may have poor grammar and punctuation. But English is not my first language. You say encourage. Do you mean encourage being ugly and weak? I am a great mother and my children are happy. My daughter has seen this web page and feels nothing like these women and girls. She has stopped to pull her eyelashes out because she now sees that it is a weakness of the mind. You all need psychiatric help and find another hobby

"Mum",

I must admit, you do have some valid points, but most of these people cannot actually help it. Thankfully my own mother caught me only a few months into the eyelash plucking thing and helped me see that what I was doing to my face was awful. I recommend that when you ever get the urge to pull out eyelashes, learn an inconspicuous movement - also somewhat relaxing movement - to take your mind off it, like a little rubbing motion on your arm or something to calm you down. If you feel that your fingers simply MUST do something, play with a tennis ball or twiddle a pencil until the feeling passes.

I only pulled enough eyelashes to reveal a gap. I'm praying that they will grow back because everytime I look in the mirror I see how awful I look. But "mum" is correct in saying that we all need more mental strength. Please do not take any offence to this - I truly mean none.

Bye, and good luck!!

I'm so scared. im scared because im afraid because i used to have rapunzel syndrome and im afraid i have damaaged my insides. i only used to do this, i cant even bring myself to say - i am so ashamed - with my eyelashes. with the hair being so small, do you think they would have been digested? i can find nothing to give me a positive answer.

please help me.

I came across an article in the paper by a woman who compusively pulled her hair out,when she described her symptoms and her impulses to pull out her lashes i shuddered..i though i was a complete idiot because i do it too and i didnt realise other people had the same problem.When they are full,i am pleased but then i pull out one and i cant stop pulling out more. Once i pulled out so many my upper lids were vitually bald. My eyes are my nicest feature,im mixed race and my eyes are green,ever since i can remember people comment on my eyes and how beautiful they are. It used to embarass me,people still say it. But a few days ago,my partner noticed a small gap in my lashes. I was hideously embarrassed and knew then that i had a problem. Are there any natural remedies to help them grow back??

To "Mum"
I am shocked, saddened and sickened by your remarks. The fact that you can so readily write off your daughter's emotions is heartless and inexcusable. I am a strong, intelligent, confident, and beautiful woman - and without my mother's support, I would be none of these things. I cannot imagine what I would have done if my mother had ignored or made light of my problem when it first developed. To have to go through something like this totally alone, and made to feel ashamed and weak because of it, is punishment I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy - and you are doing this to your own daughter. I guarantee you that your daughter will continue to suffer, and you can either choose to be her support and help her through, or turn your back on her and make it worse. The test of a true parent, and unconditional love, is when you don't run from a challenge, but face it head on, hand in hand. If you can't do that for your daughter and accept her for who she is, shame on you - you are not a parent, and should not ever be calling yourself "mum".

nana, r u "mum" by n e chance?

Oh my goodness, my friend and I just came across this web page because we are searching on how to make our eyelashes look even better (we are eye models). It’s like so sad that you do all that plucking but I guess you are zealots. Just love that Nana she is soooooo cool.

We wish you all the best, keep plucking away so we can just like keep modeling.

Eva and Lacy

Eva and Lacy.

you are not nice.
Hope ur lashes grow so ur eyelids don’t open from heaviness

Mandy.
sad eylash plucker

my new year's resolution was to stop. i put my sister on patrol to watch and stop me. even though i told her to do it, i can't help buut get SO SO angry with her when she tells me to stop. i'm not a weak person- from the outside i would appear to have the perfect life- looks, admission to an ivy league college, etc. this problem is often unconscious and i don't realize what i'm doing until i realize i have 5 eyelashes in my mouth. i'm trying, but to all those who think this is easy to kick, it's nearly impossible. help!

mandy, the funniest thing is, we'll find them sobbing on an anorexia & cutter site 1 day!

hey eva & lacy, sry to inform u but THIS SITE IS NOT MYSPACE! keep posting ur UGLY FAT FAKE faces on myspace & facebook, this is not another "place for friends" or "a social utility that connects you with the people around you" albeit i no ur dying 4 a lowly pict cmnt ((b/c u havent like gotten 1 in like 2 days)).

yea ur "real" models, just like this woman: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DXFqBbKhguQ

enjoy living on a grape-a-day diet!
It’s like so sad that you do all anorexic crap but I guess you are zealots ;(

i wish you both the best, keep becoming skeletons, so i enjoy food & look normal ((which btw, guys like BETTER than dieting sticks)) ttyl!<33

Hello,

I have been looking on the net and I think I have the above problem. I pluck my underarm, I just can’t help it. Sometimes I get fat boils from plucking, can anyone help? On very hot days on the bus when I’m holding onto the handles up on the support bar, people stare at my armpits. Also, when I put my arm down, sometimes it squirts out pus and on numerous occasions, this pus has hit someone.

Please help me to stop my revolting habit!

Does anyone else have this problem? Please, PLEASE, reply.

Boilette

boilette, r u "nana" by n e chance?

boilette, r u "nana" by n e chance?

boilette, r u "nana" by n e chance?

hey everyone,
just wanted to say dont worry.
i feel terrible for some of your conditions. i wanted to say that everything will work out for you.
keep hope!

- thinking of you!
=]

Thank you, Miss Take.

I feel much better knowing u r around to help me. What can I do? I have tried foundations but they just get greasy. I also get so itchy that I scratch like a monkey .

Boilette

My name is Mohamed,

I am from Lebanon; I am 21 year old man. I don’t know what to say for help but I pull my eyebrow off all time. It makes my mother very mad at me and she say I am homo and in my culture they can kill me. I tell my mother I not love men but women. She no understands the pain in my heart. I cry all time. My mother say I am not a man like my brother Abdul who fight in war for Lebanon. I think I am handsome, if I can only meet nice girl like me who understand the pull of hair I will be happy to marry you.

I have good job and can give you many babies. I like the good looking girls but not so much the old ones who are over 16 years. In my country we marry girls at 12 years as this is good for many children. Please write to me here if you are interested in me. I send you picture of me.

Mohamed@cia.com.leb

boilette, i did sum research 4 ur boils & condition, i posted info below ((hope this will help))
if u ((not just u, anyone on here too)) ever feel sad, upset, or depressed, u can always talk to me! i'd b happy to talk things out w/ u & help as much as possible. stay strong, u'll make it thru!

Symptom Relief ((very informative for ur condition))

There's just one home treatment uniformly recommended for boils. Beyond that, for sure and safe results, see your doctor.

Soothe it with heat. Try treating the boil with a hot compress, says J. Michael Maloney, M.D., a dermatologist in private practice in Denver. "Put a washcloth under hot water and lay it over the boil for five minutes, or sit in a hot bath if the boil is on your bottom," he says. After several days of hot compress treatments, often a boil will spontaneously rupture and drain some puslike, yellow, foul-smelling material. Afterward, you should feel much better, Dr. Maloney says.

Get it lanced. If your boil won't respond to hot compresses, you should see your doctor, who may decide to lance it, says Alan R. Shalita, M.D., professor and chairman of dermatology at the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn. "Your doctor will numb the boil, nick the center and drain out the contents," he says.

Do not lance a boil yourself, he adds, because you can spread the infection.

Cure the infection. Your doctor will most likely do a bacterial culture and treat the boil with an appropriate antibiotic, says Dr. Shalita. Often, he says, boils are treated with dicloxacillin—a penicillin derivative designed specifically for staph infection. If your boils occur over and over in the armpits and genital area, this may be related to a type of acne, not an infection. In that case, your doctor may recommend long-term antibiotics, says Libby Edwards, M.D., chief of dermatology at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

For these types of boils, you'll need to take antibiotics with anti-inflammatory properties, such as tetracycline, erythromycin or minocycline, she says. Penicillin won't help clear them up.

Keep it clean. Once your boil has drained, be sure to keep the area clean with an antibacterial soap, says Dr. Maloney. Good soaps to use are pHisoHex, Dial or Safeguard.

Consider cortisone. If your doctor says your boil is actually an early acne or epidermal cyst, and the center is not yet too full of liquid, "a tiny amount of injected cortisone may tremendously improve it within a day," says Dr. Edwards.

Clean up the carriers. If boils seem to be passing around the family, your doctor can help to break the cycle, says Ralph Coskey, M.D., clinical professor of dermatology at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. "Antibiotics in the nose may prevent repeated spreading back and forth among family members," he says. Your doctor can do a simple nasal culture test to determine who is carrying the infection

My dear LAM,

I love you, you tell this angry woman who calls herself mom that she is bad. I 2 feel she is bad. My mother does the same because I pluck eyebrow. I have to ask you Lam. Will you marry me?
I am Mohamed from Lebanon and I feel I do love you from words you write. So powerful and mean too much in my heart. I need a young girl like you. Please don’t be over 16year because you are too old to have many children with me.

Mohamed

u can also contact me @ http://youtube.com/profile?user=LindzGurl

=]

Boilette ((& n e 1)) can also contact me @ http://youtube.com/profile?user=LindzGurl

=]

I've been pulling eyelashes since I was in grade 3, 28 now so almost 20 yrs on.. It's not constant but every now and then, once they are grown again, like a cycle.

They have always grown back, longer - but i've noticed recently some have 'split' ends ! what is that ?! So they'r enot getting healthier and i'm getting worried one day they just won't.

Yet for those of you - I read takes about 6 weeks for them to grow which feels about right. Yet I'm so sick of this, gotten alot better but its such an unconscious urge you just do while concentrating on other things, in your own world.

For me it's always when I'm working, watching tv etc like most people, it feels like it helps me concentrate or something when I'm on the computer... it's always when i'm deep in thoughts.

It's a mind thing, I don't think meds would cure it - like wanting to lose weight, kicking bad habits, you have to just break it. I know I want to ! I hate it, you just feel so 'exposed' and you don't even realise until after.. so I'm going to stop it. Today !!

maci,
i thought i wz the only 1 w/ them split 2 ((as well as my eyebrows!!))
my mom always thought i was crazy or makin it up!!

good luck on everything!
everything will turn out, dont worry!
=]

u go gurl!! ((u sed it))
thank you anonymous 21 year old girl!

=]

I started pulling at my eyebrows and eyelashes a year or 2 ago. I don't know why I started and I have no idea how to stop. It's horrible looking at myself without eyelashes. It just looks weird. I keep telling myself that I'll stop, that as soon as they grow back, I won't touch them, but I can't help myself. I'm ashamed of this habit, too ashamed to try to get help. I just know I'm eventually going to scar my eyelid and stop growing eyelashes, but it's like a drug. I'm addicted. I've even resorted to cutting my eyelashes down so that I don't want to pluck them as much, but short eyelashes aren't as pretty. Even my boyfriend has longer eyelashes than me, and I use to have long, full eyelashes. They were beautiful. I guess I just realized that too late.

My name is Bryant and i too share the same fate. i pick out my eyelashes but i dont want to.i am 14 years old and i need help. i just cant seem to stop.

Hehe, thanks Miss Take.

I am just really irritated by the ignorant people in this world. They are truly a waste of space.

I think people who go through things such as trich learn more lessons from it about self awareness and treating others with respect. I never point out anybody's body flaws or make fun of them. I feel like that is rude!!

However, when stupid people like "mum" (and her many other fake screen names) come along nobody is going to be offering pity when she goes through a difficult time.

Hey "mum"...
Why don't you try it out? Why don't you pull one eyelash? And watch as it turns into another, then another, then another.

Welcome to our world!
Except nobody here cares about you. Go back to the hole you crawled out of.

I CUDNT AGREE W/ YOU MORE anonymous 21 year old girl! THX 4 WRITING!
p.s. i especially like the part wen u sed "her many other fake screen names"
haha she was so obvious!
she shulda just apologized & b a PERSON!

I just wanted to say that since I've found this website, last February, I haven't pulled a single eyelash and I had been pulling for last 23 years and!?! (I was 9 when I stared).

Like many of us I really thought that I was the only one with this devastating dissorder. I felt relived that I'm not the only one but at the same time felt this overwelming sadness for all of us pullers trying to stop and not knowing how to. It's like you are under a spell and can't snap out of it.

But I decided to prove that it can be done and give hope to all of the sufferers as I think we need more positive stories and moral support. I could go on and tell you how it affected my life and repeat the stories of so many people that have written here but I decided to take different approach and look into the future and encourage all of you to be strong and really try to beat it for your own sake.We just need to find it within us.

It's been two months and my eyelashes are far from perfect after so many years of abuse but I'm getting there. In my case something just clicked in my head and I just can't bring myself to pull ever again. Don't get me wrong, I still feel the urge but I just can't do it to myself anymore.

I wish you all the best of luck, be strong, try using all the tricks that the other sufferers mentioned in the earlier emails to stop pulling and really stick to it. It can be done! Do it for yourselves and think how happy you will be once you achieved it! xxx

ps. thank's girls for sorting out the ignorant losers called 'mum'

I put a message up a few months ago. Every couple of weeks i check back for a response.

I'm petrified about rapenzel syndrome. I do that and i need advice. I cant stop. I dont do it to a mad volume, and its only my eyelashes. They are ever so small so i am hoping they just pass through my body. If anyone has time please can they help me research this? I wanted to ask a doctor but was too ashamed.

Also, i wish all the nasty comments from 'mum' and those 'eye models' could have their comments erased. can the moderator please get rid of their messages? this site is supposed to be positive. i feel awful enough knowing i have to read up about a condition i cant get rid of, and then there people being nasty and weird marriage proposals.thats not what this site is supposed to be.

I would just like someone kind to give me the best answer to my question as they can.

Thanks :-] Dee xxxxxx

Hi Dee,

I've got this book called 'Help For Hair Pullers, Understanding and Coping with Thrichotillomania' by Nancy J. Keuthen, Dan J. Stein and there is a small paragraph about the Rapunzel syndrome.
I got that book from the internet.

If i understood this correctly, you shouldn't worry too much as in the book they are talking about extreme cases - long strands of hair that could form a hairball, which i don't think is possible with eyelashes. I really think you shouldn't worry but than i'm not an expert.

Sorry couldn't help you more.

xxx

I am a long time eyebrow/eyelash puller. Please see my first post on Nov. 25, 2005.

Acrylic fingernails have helped me tremdously. I've never had long fingernails before and these have given me something else to obsess about.

My had virtually no eyebrow/seyelashes. After about three weeks, they began growing in again. I knew that if I pulled again I would have none for the summer time and you all know the devastation that brings.

I got acrylic fingernails two weeks ago. They have detered my pulling by giving me an obstacle, I kept poking myself in the eye. They also worked by giving me something else to touch and mess with. They also worked by giving me a reminder. I would start to pull, see the fingernails and remember why I got them in the first place.

The lashes are not to their full length and still have some filling in to do. But my friends, I wore mascara last Saturday for the first time since last summer!! And I only need to fill in one or two holes in my eyebrows.

They will grow back. You've got to find what works for you and practice SELF CONTROL.

Wow i'm 36 and I have been pulling sence the 5 grade. It all started with my mom she would say let me get that lash out of your eye. I would stand there and she would pull. Then I progressed to can you get the lash. Then one day i tried to get the lash and realized how good it felt and then I got out the twezzers and just started plucking a way. I even pulled out my little sister's doll eye lashes. Man I still sneak in the bath room and get the twezzzers out, then I saw a tv show and found out that I was not a lone. so far the are growing back and I'm tring real hard. now I have grey ones the look like some thing is on my lid . All I want to do is just yank it out but my wife would notice it was gone. So now I snap a rubber band on my wrist. please keep me in pray.

Wow i'm 36 and I have been pulling sence the 5 grade. It all started with my mom she would say let me get that lash out of your eye. I would stand there and she would pull. Then I progressed to can you get the lash. Then one day i tried to get the lash and realized how good it felt and then I got out the twezzers and just started plucking a way. I even pulled out my little sister's doll eye lashes. Man I still sneak in the bath room and get the twezzzers out, then I saw a tv show and found out that I was not a lone. so far the are growing back and I'm tring real hard. now I have grey ones the look like some thing is on my lid . All I want to do is just yank it out but my wife would notice it was gone. So now I snap a rubber band on my wrist. please keep me in pray.

Wow i'm 36 and I have been pulling sence the 5 grade. It all started with my mom she would say let me get that lash out of your eye. I would stand there and she would pull. Then I progressed to can you get the lash. Then one day i tried to get the lash and realized how good it felt and then I got out the twezzers and just started plucking a way. I even pulled out my little sister's doll eye lashes. Man I still sneak in the bath room and get the twezzzers out, then I saw a tv show and found out that I was not a lone. so far the are growing back and I'm tring real hard. now I have grey ones the look like some thing is on my lid . All I want to do is just yank it out but my wife would notice it was gone. So now I snap a rubber band on my wrist. please keep me in pray.

I cannot tell you how much these stories have helped me tonight, after I plucked the total inner and center of both eye's eyelashes out! I sat here, stressing about my life....my bills....my job...everything, and I plucked...its so gross. I looked in the mirror and said "STOP".."u look so gross, the bald spots ohh how will u ever go into work, as a manager and look into your employees eyes to coach them and be there, professionally for them tomorrow? Yet, I still kept plucking ...the feeling is indescribable! It just creates a sensation of equality..u pull one from the left uve gotta pull one from the right..to make them even, and yet now u are crying, because u now are back where u started months ago..with bald spots everywhere and u feel so ugly now ....again! I have to stop this..its awful and i look so stupid! I am on effexor, which I have been on for 4 years now...for anxiety/obsessive -compulsive disorder, but I havent seen an actual psychiatrist in a few years now...just began focusing on my career and life at home. Well, here I am 4 years later, still, doing the same stupid thing Ive done for years...and nothing has changed. So, I must tell you guys and girls, I am going to step up and be strong today-they arent all pulled out and im stopping...right NOW! Ill keep u posted, but in the meantime, stay strong, and write whenever u want, ill respond and try to help as u help me through this triumph as well! Thank you all!

OK!!!! Today is April 20th my 33rd Birthday. I stumbled across this site looking for some sort of info on repairing hair follicles. I started pulling out my eyebrow hairs when I was 16. My Grandfather had just been diagnosed with a brain tummor, and it was a very hard time for my family. I have been doing it ever since, at some point in time I moved on to my eyelashes. I guess I have now been dong this for a total of 17 years. I do see it as something I mostly do at night, and I do feel it as almost a release. I always feel so digusted and angry with myself afterward though. If anyone else has any other tips on how to really stop doing this that would be great. I have "stopped" doing it before, and something always sets me back. Anyway, I am setting a deal with myself today on my Birthday that this is it. I am taking care of my face, and cherishing what eyelashes and eyebrows I have left. All prayers and thoughts are greatly appreciated and recipricated. Good luck to me and all of you.

Please help me! I have pulled out my eyelashes and eyebrows since I was seven. It has controlled my life. There has not been one day of my life when I have not pulled. It dictats my life, my family, my happiness. I have been to councelors and doctors and nothing helps. Supposedly the only way is med. I really wish someone could just tell me what to do so i could stop this insane habit that i have!

Also, i have done pretty well recently, but not really. Tonight was really bad though. I was in my bed and it started with three. I was soooo depressed about it. Then i just couldnt stop. Before i knew it i pulled out thirty. I rubbed vaseline all over my brows and lashes and told my mom. Two mins later i was at them again. Insanely pulling. I ran down stairs and laid on the floor, there was nothing left i could do. Next thing i knew i was looking at my hand full of eyelashes that i had just pulled out. Now i have 5 big gaps and my brows are just horrible. HELP ME PLEASE! how long does it take to grow back??

I have been pulling my eyelashes and eyebrows for almost 17 years. (I am 24) I have had several periods in this time where I have stopped and they grew back...I am at one of those periods again. A little over 1 month pull free. What causes me to go back to pulling even after months of stopping? I need to figure this out so it doesn't happen again. I will NEVER give up hope that I can overcome this. This problem has affected my life in so many ways and I am just ready to live a normal, fullfilled life. Hiding behind makeup and avoiding certain activities, even not working because of the shame I feel every morning I have to wake up and put on makeup.(which takes approx. 1 hour to perfect - part of the OCD I guess) I am highly motivated again. The nights are the toughest time for me, that is when I wake up and pull or pull when I can't fall asleep. Also, now that they are growing in, I keep looking at the ones growing in a different direction from the majority, I want to pull them out but I try to remember that thay will straighten out and no one has perfect eyelashes...my mom tells me even she has some that poke out so I try to let the thought go. ONE DAY AT A TIME, like an addict, we must live by the same philosophies. My heart goes out to all of you suffering from this, please find the strength inside to never give up the fight. People have overcome this problem and that means there is hope! (By the way, I have tried meds, therapy, hypnosis, ect. but the only way that has ever worked for me personally is sheer will-power; mind over matter...don't let yourself go into that subconscious state when the pulling occurs for most, try to stay aware. God Bless.

Ok, I accidentally ripped out ALL my eyelashes with my eyelash curler. Will they ever grow back? How long will it take?!

Today I just wanted to yank on all of them. I keep rubing my lids to feel those new prikly ones. And let me tell you I just wat to get the tewzzzers and grab them out.

Sarah,
Thank you for your post about fake nails.

Everyone -- please listen.

FAKE NAILS ARE THE WAY TO GO...
I swear it will help you TREMENDOUSLY... just try it out, once, not only will it allow you to grow your hair back in, everyone will admire your nice hands. :)

If you can't afford acrylic nails, you can do it yourself at home. It costs $6 a pack, and redo them about once every two weeks. It's really easy. All you do is glue the nail and then your natural nail, press, and voila. You're done. You may need to file them down, but there is a large selection of sizes in each pack for you to choose. I have extremely petite fingernails but I was able to find the size I needed!!!

It's a bargain compared to the value of your HAIR which is priceless.

I bought Broadway brand nails, called "Real Life" French Nail Kit in color "Baby." The size is really short, and the color is soo natural yet still really pretty.

The sensation of pulling is completely deterred. Not only can I not get the short stubbly growth which is what I crave, the added weight and length makes pulling awkward and painful because you might grab too much. (I tried to see what it was like. I didn't sacrifice any hairs.)

I know a lot of us like doing "stuff" with our hands..I like fake nails because I can tap and feel the edges, another deterrent to pulling by keeping myself occupied.

I was just at my wit's end the other night when I pulled out my eyelash regrowth. I was so angry at myself. I decided to do this as a gift to myself and I am so happy I did..I just wish I would've thought of it earlier.

Girls, please go to the nearest beauty salon or store and get yourself fake nails. ALSO: get rid of your tweezers. If you need your tweezers, then have someone else do it for you. NO TWEEZERS IN THE HOUSE!!!!

Trust me, you will be on your way to pull-free soon..or at least have a hefty amount of beautiful regrowth. :)

Much love & support to you all.

I am a 15-year-old girl in high school. I just recently stared to pull my eyelashes. Now one side has almost grown back totally and the other side is half-bald. The weird thing is is that I only want to pull the mascara off and NOT my eyelashes...but they come out anyways. I'm trying to stop because I want to have my eyelashes back! All of your comments have really helped me and I'm starting to stop! Thanks!

Well I broke down and started to rub them. I just went for it I twisited slowly until I made my lids tender then I pulled out just the grey ones and then I started on all of them. I still have some left I feel so guilty. please keep me in your prays.

They are all gone in the middle again and wow I feel realy guilty because now i think the world is staring at me .

I've been plucking my eyelashes forever and now I have none. I started on my bum hair and that's nearly gone and I almost have none.

My husband hit my eye and pulled out about an inch of my eyelashes in the middle. It is very noticeable and I am very self conscience about not having them. What is the time frame of my eyelashes growing back and does anybody know of any treatment that will help them grow out. I have never had this happen before and I could use all the feedback I can receive.

I am 15 years old, and have been pulling my eyelashes, for about four years. I am a freshman in high school, and i feel so different then all my friends. Everyday i think, "no pulling today, just keep it calm, dont do it" but then BAM! like that. an hour l8tr im pulling again. I went one week without pulling, i felt so proud, and accomplished, then i pulled, i felt so eagered, and taunted like someone was saying in my ear, "go ahead, whose watching" i think about what my life was like b4 i started pulling, i had so many boys that liked me, and wanted to be with me, now i dont get anyone cuz ppl think i am weird. I walk in the halls, thinking that everyone is looking at me, and only me. I told my bestest friend, kayla, that i pulled and she was shocked...she said she didnt even noticed! and i was like suree..but i knew she was lying. many people have asked me why i didnt have any eyelashes, and i just said i had a little accident with the curler or something. Ive had 7 or 8 year olds ask me, and it felt so akward...but i knew it wasnt there fault, they didnt kno any better. I am still trying not to pull b/c in sohpmore year...i want it to be differnt. i want a boyfriend, and more friends to like me, so this summer, i am changing my aditude and trying not to..i keep telling my mom that i need help, or like something , a medicine or anything..but shes like you dont need it that bad..i dont think she cares...but the worst part is that my parents got divorced a year ago, when i had trich, but i had it three yrs b4, i think it was my fault b/c i found out that they were planning it from the start ((the divorce)).....well..that all for now..much regards...and good luck to everyone..i have confidence in all of you, and i will in myself...and i will be different, and i kno i can do it

im so lonely.
i can never be like everyone else, i can never have their lives, or be a normal person. i need a way to go.. disappear for good where i dont have to worry or cry, just to.. just to say goodbye and never see the world again... i just feel like i need to let the world kno how i feel before i.. go. im sorry im posting it here, but i am because its the only place i can basically post anonymously.. im not looking for sympathy at all (trust me im relieved from my decision) i just need to let it off my chest and write..
thank you

Reading this I've realised that I too pull my eyelashes and eyebrows. Not much, I dont recall ever having a bald patch, but I do know that feeling when you pull and you see a clump of eyelashes on your fingertips. It happens more when I'm stressed, as seems to be the trend here. I also attack the thick, short hairs on my head, the second I see one of those I pull...and I pull.
Good Luck to all of you who are trying to beat it, and well done to those who have managed to control their pulling.

Well they are all gone now after I worked so hard to grow them back.

Well they are all gone now after I worked so hard to grow them back.

PLESE SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE, somone give me the encouragement for me to stop pulling out my eyelashed and eyebrows. Every day I have to color in my eyelashes and eyebrows, and I have low confidence because I'm worried that people notice! PLEASE- I'm crying, I can't take it anymore! Someone please tell me that I can do it- Please give me the drive to not pull out my hairs!

I'm so happy that I finally have a place to turn to!! I am turning 16 soon, and I have been plucking my eyebrows and eyelashes since fourth grade. I hate looking in the mirror every morning, and having to apply eyebrow pencil and dark eyeliner. I hate going to the store and buying new eyebrow pencils, just to have the checkout person give me a funny look. I hate how the kids at my school look at me in an odd way sometimes and ask me at random "What did you do to your eyes?" in a harsh way. I hate myself for what I have done. I keep telling myself, "You need to stop doing this to yourself, or else your eyebrows and eyelashes will never grow in again!" An whenver I tell myself I'll stop, it always happens again. I've tried applying eyebrow an eyelash regrowth medication, but that doesn't work. My parents keep wondering why I did it, but I can never tell them straight out. I'm so happy I'm not the only one having the same troubles! This website has encouraged me to stop plucking. Thanks for giving me courage! :)

I STARTED TO PULL MY EYELASHES OUT IN GRADE FOR,,

THE TEACHER EMBARESSED ME AND SAID LOUDLY IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CLASS WHERE DID ALL YOUR EYELASHES GO?

MY EYES WHERE PUFFY AND RED AND I HAD ABSOLOUTLY NO EYELASHES LEFT AT ALL. I STARTED WITH MY EYEBROWS WHEN I WAS LYING ON THE COUCH FEELING TIRED IN THE SUN. WEIRD HUH?
I DID IT THROUGH GRADE 4 AND 5 AND HAD TO RUB THIS CREAM ON MY ACTULAL EYE. I THOUGHT NO ONE ELSE DID THIS,, I WOULD LOVE TO COME ACROSS SOMEONE ONE DAY WHO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM.

MY EYELASHES GREW BACK IN GRADE 6 AND I DID DO IT IN GRADE 6 OR YR 7 OR YR 8, BUT IN YEAR 9 I STARTED TO DO IT AGAIN :( I DIDNT HAVE A VERY GOOD START OF YEAR AND DO U THINK THATS WHAT MAY OF CUASED IT??

PLEAsse POST RRELPLYS

THIS COULD BE A SOLUTION FOR YOU!

Just as many of the others on this site, I have been dealing with this problem for almost 12 years.

The problem started when I was 10, and I can't really pinpoint one reason for the cause.

I am offering an idea to those out there with this problem. It has helped me, although I still struggle daily.

Ladies, get your nails done. I had a French manicure a few months back to celebrate the end of my college experience. Getting the fake nails was exciting at first, but then I realized that they serveded a much great purpose. Because your fingernails have been filled in and are fuller and longer than usual, it is very difficult to grip small things. This includes EYELASHES and hair!

I encourage anyone to try this atleast once for yourself. I can feel my mind and body are slowly forgetting my habit because the fake nails make it so much more difficult to pull. It's definatily worth a try and at the very least it only costs around $40.

I wish everyone the best of luck, and I will be praying for your habits to be healed as I do for my own.

I have had this problem of yanking out my eyelashes once in a while.. I do it because they are either poking my eye (I try to curl them but it does no good)or they look wrong. I think it's genetic because my great-grandmother's sister did the same thing. Thanks to anyone who read this.

I have had this problem of yanking out my eyelashes once in a while.. I do it because they are either poking my eye (I try to curl them but it does no good)or they look wrong. I think it's genetic because my great-grandmother's sister did the same thing. Thanks to anyone who read this.

I was so happy and relieved to find this website. I have been suffering from trich since around the 8th grade, and I am now 27 years old. My pulling was so bad that I have been wearing a hairpiece for the past six years and although I still get questioned about it occasionally, I cant imagine a day when I can go out without it. I have come to terms with this problem, mostly. But I long for a day when I can have normal hair, run my fingers through it and not have to spend so much time trying to make it look like my own natural hair. I have also recently started worrying about having children. I am engaged to be married and I know it is hereditary and I would be devastated if I passed this along to a daughter. These ar just part of my paranoid thoughts from trich, I guess. But it feels good to know there are so many others going through this.

Hello everyone. I have been pulling my eyelashes out on and off for around 5 years now. Nobody can understand these urges unless they have suffered themselves. Its easy for the people around you to just tell you to stop because you are ruining your looks but the sad thing is knowing that cant stop it happening.

Does anybody have any tips on how to make eyelashes grow back faster? I am miserable and do not want to leave the house :( any advice would be great :) Chanelle x

Hello everyone. I have been pulling my eyelashes out on and off for around 5 years now. Nobody can understand these urges unless they have suffered themselves. Its easy for the people around you to just tell you to stop because you are ruining your looks but the sad thing is knowing that cant stop it happening.

Does anybody have any tips on how to make eyelashes grow back faster? I am miserable and do not want to leave the house :( any advice would be great :) Chanelle x

im so lonely.
i can never be like everyone else, i can never have their lives, or be a normal person. i need a way to go.. disappear for good where i dont have to worry or cry, just to.. just to say goodbye and never see the world again... i just feel like i need to let the world kno how i feel before i.. go. im sorry im posting it here, but i am because its the only place i can basically post anonymously.. im not looking for sympathy at all (trust me im relieved from my decision) i just need to let it off my chest and write..
thank you

*****in reply to this comment, be strong my love. We are all in the same boat here. It's normal to feel miserable and different from everybody else when you have bits of hair missing, but you know what? We are the ones that notice it more than anybody else! I currently have more than half of my eyelashes missing on one eye... I dont want to leave the house as i feel so embarrased but you have to pick yourself up... ive put thick eyeliner on and mascara and tried to brush them together to look like my mascara has just clogged together! Anyway my point is do not let this habit ruin your life... you are the only one who will mainly notice it and trust me i have been doing it on and off for years and hardly anyone notices it even when i had no eyelashes on both eyes. Just be strong and tell yourself you can do it and it will be okay. Try closing your eyes (preferably in a relaxing place) take deep breaths through your nose and slowly out of your mouth.. just concentrate on your breathing.. helps to take the focus off the picking. and when you feel really calm and relaxed stop and focus your mind of something else.
So hun, we all understand the lows of trich, but you have to carry on... Theres more to life then missing bits of hair! And you will pick yourself up and fight this.... Stay strong... I have every faith you can do this :) Chanelle x

its such a relief to read these comments and realise that its not just me who does this..Ive been plucking for over 20 years but for the last 7 I've been really HATING myself with every single lash I pull. I find it amazing that I've kicked a full blown meth drug addiction but cant seem to stop plucking my lashes..hopefully writing about this now will be a positive step towards stopping as I've never really admitted it out loud..Ive only ever cursed and hated myself internally..Im sick of it dictating my life and not really allowing anyone to get really close to me in case all is revealed..reading everyones comments now makes me think that Im not a freak and I should'nt be so damn hard on myself..!!

thank you chanelle, you are an angel! i wish you much luck with everything!

I found this site last weekend and it has already changed my life....as per the last message from unknown thanking chanelle for being an angel I'd like to thank everyone who has posted their feelings....just knowing there are others out there who are going thru the inner turmoil I've experienced for over 20 years has lifted a huge weight from my shoulders....Im not alone and its not just me...it has now been 7 days since I have plucked any lashes and I feel really positive than I can keep it up....1 thing Ive already noticed is my face muscles have started to relax and the lines across my forehead have somewhat smoothed out....I know its only early days but I feel soooo happy..and more confident..I cant wait to see what I look like with a full set of lashes..Today I LOVE life..!!! p.s the tapping technique is a great distraction..

IF YOUR LOOKING FOR ADVICE

*use eyeliner to cover up bald spots on eye lashes/eyebrows

**by fake eyelashes and cut off some of it and glue it to your bald spot on your eye.(useing the glue stuff that comes with it.(this worked very well for me)

*do something else like paint your nails, pluck eye brow hairs between the the eyebrows (like the place where a monobrow connects) cook up something or eat (but dont eat junk maybe an apple or something like that)...if at school doodle on your paper or day dream.

*right when coming home from school clean face to prevent acne and make your self feel clean and use makeup remover to take off extra mascara which makes it easier to pullout

other advice I took from other people off here that seems helpful:

*use vaseline...it helps by makeing it harder to pick at eye lashes and eye brows.

*use fake nails...also makes it harder to pick at things.it also looks good

Hit or pinch your self if you find your self pulling them out!! It's worth a shot!

Trich is an anxiety based habit. When you feel your hand going up to your face, you need to realise what you are doing. Write down the emotion that you felt when your hand went to your face and keep doing this. You will soon realise what triggers this off. Albeit whether you are stressed, bored or go into a trance. Once you find out the trigger, you can do something about the situation in which you do it. Think of the outcome if you did manage to stop. You will have lovely long eyelashes, or full eyebrows.

Hey everyone :) Hope you are all well and staying pluck free! For those of you who have been doing it for years will know you go through phases of doing it... With me sometimes i wont even feel the urge to do it for a year or more, than all of a sudden your at it again and half your eyelashes are missing! Well that happened again with me recently.. and although I was desperate to stop doing it i just couldnt. All of a sudden when your ready you just find the positive energy inside yourself to stop. :) I havent pulled for around 3 weeks and i really don't want to! When you find the urge from the onset just try your hardest not to pursue it! because thats when it gets out of control. From now on I am 100 percent determined not to ever do it again and do not want to! You cant beat the feeling of having your new set of eyelashes back and not feeling embarrased no longer when people look at you.
**Also.. I found a way to cover up the problem and its great! was amazed when i done it first time although it takes ages sometimes to get it right but its well worth it!
** When you have some eyelash growth doesnt have to be very much the eyelashes can still be very tiny apply mascara to the lashes you have and to the very tiny lashes.. then using the individual lashes you can stick them on your tiny ones with the glue and using a mascara with as small wand as u can find carefully poke around til its sealed into place... and it really does look real! but its very tricky and time consuming but they look like they are a real set eyelashes with mascara! is amazing** hope some of you try this and it works!**
Chanelle :) x

Hi all. I have the same problem as everone else and have done it for a good 20+ years. I needed to write 'cause I've got big-time anxiety. I have never told anyone face to face about what I do, even my fiance, but I will have to tell someone in a couple weeks. I'm having an engagement photo session, and I'm having someone do my makeup, but I know that my lashes won't grow back fully and completely by then. I'll have to tell the makeup person before she sees it and freaks...I'm nervous about that. I was a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding, and I asked if I could do my own makeup so that the makeup person wouldn't see it. I'm getting married in a few months, and so far so good (couple of "have to" days), but overall they're gettin' pretty decent. I'm one of those "take them all out" people. To those who only do patches...I wish. Trust me, it's way worse when you do all, not that I'm discounting your problem too. I've never been diagnosed with trichtillomania. Sure, my parents noticed, made comments, but over the years stopped saying anything. I never really even knew there was a name for it, and this site is awesome, except for the stray dingbats that wander in. May they develop some compulsion that others find distasteful too. Ooh, that's terrible. Anyway, thanks all for sharing your stories...gonna try the nail thing. Wish u all well. Wish me luck too! Don't wanna be a "lashless" bride.

Hey good luck with the wedding. I'm one of those people too that is either all in or out I can not just pull one lash and god forbid there is a gray one. Then I have a real reason to pull and you know the gray ones are stronger and bring just a little more pain. So sence I'm a guy I don't think fake eye lashes or fake nail's or make up can help me. My wife would not under stand . The vasline just caused more eye boogers (lol) and the ruberband just was not the same every time I snaped it on my wrist. I'm luck to have wife that under stands what is going on good luck.

Dear Dad,
Stop making me feel miserable. stop making me feel lower than dirt. stop ruining self-esteem. i know i have a problem, and i thought you knew too. but why don't you understand? do you not care? why are you what i fear; i fear people seeing me and i hide from people all day long, why do i have to hide from you now? why? why must you embarass me in front of my family and attack me with such callous words and expressions? why must you throw me in such a horrid state of depression when, in the first time of my life, i was just beginning to feel happy? why must you bully me?

why must, even if you do notice it, bring it up, especially the way you do? why cant you let it be... let me be? afterall, im the one who has to stare in front of the mirror, not you.

I have been living with trich since the 4th grade. I have gone months without plucking but eventually relapsed. i dont want to be like this for the rest of my life. but mostly im sick of not being able to look someone straight in the eyes and i hate being so insecure. believe it or not ive been asked to model but turned it down because i knew a model without eyelashes or eyebrows just cant be. I wear black eyeliner and eyebrow pencil so it probably wasnt noticeable. I REALLY want to stop. Please i need all the advice i can get.

Also since ive been plucking for so long...will my eyelashes/eyebrows even grow back to normal???

I knew I had a problem for the last 25 years, but thought it was just me until tonight! I've never heard of Trich before. I found this site by chance, searching for a magic product to make my eyelashes grow back. So much of what I've read in the postings is true to my experience too.

Stress is my trigger that makes me pullout my lashes, night time is the danger zone if my hands are unoccupied, I can't resist pulling at that "itchy" feeling and I am full of random excuses when asked why I never have eyelashes. I've never been able to admit to anyone I do it to myself, it's so freaky. I've pulled for so long, I'm often unaware I'm even doing it until I feel a big gap. That's when I realise what I've done, again. My stomach flips over and anxiety crashes down, making me run to the mirror to assess the latest damage. This is my first time I've admited my problem, though I know others always notice my bald eyelids! I've even had my lash line permanently tatooed black, so I don't have to worry about applying eye liner to fill in the gaps. Fortunately, the tatoo didn't stop my lashes growing back. Not that it mattered, because I pulled them out again anyway.

I feel inspired and uplifted reading about all of you out there. It's never too late to beat this problem, right?

I'll try the finger tapping method described by others and coat my lashes in lash growth stuff. (Chucky, your experience with Vaseline has turned me off it.)

I've had long acrylic nails for 20 years, and it hasn't deterred me one little bit. If anything, my grip is better to pull. But, nails have worked for some so its worth trying in case it works for you (unless you're a boy which might make long nails a tad difficult).

I'll post again after I use some sort of growth stuff for a while to say if it helped. Come on my fellow pullers, lets do this.

for myself my diet (of course stress and not having a good nights sleep) is a trigger, I stay far away from raw tomato seeds, soy milk, and raisins. my heart goes out to you all,

try putting like mosisterizer gloves or some kind of comfortable hand gloves...while you sleep it cud help in the night and sometimes when your at home hanging around

hang in there everyone
we gunna get through it together
-Jess

I can't believe so many have this problem. i remeber when i was about 6-7 i would always pull my eyelashes and keep them somewhere then i stopped for years until i got my hands on tweezers then after that i started pulling the hair on my legs.. and then i started scaring so i finally moved to my pubic area bc i knew most ppl would never be able to see what im doing to myself.. i love the sensation and its something i could never imagine not having.. like others here i have at some point stopped but then when its completely grown back i have to pull.. and yes i feel the same the bigger the root the better and i love way it feels on my skin.. i feel like such an alien doing this.. i always wonder if i do know someone who secretly does this.. its my horrible addiction and im 20 yrs old and i want to hopefully stop one day

This is my very first time on this site, I have to say it is such a releif reading others have this problem! I have absolutley no eyelashes and no eyebrows since I was about 8 years old I am now 26. I do not know why I do it mainly at night,watching t.v. or even at work. I wear make up every day Oh how I would LOVE to get up in the morning and go but I put on the whole nine yards foundation, then powder,(so my draw on eyeliner and eyebrows don't come off), then blush, eyshadow, lipstick etc. etc. I must say though I have gotten REALLY good at it. Most people don't even know I don't have them unless I bring it up. And I don't just go bringing it up trust me I had severe depression from this when I was in junior high and high school I felt so ugly I just wanted to die. I do not feel that way now I realize it is a habit...a really really bad habit that I have got to break. I have talked with a therapsit and eye doctors they do not know what to do I have not been to an opthamolgist or eye doctor yet. I wear fake nails but there are indentions in my fake nails and eyeliner stuck in them because I still pick successfully with the fake nails on. I really really would appreciate positive feedback from someone who has found a cure I know they do grow back but for me it's like when you don't shave your legs for a few days and they feel prickly when you blink it pricks your eyelids and reminds me to pull it out. It is sucj a viscous cycle I really want more than anything for both my eyelashes and eyebrows to grow back someone help if possible. And for the rest of you suffering like me I really and truly do undersatnd what you are going through. I hate it when people say they understamd but really don't ( I know they are trying to help and it's not their fault) but really I do understand and in a weird way it feels good knowing there are others to relate to mabey this will be our strength and courage this site talking it out keeping our fingers busy typing and really keeping our goal on our minds.

Hi everyone, my name is Jessica and I've been pulling since I was 7, I am now 19. For some reason my pulling progressed over the years. First it started with my lashes (which i havent seen since i was 7, i dont even know what i look like with them), then my eyebrows, and now my hair, for the past 5 years. It is all i think about, and i have yet to meet someone in person with it. I read this book called "Whats wrong with pulling out my Hair", by Abby Leora Rohrer. She needs to be all of our guidance counselors:) She is brilliant. I read someone's comment about this problem being something you have to really want to fix yourself. No meds, therapy, or cover ups will do the job. We have to heal ourselves, which I am still in the process of doing. We pull because this is our outlet. This is how we express ourselves. Instead of talking to people and expressing our emotions, we don't, and pulling relieves the tension inside of us from not speaking up for ourselves. I am so thankful for this problem because it made me look at myself, and my life much deeper than I ever have. Look at it this way, our bald spots, and missing hairs are symptoms of us pulling. The actual pulling is a symptom of us holding on to the past, and not dealing with our feelings accordingly. We have to learn how to trust ourselves, and therefore we will be able to express ourselves. I am still in the process of learning this. Does any of this sound legit??? We are not crazy for pulling out our hair, we are just products of a messed up society that make us resort to others ways to deal with our issues, then we are looked down upon because we pull our hair to do so. Journaling is one of the best ways to learn to express yourself. I think it will help us be comfortable with ourselves, and our thoughts, helping us express them. I feel so grateful to be blessed with the opportunity to have my Trich and use it to heal. I feel that this is a process everyone has to go through in life, we've just been fortunate enough to have Trich to prompt us to heal. I know once we heal, we will be whole. Just knowing this information is already helping me in many different aspects of my life. I think we all should remember this, our pulling is the last thing we have to deal with, we need to do the inner work first, in order to stop the pulling. We have to trust ourselves, and not let people tell us what is best for us, we have our own inner power to tell us what is best for us. If you recognize and claim this power as your own, Trich will not have power over you, but you will have power over it. So if you dont want to pull then you wont. I have experienced this first hand. Even though I still pull at times, it is MY decision to. After a while I know my urges will become few and far between, and when I do have them I will decide what to do with them. Everyone needs to read that book. Puller or no puller. Best Wishes to Everyone and many blessings:)

It feels so good to know that other people have this problem, and I'm not the only one.
I started pulling out my eyelashes when I was in 3rd grade. I believe the reason I started was because my friend had told me that sometimes she would pull out one of her eyelashes and make a wish on it. I did this, but it eventually became worse. I can remember my parents threatening me, especially my father, who made me carry a belt in my bookbag, and had said if i was going to pull, I had better remember that belt and know I would get it when I came home. This, however, did not help at all.
I am now 14, going into my freshman year. Like many of you, I fill in my bald spots with eyeliner, and wear darker eyeshadows. I have also in the past pulled my hair on my head out. I would choose the hairs that seems coarse, and not straight like the others.
I am eager to stop this, especially after all the taunting at school. I recently noticed my mom pulling out her eyelashes...but she would stop before she got a large gap.
I have also noticed that by getting acrylic nails, i cannot get to my eyelashes and pull them out.
I wish everyone luck with this!

i have been plucking my eye lashes too and i try to stop but then i feel like its in the way then i pluck again
this started when i was young and now im 21
i stop but then start again

its soo embarrassing i dont know how to stop
i hate myself once i see my eyes in the mirror

it was finally growing and i was so happy because i put eyeliner every time and i was happy cause i could wake up and not have my mom and sister stare at me and see that im doing it again

i do my eye brows too so

its hard to stop
its a bad habit

did u guys stop and how

ok, well I'm pretty much on the verge of tears right now.
Who would have known that I have a disorder? I alays thought that I was just weird. I thought that I was the only one in the world who had this problem and it was never oging to go away. There ARE people out there who go through it. My story would take forever, but to sum it up, I lost all hope. I thought I would never get over this problem. My eyelashes have been gone for years. and I mean, I have NONE on the top at all. I hate going out in public becauise I think everyone knows. The worst times are when people say"what happened to your eyelashes" and of course, I maek up some lame excuse and expect them to believe it. I ahve even lied to my boyfriend of over a year because I'm so ashamed... I try and try and try to tell myself to stop and I just can't. What can I do? I have read so many solutions, and it has really given me hope. Are there any growth stimulators or anything out there? I know that once I acutally start seeing improvemtn I might be able to stop because then I will have something to look forward to, but now, when I see a stubble, its nothing but annoying. I need help, and I can't do it alone =(...

This site may be useful:

http://www.dukehealth.org/HealthLibrary/News/9887?search_highlight=Trichotillomania

i don't even realise i'm pulling my eyelashes out till they're gone! Once i plucked so many subconsiously i was half lashless on one eye for 4 months!! I don't know how to stop myself when i don't even realise i'm doing it till they're gone...i didn't know so many people had this problem

Thanks so much for posting the website on 9/9. For the other Anonymous on 9/10, that is exactly what happens w/ my son...Take heart. He is learning bit by bit to become more aware of when his hands go up to his face. Maybe wearing a baseball cap could help. The brim could serve as a reminder, or barrier. Worry beads? Or keeping your nails long, but CLEAN. BTW, vaseline can "block" the follicles...someone mentioned using this very lightly. Even vitamin E oil is not recommended for the lash area. Probably any oil based product..but that depends whether it gets in your eye. Hope this was helpful. Thanks again.

PS...There are some treatments for OCD's that are not exactly mainstream...but not dangerous either. One potential one is neurofeedback (I don't know if biofeedback works). Also sacro-cranial massage, maybe yoga. Hypnotherapy helped me stop smoking and it was worth it. Don't be hard on yourself...we ALL have setbacks. I had one w/ smoking recently. I know it is a different deal than trich...but it is awful and stress related. Like many things that are bad for us, we still enjoy them on some level. Tapes are VERY helpful if you go through this hypnotherapy treatment and an important component. If you are a doodler, doodle away. If you are in a class or meeting and someone makes a comment about it, say it helps you concentrate. It doesn't have to be "realistic" doodling, just something to release that energy. There are lightweight gloves to wear, they used to be called "editing gloves" for people in the animation field. Made of cotton.
Night time is difficult, it is so easy to space out and not be aware. I liked what someone said earlier about keeping a journal about how you feel. Maybe a soothing tape is something to listen to at night? Music or relaxation exercises? Thanks again for this website. I have a terrible feeling that my son would just get more stressed out since he is an "avoider" and it is very painful for him. At least I can pass on some information to him.

This site is so crazy because I can't believe that this problem I thought made me look insane is actually a legitimate problem with other people as well. I just started pulling my eyelashes around last year. I saw my dad do it and then I just caught on... he has almost no eyelashes or eyebrows and my sister and I always made fun of him but now I've gotten myself into the same habit. I get this wierd itchy urge to pull usually at night when I'm doing work, and sometimes I do it during the day, in public, without realizing it. I don't want to be one of the people that keeps doing this for years because I have beautiful, thick hair and used to have really thick eyelashes. They are still there but they are a lot less full then they used to be. If it helps any, the only thing I've noticed that works for me is to get in the habit of using make-up remover on my eye make-up. I wear mascara and I find it's easier and more sensational to pull the lashes when the mascara is dried on at the end of the day. Lately I have been making sure that when I get the urge to pull I jump up and remove all of my make-up and massage my eyes for a good 5 minutes. That way, the itchy urge goes away. The scary thing is now that I have developed this habit, I find myself pulling and not even noticing what I'm doing. It's just subconcious. I'm considering forcing myself to not wear any eye make-up until I break the habit.

I haven't been on here in a while.. hi everyone.
My hair is BACK. I didn't pull all summer, so I'm feeling much better about that. Although it's just short curls on top of my head next to LONG hair, it's better than no hair. My eyebrows are fine and I dont have eyelashes, but that's okay. peice by peice! Goodluck everyone... if you need advice... email me at clearblueskyz@aol.com

we're all in this together.

I have been pulling my eyelashes & eyebrows since I was in 5th grade. I'm now a freshman in high school. I feel so hideous and so un confident when I pluck. Idk why I do it. I only do it when I have mascara on, it feels good at the time. But afterward I just feel like dying!
I get so many compliments on my eyes when I have eyelashes, I have really long black thick natural eyelashes. I feel so confident and gorgeous with eyelashes
So why do I do it?
Idk.
If you can please help me, I really appreciate it
thank you!

I started pulling when I was 27 and going thru a bad separation - from an abuser. I'm now 51 and going strong. I pull eyelashes, brows, hair on my head and sometimes even nether regions. I don't pull completely bald, but my eyelashes and brows are a mess - my hair is now very thin. In my early 40's, I went to a psychiatrist and she prescribed an anti-anxiety med for me. I took this med for about 10 years and could tell no difference in the pulling. So here I am - trying to stop myself from my compulsion. This site lets me know there are many others in my same circumstance - wish I could stop.

This is such a difficult habit/ OCD. The best recommendations I have found, and it takes a lot of time depending on how "aware" you are when you do it, is cognitive behavioral treatment w/ SSRI meds. The best med my son has found is Luvox. Not a magic bullet. Slowly he is getting more aware of his hands going to his face or hair. His eyebrows are coming back but the eyelashes..well, time will tell. If you have the means, try these. Also, if you go to a dermatologist, they can keep tabs on the potential for re-growth. It's better to know than not. I don't suffer from this, but as I've gotten older, I see my eyelashes have thinned but that's life. It is worth checking out some of the "beauty treatments" but the doctor we saw said to stay away from anything that is oil based. If it gets in your eye, it can irritate them or worse can cause an infection. I know some people do put some vaseline or vitamin E oil on, but skin doctors don't recommend it. I also have not seen it be that effective. It does look like there are some legitimate products out there that are more homeopathic in nature. Believe me, I have been busy w/ this for about 6 years now. And kids can be so cruel; this is the worst. On the other hand, when you feel bad about it, don't beat yourself up..it will just get into a vicious cycle. I hope this helps. There is a medicine for glaucoma which can have the benefit of lash re-growth, but the potential side effects are darkening under the eyes or changing your eye color from light to dark (which would look weird on my son). Also it is very expensive.

I posted on here back in March 2006, and found this site again while looking through my favorites.

Unfortunately, my condition has gotten worse as I've begun pulling my eye brow hairs again -to the point where I have none, which hasn't happened since grade school. What's more, I'm beginning to pull out my head hair. I also pick at my face and acne, which leads to breakouts and scars. God help me.

All else aside, it's my eyelashes that I truly care about. I've pulled for 6 years now, and I only pull about three eyelashes a day, yet my eyelashes are now thinner and many are shorter than the others. A few comments above say that Talika may help with regrowth, but I'm going to try to stop for three months (something I've never accomplished) and see if my eyelashes are all the same size again. I'm just so tired of this habit, but I'm so stressed these days that I do it unconsciously. Sigh...

Btw, I'm 18 now (almost 19). People who start young should really try to quit now before their eyelashes suffer permanent damage.

HELLO, SO HAPPY I STUMBLED OVER THIS SITE. I AM IN 8TH GRADE AND GOING INTO HIGHSCOOL NEXT YEAR AND I WANT A FRESH START. I AM GOING TO TRY HAIR GROW VITAMINS AND VASELINE FOR MY EYEBROWS AND LASHES. I HAVE FAKE EYELASHES AND I AM IN SPORTS, SO IT REALLY DISTRACTS ME WHEN MY LASH FEELS LIKE ITS GOING TO COME OFF. I REALLY WANT TO GROW THEM IN. OH, I ALSO HAVE FAKE SMEARFREE EYEBROWS THAT ARE TEMPORARY TATTOS. THEY WORK GREAT!!!! PLUS, THEY LOOK SO REAL! ITS AMAZING. I DEFINETELY RECOMMEND THIS. YOU CAN FIND THEM AT www.headcovers.com(hope this helps!) WILL EYELASHES GROW BACK TO FULL LENGTH AFTER 6 AND A HALF YEARS OF PLUCKING???

Hi everyone,

I started pulling my eyelashes out about a year and a half ago, and still do but I am making an effort to stop (and am half-way succeeding). It is a constant mental battle with myself. I've tried all those distraction tips; biting nails, pinching the skin in between my thumb and forefinger, biting my lip (to the point when I got a hole in it) and many other things. I can't tell you how relieved I was to find this website. I think my problem was really low self-confidence. I had no good friends in high school and I felt like life was passing me by. It is a vicious cycle. I felt horrible because I had promised myself I'd stop but somehow couldn't, and I'd thought I'd lost self control. When I walked through the halls at school I kept my head down so no one could see me, or at least I couldn't see them staring. I was positive that I was the only one with this problem, considered a freak by everyone else. When I saw other girls with their gorgeous full lashes I tried to sink further into my chair, or turned my head away. There was a specific distance I kept between me and other people, and specific lights that I shied away from. I also believed that this was why I hadn't had a boyfriend yet. Who would want a girl without any eyelashes?

I think the first time I truly gained enough confidence to stop pulling my eyelashes for any length of time was at a pep-rally at school (one of the few I actually attended) when I noticed a girl next to me without eyelashes. I can't tell you the relief I felt knowing that I wasn't the only one who had no eyelashes. Knowing your not alone can work wonders.


I don't really have advice on how to stop because I can't seem to myself. I have to say going to college helped me a lot. There are so many people out in the world, though that is difficult to see when you're in high school, and everyone has their little quirks that they think everyone notices. I try to keep my mind on other things. When I get the urge to pull I sit on my hands and stare at other people. Watching them and their problems helps me forget about mine. I also try to stay in populated areas. If I'm alone then I think, "What does it matter no one can see me here", and then kick myself the next day when I would wake up and notice huge gaps. I think the best thing is to ignore your face, if you have to look at it, stand at least 2 feet from any mirror, and AVOID the 3x or 10x magnification. No one but you will look that closely at your face.

I am getting better now that I'm at college. I live with five other girls, people I normally wouldn't associate with. Being constantly in other people's presence has helped me realize how ridiculous all my worrying was. Most of the things I was afraid of was all in my head. Even now if I'm alone for too long then I start thinking about my lack of eyelashes. Whenever you feel this way go outside and check the mail, or walk around the house once, listen to music or watch a movie that makes you cry, wet lashes are harder to pull. At night, the most dangerous time, wrap a thin scarf tightly around your eyes (only your eyes and eyebrows) or a pillow works too but not as well. Then every time your hand reaches for your head it hits the scarf instead of your eyes. If you are working at a comp. pull the hood of a sweatshirt up and close the drawstrings tightly so your vision is obscured except for a tiny window.

I don't know if this will help you, but it has helped me. I wish everyone the best of luck because I've been in your place and I know how you feel. The thing that gives me hope is the other blogs that say in bold letters "THEY WILL GROW BACK".

i have been pulling out my eye lashes and eyebrows people notice my eyebrows becaus there barley is any everytime i see one eye lash i just rip it out then i end up pulling them all out. For some reson i just cant stop. i never new other people do that like me it makes me feel like i am not all alone and wierd . I WISH I COULD STOP. i wonder if i keep doing that they would syop growing because i wouldent want that. can some one please tell me if they grow back. thankyou.

I Stupidly Burnt My Eyelashes While Lighting My Cigarette. Will They Grow Back And If Not Do You Know Anything That Can Help Me..?

i've been pulling out my eyelashes for as long as i can remember and i'm a sophomore in college now, so that's really not good...i just pulled out a lot tonight- i had been so good for a month, but i slipped tonight from major stress about exams. i'm going to visit my boyfriend at school next week and all i did was cry today because i thought of how ugly i'm going to look when he sees me...he knows i do it and he's so sweet about it, but i know he doesn't understand it and is confused and scared. i wish i could stop. i have never wanted anything more. every time i pull out a lash, i force my hands away from my eyes, but they somehow find their way back and the next thing i know, 15 minutes have gone by and there's a huge bald patch. even after i get up and look in the mirror with disgust, i can't stop it. it makes me feel better knowing there are so many more people going through what i am, and that everyone is supporting each other and trying to help one another. i'm so grateful for everything you all have written and i wish you all so much luck in removing this awful habit from our lives

I've been pulling my eyelashes since I was in Junior high and I'm now 20 years old. I HATE IT but I LOVE IT! It feels so good, but like everyone else once I can start to feel a gap in my lashes I feel guilty and then I want to quit, which lasts for about a week then I can't take it anymore and I pull some more. I just told my boyfriend about it today because he never seemed to notice due to fake eyelashes and lots of make-up. Obviously he isn't very observant because I've been dating him a year and a half. He totally shattered my confidence when he told me to "Stop doing that! You're freaking me out telling me this!" ...
I've never been to the doctor but I know what trich is and I know I have it...I also used to pull the hair on my head out but I was able to break myself of that in high school.

I JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO WEAR MASCARA!!! What is this obsession??? ...Why does it feel so good?...

I'm not worried about my lashes never coming back because I know they will and they have many times before...I just don't feel pretty when I pull my lashes out. I feel ugly and ashamed if I don't have tons of liner on...I feel like people are staring at my eyelids...Oh well..I'll just keep trying to stop.

I just saw my friend Maura pulling on her eyelashes. I was like "what are u doing?" shes all i cant stop pulling on my eyelashes.U know what i told her i cant stop doing that also, and here we are in class tying to figure out what we can do to stop this addiction of pulling on my eyelashes as much as we say we will stop!!! but, nope it never happends. Im Scared i really need to know what we can do to stop??????

hi, im holly. im 15 and i have been "diahnosed" w/ trichotillomania. i am an eyelash plucker and a leg hair plucker(whenever i see a leg hair anyway). trich as it is sometimes termed is an obsessive compulsive disorder. it is also a stereotypic movement disorder. i have been plucking my eyelashes for around 9 years, which is almost my whole life! im not sure how it started, but since then i have plucked the hell out of them and the odd thing is i dont feel it at all and dont realize when i am doing it. this is what makes it the stereotypic movement disorder. the fact that you dont notice it. many people believe it is caused by anxiety,... but of course it hard for us to tell considering we dont even know when we r doing it! lol! i get yelled at all the time b/c my mother like all mothers in the world worries constantly. everytime i go to a check up or w/e @ a doctors office she always brought up the eyelash plucking biznass. the doctors have told me many times to stop b/c soon they wont grow back, but i cant help it,... idk when im doing it? honestly how can i stop what i dont know?

I think doctors should'nt tell us that they won't grow back, they will! I have pulled my lashes and brows since I was eight..not sure why! I stopped and recently I have had really good eyelashes..untill last night, when I had a go at them. I told myself to STOP but my body didn't listen! What do I do. Girls at school are mean. I think castor oil works. But my advice:
whenever your just sitting at home put vaseline on your eyelids and brows and so when you go to touch them they are gooy and yuck. At school add mascara to the eyelashes you DO have and put pencil on the rest. Effects should kick in, but you should do it as a daily ritual.

i have been pulling out my eyelashes for about a year..
and it makes me mad everytime
after i get done doing it because i think to myself i would be so much prettier... but i think its okay if i just pull another one out it wont hurt nothin... then before i know it i have a gap.. and i thought i was the
only one who did this but i guess not. i also use the eyeliner trick so it makes it look like nothin is wrong but anyone who has advice please HELP.!!!

I've been pulling out my eyelashes for about 10 years and i hate it and i have no idea how to stop. i tell myself everyday that im not going to do it and just like most as soon as night falls and im just hanging out my hand goes toward my eye without me even thinking about... next thing i know i get up to use the restroom and i look at myself when i wash my hands and all of a sudden my whole right eyelid has no eyelashes... then i go back to the couch and sit down and since i have no more eyelashes my hand slowly moves up to my eyebrows. i hate it - i want it to stop - i would LOVE to be able to wear mascara!!!! HELP ME PLEASE!!!!

I am now 16 almost 17 and i've been pulling out my eyelashes since about 5th grade, but it didn't get that bad until 7th grade when ALL of them were gone from both eyes. Supposively there was a rumor going around that i had some nervous didorder (which i found out about in the 9th grade). It hurt so much to hear that, but I just denied it. Reading some of these stories makes me feel a whole lot better to know that I am not the only one, which I thought I was until I did some research online. My eyelashes were almost fully grown and i could finally wear mascara..but the other night i picked them all out all over again. It is so embarassing to go to school like this even though I wear eyeliner and everything because when people ask me what happened, i really don't know what to say..reading some of your stories have given me better ideas to make up some lame excuse. It makes me extremely upset to look in the mirror and see every girl at school who has beautiful eyes..while I don't at the moment because of this stupid habit. I always say "this is my last time and after this im done" but it doesn't work that way. This time i am going to try to stop because i know how upset it makes me.
Thanks for the stories everyone!

I started pulling my eyelashes out when I was in the third or fourth grade. I had a teacher that stressed me out because she yelled a lot, and I wasn't used to it. It was then that I first remember pulling.

After reading the comments on this page I am relieved to hear that my eyelashes WILL grow back. I stopped pulling for about two years, but began last December when I began to realize my depression and eating disorder. I've continued since. No one has really said anything at school about the big bald patches in the middle of my eyelids but every time I look in the mirror I feel hideous and freaky. I'm so thankful for eyeliner!

I'm working so hard to reach my goal, and I'm praying that I, and all of you, can overcome this. :) It's so great to hear I'm not alone.

When I started picking at my eyelashes I was in the fourth or fifth grade. I had switched from one school to another, I wasn't the brightest student, I didn't know everyone in my class and the list went on. At first it was just the crust on my eyelashes that would get really thick in the middle of the night and when you wake up there it all was for everyone to see- eyelash danderuff. There was a time period when I really cannot remember if I did pluck or not because it was also the time period when I learned about plucking my eyebrows and waxing my legs. But then one day when I was 16 or 17 my mom started to notice. She would never yell but would always nag whenever she caught me plucking them- and ironically it worked because her nagging voice would be in my head and for her sake I wouldn't pluck. Now I'm 18 about to be 19 in about 62 days. My first semester in college really was a rollercoaster. I moved away from home and into a dorm, my roommate was International and she would be leaving to go back to her country, I started to hang out with the wrong group- again, the list goes on. The problem didn't really turn into a problem unless I had some major drama. One day in Stats I plucked out 37 eyelashes, not including the ones that I plucked out the night before- same eye in less than 24 hours. I tried to stop but as college goes I had to go through another loop. Then another loop. Another loop later and I find myself here on this website. I went through another picking spree and I am desperate to stop. I've been so depressed today that I tried to cry but I couldn't. With barely any privacy I freaked out and plucked. If I'm clinically depressed to the point that I need something as strong as Zanax then I wouldn't be shocked. I just need to know how those who are in college stopped plucking because I'm about ready to pledge for a sorority where it's based mostly on beauty by the pledge. Help me please. What can I do and what should I be able to do to stop the plucking and hopefully have them grow back without vasiline and other oils two cases of pink eye were bad enough on my lashes.

Hi everyone! I am 15 and have been suffering with trich since i was about 7 years old! I only realised others had it about 6months ago! I am a very 'controlled' trich sufferer but it still gets me down. I find myself constantly comparing myself to others and always looking in the mirror at my eyebrows and eyelashes..side on and everything! I first started pulling out my eyelashes and then I moved onto my eyebrows. I still do it now but my parents haven't noticed for about 7years because it is no where near as obvious as when i was younger! Boasting aside: I am a very pretty young girl and i just want any sufferers to know that u are not weird and I am in exactly the same situation as you :) xxx

I am sick of picking out my eyelashes I feel unnormal.It bugs me I'm 15 and my friend told me to do it I could'nt stop I feel lick I can't go out in public. school no one laughs i feel lick they do HELP me stop!!

I cant start to tell u about the troble i went through in school, everyone would always say "wheres your eyelashes" its tough in middle school and going throgh this.

Wow today is my 37 birthday and I have no lashes on my right lid and very few on my left. This thing is very hard to deal with. MY wife is great she tells me that I can stop. It all started about 24 years ago the first one felt good. I find my self always scanning for the new ones hoping to grab and pull. There have been times when I even pulled the skin by accident causing it to bleed. So today as a gift to myself I will try one day at a time to be pull free and let them GROW. Good luck and happy new year please keep me in pray. Thank You.

I cant remember how long i have been doing this for, maybe 1-2 years? i go through periods of not pulling and i feel so much more confident and normal when i see that i have my eyelashes and brows back again! However when i have pulled at them, i usually use eyeliner to fill in the gaps and pencil for my brows! this makes me look pretty much normal again, but i'd still rather have them back :/
i'm so relieved to know that i'm not the only person that does this. I recently grew all my lashes back again, only to pull out nearly half of them on the right side... that was about a month ago and a 1/2 cm section still hasn't grown back! i'm really worried i've lost them forever... :(

Well.. I haven't had this problem for too long and I have to end this addiction!! I look in the mirror and I see bald spots so I panic and put on lots of mascara, and then I feel clumps so I pull them even more!!! I am too embarassed to tell anyone, I am so worried someone will find out. I feel so ugly sometimes, I see no one else around me with this problem. I have been doing this for about 6 monthes, and it is really upsetting to me. I never used to do this before!! And there is this one side, my left, that the hairs come out so easily... I don't know what to do! :(

I just feel relieved that others have this problem.

I've been pulling eyelashes for almost a year now, about 9 months. I managed to grow them back 2 times and kept them for about 4-5 months then just pulling them out again! ugh! I just recently pulled them out on Dec. 22. I have been pull free for almost a month. It takes longer than a month for some to start to grow and I've have not pulled for many many years like some others here. I still have small gaps and some are short and a few longs ones, it does take time for them to regrow back. It took me 2-3 months for them to be all back the last few times I let them grow back. I hope this time they grow the same way. I always worry that they will not grow back properly. So I'm stopping the pulling once and for all!!!!

I always told myself I don't have this disorder, b/c I HATE pulling my eyelashes out, but I do spend like an hour or so every night pulling mascara off, which of course makes me pull lashes out. I get so pissed off every night, and tell myself I will not touch my eyelashes again, but the next night I do it again, and having crappy lashes drives me insane and I obsess about it all the time. So what I did about 2 months ago was made myself stop wearing mascara. And when I don't wear it, I have NO desire to pull. In theses 2 months I have worn mascara twice, and both times I went home and could not keep my fingers away from my eyes. It was like crack to an addict!! Then when all the mascara is pulled off and my fingers are all nasty, black and sticky I go wash my hands, look in the mirror, and see my shitty lashes and want to scream! So why can't I stop? If my lashes were full and I never had to wear mascara, I wouldn't pull, so is this an obsessive compulsive problem or is this considered trich? I have no idea. A lot of it sounds the same, but I don't pull any other body hair, and I don't normally pull eyelashes out, just obsessed with the feeling of pulling mascara off.

hi,my name is kelsie im 15 im a girl and i,ve been pulling for about 5 years now.it started i think unconscienceously (not sure if thats how you spell it)in 4th grade and now im a freshman in high school.i only pull my eyelashes and eyebrows and every day's like a challenge to keep ppl from finding out about it. still ppl figure it out but God's blessed me by them not being one's who love to make fun on ppl for their imperfections even tho they arent perfect either.i kno that a lot of ppl have this problem and it's a lot more common than some ppl think but i didnt really think that ppl pulled from their legs cause it seems kinda weird but i actually do that too and it feels good to have ppl understand even tho this whole thing is hard to understand.maybe u guys are the same but i tend to go for the ingrown hairs but it tends to make red dots on my legs on the follicle skin and it makes my legs kind of sore too but as long as it keeps me from my face.i hope that doesnt weird some of you out.this problem really sucks cause looking at the mirror makes me feel kinda ugly even tho i wear eyeliner and even browliner but with my ugly bangs i feel that no body knos how pretty i can actually be. the thing that hurts the most is that my cousin aka neighbor too always flirts with the only guy ive really ever liked (ive been in "love" with him for about 2 or 3 years now) and she knos that i like cause i talk about him all the time but i guess it doesnt bother hurt even tho im crying inside,but if God wants me to have him he will give him to me eventually (he's too old for me right now even my cousin cause she's my age).i want to say tho that for a little over a month i have left certain parts on my face and i actually have hair there!! but i recently had a bad time and my upper lids have nothing but my lower lids and eveybrows are the ones i haven't touched for a while and they are looking good! i give all my praise to God. i ask all who read this to not be offended or leave nasty comment to me because you had an option to read my comment or not but the advice i give to everyone is that God can help EVERYONE out of this even me (i just tend to do what my flesh desires therfore i lose them again) i've realized that the best and strongest times ar when i let God in my temptations. if you are already a christian please continue to stay strong in His word it's the only way.
to those who are struggling with trichotillomania and aren't christians i do not force my beliefs on you but ask you to give God a chance to make a differnce in your life because he can.he has in mine. but don't consider a chance a day or a week or even a month give God time to work in your life plus it takes longer than that for some hair to grow. but if you let Him He will help.i will also pray for everyone on this site and even for those not on it because i kno what everyone's dealing with even if you have diffent circumstances.the problem is still the same.
ill be checking on this occasionally for more stories and hopefully some success stories!! i hope that somehow my story can make a differnce in someone somehow.

God bless,
Kelsie

OMG Im 12 and i still pull my eyebrows and eyelashes i have done it since i was about 6 does anyone have advice on how to stop... people have asked me about it and i just say i dont know! but it makes me mad that i do it.... and its great to hear though that im not the only one on the planet and reading each post gives me a reason not to pull but i do it anyway HELP ME i want long lashes to put mascara on!

Hi,I am 12 years old.I have a problem with pulling out my eyelashes too.I pull them out with tweezers.I want to stop so bad,but every time I try,it just wants to make me pull them out even more.I've been reading about people with the same problem,and I thought I was the only one who does it.I was wrong.It makes me feel better because I know now that I'm not the only one who does.I just told my momma yesterday.She asked me why I did it,and I said I don't know,I guess it feels good.I am so mad at myself,but I can't take it back.My momma told me to pray every night to God.She said if I truly mean it,he will do it.On one that I read said that God works in mysterious ways.I really and truly believe that because I used too have a problem with my hair,and now it is growing back really thick,and I'm proud of it.I hope the best in every one that has the same problem.

hi every body how u doin y u all talkin about ur eyelashes my r fine do u guys have some hair loos or somtin im not tryin 2 be mean or any thing but just post another commit ok and tell me becuz i dont under stand?

HEY EVERYONE. I Just wanted to say, i did pull all of my eyelashes from both eyes, twice in my lifetime. my little sister did it when she was 6 or so and never did it again. um, i did it freshman year of high school, then again sophomore year. to me, it was because of HORRIBLE STRESS AND MAJOR DEPRESSION. i built up enough confidence in myself from then on (im 20 now), got self-esteem ,and never did it since. it looks horrible. i read all of your stories and i dont wanna look upon that path again, ever! i used to try to put fakes on, didnt work .then i had to put on dark black eyeliner on everyday and night! PEOPLE STILL NOTICED NO MATTER WHAT I DID!!! and i usually put my hair in front of my face to cover it up. i hated those days, and for sure, i would never do it again for fear of loss of friends, gettin made fun of, and people WILL talk. BE STRONG, GET SELF ESTEEM , WORK OUT, DO SOMETHING, THEY'LL GROW BACK, AND JUST GET ENOUGH SELF CONFIDENCE TO NEVER TO IT AGAIN!

WOW what a website! I have suffered from this for years, probably since I was about 10, I am 32. Like you all, I desperately try to hide it. A couple years ago I pulled out every single lash on my lower lid, so I pulled them all out on the other side so they would match. It was so humiliating that I have since not pulled nearly as bad. I had a full set about 6 months ago and pulled again. But I don't pull until there are gaps, I am a "controlled puller" as some have called it. Still, without make-up, it is REALLy obvious and ugly.
My problem is, I do it without thinking, I do not even realize I do it until it is done. I have lots of methods that work if I realize I am doing it, but I do the most damage when I don't even realize it. I know my weak times...when I am watching TV or reading. ESPECIALLY when I am reading. And I read a LOT. I think the strain on my eyes makes them burn and then that "itchy" feeling that makes me want to pull starts in. People do comment on my eyelashes from time to time. I used to bite my nails and quit when I was 20 and have not bitten them since. I also smoked for over 10 years and quit that 8 years ago and have never had a relapse. But I cannot seem to quit this. Trimming my nails short helps. I also pick at my face, which is just as bad. I have been told it is OCD by my last shrink but meds never helped, indeed, made it worse. I absolutely NEVER wear mascara. I think mascara is the reason I started this so long ago. It makes me able to "feel" my eyelashes, or the top ones stick to the bottom ones and I pull the affected lashes out to keep them from sticking together. I have never met anyone else with this problem, and believe me, I LOOK for people with missing eyelashes! I will do good for awhile but never long enough to get a full set grown back in. Since I pick my face, too, I am trying to keep my hands away from my face at all times. I think if I started biting my nails again, it would replace the pulling, but biting my nails hurts my teeth and besides, I like my nails! When I am watching TV, if I am eating (I know, bad habit) I don't pull. So I have taken to picking hickory nuts, which are not filling but keep my hands busy. Also, I have found that the itchy urge can be relieved by rubbing my eyes instead of pulling. But this rubs all my eyeliner off. Anyway, it IS good to know I am not alone. I do think it is primarily women who do this and I blame make-up and mascara! I am not an expert at drawing in fake lashes and know just which make-up to buy. Lashes take SO long to grow in. I was told once it is 12 weeks from pull to full lash. I have tried to go a full 12 weeks and cannot even make it one week, even if I only pull out a couple. I cannot even remember the last time I went a day without pulling. They ALWAYS grow back and after 20+ years of it I would like to think they always will. I have often wondered if I came clean, like told everyone who knows me about my problem, if I would stop then. It is like I keep doing it because I can keep getting away with it. MOST people are tactful enough not to ask me about my missing lashes, but some do and I always have an excuse of some kind. I feel I would be a pretty woman if I could quit pulling and picking my face. Aside from my old shrink, this is the first time I have ever put this into words. Maybe that alone will help. Oh, and I am a Christian and I do believe God help me quit smoking but I have prayed about this for a long time and tried and tried and it is not helping. Not to say God can't, but He won't.

Lori in Indiana

I'VE BEEN PULLING OUT MY EYELASHES FOR ABOUT 7 YEARS. IM GOING TO BE 21 IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS, HOWEVER, IT SEEMS THAT AS I GET OLDER THIS EYELASH ADDICTION KEEPS GOING AND GOING. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT STOP. IT IS REALLY EMBARRASING AND IF IT WASN'T FOR EYELINERS, I WOULDN'T EVEN COME OUTSIDE. IT CAN BE ANYTIME OR ANYWHERE, WHEN I GET THIS FEELING OF PULLING THEM I JUST DO IT. I TRIED STOPPING BUT AS SOON AS THEY GROW I PLUCK THEM OUT. I GUESS IT FEELS GOOD... BUT I FEEL LIKE I'M MISSING SOMETHING, AND THAT THIS SITUATION IS MAKING ME UGLY. I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO...

Ever since my last post I have followed a strict plan for my pulling. In the last 4 weeks I have only pulled 4 times, and only once was it several lashes. I now have as close to a full set of lashes as I have ever had. After 22 years of non-stop pulling, ALL my lashes are growing in just fine and long and beautiful. I still have to wear some eyeliner but I am amazed at the progress I have made. I am sorry to those who say they have permanent damage/hair loss from the pulling. I am very grateful mine are all growing back in. I just hope I can maintain this long-term (like forever). The intense urge has passed. The 4 times I pulled were all because my lashes were sticking together (top to bottom)and not because I was in my TV/book reading mode and just felt that familiar tingly/itchy feeling that lures my hand to my eye. I used gloves to keep myself from pulling during these times. I kept a log to determine when and how much I pull and from that built basic strategies to stop the habit (like gloves). Sometimes it was a sheer battle of wills not to do it but I have made progress and it is well worth the effort to log it/wear the gloves, etc. Good luck everyone.

Lori in Indiana

I'm a male 28 year old; I didn't think I'd ever post on the site here, but I feel really bad for those of you whom are dealing with this poorly, and hope I can help. Every couple of months I end up pulling out most of my eyelashes, I think though that that doesn't bother me so much, but a month or so ago I pulled out half of one of my eyebrows. Then I thought "well...this isn't good"

An earlier poster wrote that she thinks our brains shut down when we pull; I have to agree with that. I think that at least for me whenever I pull I sort of "space out" and having that sensation is pleasurable. So, I am just dealing with it in my own way I guess.

For you ladies, it seems like (obviously) you are all worried about your appearance. I just wanted to say, I guarantee that you are just as beautiful without eyelashes, as you are with. People may notice, but that doesn't make you an ugly person. Also, if you are concerned about having problems in relationships because of this, keep in mind any rational/compassionate man wouldn't hold this against you, and may indeed love you more because of it.

oh wow!! i love this site...i only started pulling my lashes about 2 years ago. my friend was talking about how she used to pull and then i suddenly had the urge to pull! from reading all the comments they PERFECTLY describe what i do...nightime, when im mad or bored, the bigger the root the bigger releif, how GOOD it feels. i just dont get how pulling can feel soooo good. my family Doesnt get mad atg me because she knows that i do selfconciously. my friend noticed that i didnt hav eany so she was like " where are your eyelashes!!!???" then my eyes got all watery and i made something up i said i wasnt born with any!( so stupid huh?) i felt so mad and i went up stairs and cryed!!!....this si a very hard and sensitive subject to mee too. all i seem to notice as i look through magazines or watch movies is the people's EYELASHES!

ermm... I just wanted to say that I also started pulling my eylashes out from when I was 10. It all started with the game children play that when an eyelash falls you grab it and make a wish. grrr I wish i've never heard of thet game!!!
Today Ihave bald spots on my eyes when I attack my eyelashes severley. sometimes I even get a completely bald eye. however like one of the very above statements when I tell myself to stop I tend to stop and my eyelashes + eyebrows regrow but then when I'm understress or I'm bored watching tv doing nothin i just pull. It's sooo frustrating. I just regret having starting because once when I hadn't this problem i had beutiful eyelashes and everyone use to compliment me about them but now... it's like other people are noticing and sort of pity me... I even get ashamed when sometimes I hear people talking about me saying look look sho's got no eyelashes or just staring.
At least i'm not alone but i still need to stop cos this problem is really pissing me off... One of the most things that pisses me off is that my mother is constantly checking if i pulle and when she finds out i pulled she gets angry at me and just tells me 'why don't you ever listen to me?! just stop' Yeah right like its that simple. She doesn't even try to find some info about trich

anyways i'll try to work on it... gl with your prob also and hope one day you will stop tt :))
I will try some of your advice

I'm 14. I've had this gross habit of pulling out my eyelashes for 5 years, now. Before that, I pulled out my hair, and my parents took me to the doctor and they said that I have alopecia areata. in the eyelashes. I know I don't. And now they're putting me on oral steroids to help them grow back. I don't want these drugs to hurt me, but for some reason I just can't stop. I really don't know what to do. Please, if anyone has suggestions... I could really use them.

I'm really glad that this is here. Now I know what I have. :/ I'm 14 and excessively pull out my eyelashes. It was my hair for a year, then I stopped. Then I went on to my eyebrows for 6 months. I stopped. And Now It's my eyelashes. And it has been for 5 years. That's kind of a long time. I'm too embarrassed to tell my parents, and they've now taken me to the doctor. They said I have alopecia areata. I don't, really. They plan to put me on oral steroids, but I'm afraid it will damage my body, given I don't really have that. I wish I could stop. What's wrong with me? help?

I have no eyelashes on my right eye (I don't think I've been pulling my left eyelashes yet)
I also have a small bald spot on the crown of my head.

Really sux

i had tried many things on ow i could make my eyelash longer
so i just cuted it.damn i didnt know what to do so i went nuts

I am 10 and I just can't stop picking my eye lashes my mom gets mad at me so I don't tell any one about this. I try to keep my hair down to cover because I'm too young to wear makeup.I'm ok if my friends know but I'm scared if my mom finds out.I do it without noticing it and half of my bottem eylid is bare please tell me if they will grow back.....again.

Hi,
I'm only 11 years old and have this problem. I have quitten for one year in total and started right back again. My parents tell me that i won't be able to wear makeup because it will show much easier. I'm on medication to help with erges i get to pull. I'm also seeing two phsycologists to help. I got started at 6 years old when i fell for the pick your eyelash and make a wish trick. i hate being teased about my problem and am constantly without friends. untill about two years ago i thought that i was the only person in the world who pulled (hair) out. I'm glad to be able to talk with other people who know what i'm going through.

I fell really awkward about this but i am 14 and i pluck my eyelashes.I dont know why i keep doing it but i just cant stop. I dont understand it either. People dont think that it is not that big deal but it is, it makes you fell so concealed in the secret because it takes over you life and you cant stop it. I just wish people really knew what it feels like to have this.

Wow this is a great website. It is so strange to read these comments, because everything that everyone is mentioning- I do. From pulling eyelashes and putting the white bulbs together, to feeling my eyelids for new hairs coming up. HOWEVER, I do have all of my eyelashes. I used to feel for new lashes, but when I ended 6th grade, I knew I had to stop because I would just look so ridiculous in the middle school with no eyelashes. I still pull lashes- just not as bad. I usually go for the ones that are out of place. It drives me crazy. I have to pull out the ones that are about to "fall out." It makes it legit to do it. SOOO foolish. I have been doing this stuff since the 1st grade. I just graduated from college last spring- can you say pathetic. Starting in 6th grade, I pulled out the hair. I remember sitting in class, seeing a hair on my paper and thinking, "wow this hair is dark brown, and blonde." I WAS HOOKED on finding those interesting colored hairs, and before I knew it, I could not stop it. I had a little bald spot- VERY noticable, but I tend to just pull at random. I have tried soooo many times to stop. My longest record = 2.5 months. I just stopped pulling a week ago this Thursday. I know I know you are probably thinking I will start it back up again, but I swear I am finished with it. It makes me so sick to even think about looking on the bathroom floor and seeing myself standing over 1,000 hairs. SO sick.

This is what I do now...I just picture those hairs on the ground, and how sadddd I feel after a pulling spree, then I tell myself I will go bald, its just a matter of time, finally, I just think of your comments, and I realize we are all going through this, and we can all do this together. It sounds corny, trust me, I know, but knowing that other people do these crazy things, makes me feel normal again, and I realize I am not alone.

Good luck, and I will keep you posted with my no more pulling streak. We can do this, we are all weird, but hell who isn't?! ;)

I wish I could suggest somethng here. It has consummed me so much over the past 3-4 years to look at my daughter and see that she can't help it. I used to tell her to stop as if it were that easy, but now I know it is really hard for her. I dont think she wants to stop too bad because I have offered her weekly hypnotherapy, but she thinks it's rediculous and a waste of money.
Please tell me of any successfull suggestions or anyone who has won this battle. I would do anything for her.

u know wut i do,i sit on my hands and dont take them out so u wont touch your eyelashes. and wen i feel the urge to pull my eyelashes ijust rub them until the irritation goes away try conditioner every night to help grow ur eyelashes faster. i put conditioner on my eyelashes every night and leave it on for about 3 minutes. try it it really helps.

does anyone notice that their eyelashes "hurt"?

Kate, yes my eyelashes do hurt...
this site is like heaven to me cuz i thought i was the only one in the world like this, i'm glad to know that i'm not alone... i got trich like 4 years ago just after i got married and was stressed and sad all the time, after about 1 year it became worse i started to pull all my lashes both up and down,, now i only have a few on my eyes.. whenever they start to itch i pull them and right after i'm so angry at myself because i know it takes weeks/months for my lashes to grow back =( how do you guys manage to not pull them??

You all should start wearing false indiviual eyelashes. It helped me alot because I cant pull the false one out because of the glue.

I am 27 and have been plucking my eyelashes for 10 years. I only pluck my eyelashes. Right now I have a beautiful set of thick, long, dark lashes but one little spot is tingling. It is so annoying but I realize that it is tingling because it is the last of the eyelash patch to grow back from when I plucked them almost all out 2 months ago. I look so pretty like a princess with my long lashes. What is unique about me is that I eat the lashes I pluck every time. I get no satisfaction unless I eat them one at a time. I grind them up between my front teeth. My husband calls me coco loco. Well for me through the years eyeliner and mascara has covered my shame. Also mascara really helps me. I am wearing it now so I wont pluck from the tingling eyelid. I hate it when I pluck with mascara because so many come out at a time and I enjoy eating a clean lash one at a time. I have used fake lashes and they are fine. Nothing beats natural full lashes and seeing my own in the mirror is my motivation.

I need some help! I have been pulling my eyebrows and eyelashes for almost 9 years. I am getting married in 5 months and it kills me to think that I will have no eyelashes for my wedding. I have none right now! Any help please!!! Will they even grow back by then?

Dear Everyone

I've been pulling since fourth grade and now i'm a freshman almost a sophmore and im a girl by the way. it's so tough at this age with trying to find your own true beauty when every time you look in the mirror it's covered behing makeup (at least in my case). i never wanted to wear a lot of makeup but i also dont' want people to find out. it's soooo tough!!! ive recently stopped for 9 days so far. PRAISE GOD!!! without Him i couldn't have gotten this far. it's hard to really give advice when i really dont' know myself. one thing i will say is that your best chance is fully relying on God. whether you already have a relationship or not He's waiting for you.i don't want to offend people but if i do then i do but for anyone who wants to learn more i would really love to talk to people about God or even telling about your own problems from this cuz ive never really talked to someone else with this same problem but it would be cool. age gender dont matter. and i wont be all preachy ill just be there to give advice by God's Word and just someone to talk to. but if anyone wants to take my offer it www.kg.hayes@yahoo.com anyways im here

YSIC, (Your Sister In Christ)
Kelsie

Hi!
I have trich too. I had it since I was four years old and it really sucks. I hate not having eyelashes and I'm trying really hard not to pluck them out. I even do that wearing socks on your hands when you go to sleep. Does anyone have good tips on making them grow faster? I would really want to have my senior year with my natural eyelashes.

Hi!

so ive commented on here a few times before and am very proud to say that tomorrow i will have my one month "anniversary" of not pulling!PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!!! I give praise to God for every lash and brow He has given me, Him alone has helped to stop. the shcool years almost over and then sophmore year starts. my goal is to be able to get rid of these horrible oily forehead bangs. i would be so pretty without them but my look is not my goal completely. it's to tell people about the praise i give God for helping me. i always want to think that all the boys are gonna want me but as much as id like that it cant be my main objective or even trying to popular, i already am in God's eyes. i pray that everyone can let go of this horrible addiction that keeps us from doing the things we like to do and showing our trueselves, i pray for everyone like me to stop or at least somehow become content with trichotillomania. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!!

hi!
i used to pull all the time just my eyelashes when i was younger but it stopped in fourth grade. then it came back in sixth grade and it was my eyelashes AND my eyebrows bc i ran out of eyelashes to pull at one point. crazy huh? i'm determined to stop this though. end this here, right now. this site is really cool to unify everyone and share tips and stories and it helps to know that we are not alone.

this is this other really amazing site - 43things.com
join the site and join the group called "*don't pull my hair for 20 consecutive days." there are other groups as well about not pulling.
the site has helped me immensely bc we post on it almost everyday. we are all supporting each other and helping each other get through each day and people respond within hours. people you know well bc we are so close. it also helps to set mini goals and posting each day helps us not pull bc we hate posting that we pulled. its good to have someone to have to honestly report to. i strongly recommend it and i hope to see you there!! (my name is fiercelyfighting on the site)

UGGH:( i've had this problem for a longggg time! well...not really just ferrr ohh idk...hmm, two years? i pick my eyelashes and eyebrows anytime im bored or like at school or something and i cant stand it! people look at me and ask what im doing and i usually just say there is something in my eye.

:(

thee good news is i've actually been able to stop pulling my eyebrows and ive been working real hard on the lashes. I havent picked my right eyelashes in a long time and the look okayy...however, to make up for it i pick my left lashes twice as much. i look really stupid most of the time and i can only wear mascara on one eye!!
how stupid am I??
ill tell you, VERYY:(
ughh, can someone help me?

my eyelashes only grow back in the corners i worry i have done permanent damage. every time i blink it reminds me of the fact that i have no eyelashes.

Hi...I am on the 43things.com site with firecelyfighting and it really helps to have a permanent support group there. There are lots of people with trich on the site, and about 5 of us have been struggling with this together for about six months. It is hard, but each day that we motivate each other not to pull is worth it! It does help to have people to report to, and when we do mess up, no one judges us, because we are all going through the same thing.

There is also a website - TLC - trich learning center. They have tips. Some good ideas: wear gloves, put tape around your fingers, use a lot of hand lotion to keep your hands slick, paint your nails so they look pretty, wear jangly bracelets with bells and stuff on them so that when you pull it makes noise and reminds you to stop, etc., etc. Lots of times you have to do a couple "tricks" AND really concentrate and work at not pulling. The other thing I do is that if I feel I want to pull, I try to get up and move around and work off excess energy. At work, my office is on a floor with a circular hallway. So sometimes I'll get up and spend two minutes doing a brisk walk in a full circle around the hallway and that helps temporarily.

Nothing is magic...all the "tricks" just help for a few minutes, but sometimes that is enough to get you through the day.

I didn't SERIOUSLY start pulling until college - I was very unhappy and stressed and pulling gave me some relief. I pull eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair from my head. My sister started picking her skin in high school, and the two are related...so I think there may be something genetic.

Anyway, I wish you all good luck, and look for me on 43things, because I really want us all to help each other out! We can get through this!

i have it too...my poor eyelashes, i have none...but, i live with it, my head is bald...but, i survive. i just say im a cancer patient...i just live with it.

It is amazing to read this page and realise that you guys are going through exactly what i went through. The pulling, the relief and guilt afterwards. I did it from the age of 8. For about 5 years, i had no upper eye lashes at all. I would lie in bed at nite and feel my eye lids and if there was the slightest spike I would pick and pick, sometimes for hours. My nails were weak and broken, sometimes i would even ,make my eyelid bleed, but i had to get it out. i would eventually get tweezers. I used to save the eye lashes in a candle holder, like i had achieved something. i know that sounds mad. Sometimes I was up until 2 / 3 in the morning. It was awful. One day my dad mentioned it, and my whole family spoke to me about it, about how i am ruining my face and that seemed to be a turning point. I was so ashamed, but it was really good to talk about it. A girl at school i had never spoken to before approached me and said: "how come you dont have not got any eye lashes?" i ran off crying. I spent 6 hours sometimes sticking on false eye lashes, i spent a fortune trying different types, non were any good.I did eventually grow them back but unfortunately i moved on to my hair. I had bald patches in my hair for a while. And when they grew back i got tweezers on the spikey bits. I'm now 21 and the best iv ever been. I still pull out my hair occasionally, but i leave my eye lashes alone. I am obsessive about my eye brows and stray hairs, an i only concentrate on one patch of hair now under my fringe. Unfortunately my eye lashes are very weak and fall out a lot but they are there and i am grateful to myself for that. I just want to say to other suffers, yes it is embarrassing but please dont suffer alone. telling someone really does help. good luck everyone xx

I always wondered what made me pluck mine. It was a strange day and it was almost like someone told me to pluck mine, NO JOKE. I've pulled since the 5th grade and I've done that for almost 30 years.

I'm to the controlled stage and I can tell when I'm gonna pull but I try to keep it to under 15 total.

Here's what you do SERIOUSLY:

Stay busy and do stuff you always wanted to do, be outgoing, cook, PLAY VIDEO GAMES ALOT.

The goal is to keep your mind occupied and your hands away from your face. Take the trash out frequently because you probably wouldn't put an unclean hand up to your face.

But what I've found helps them grow back quicker is to shower or always keep water on your face.

Just be outgoing when they have grown to an acceptable length and STAY AROUND PEOPLE AND BE ACTIVE SO YOU'RE NOT THINKING.

THROW IN SOME ROMANTIC NIGHTS, community activities.....WHATEVER, your goal is to keep your mind beyond and thinking stage.

I still do the hair pull but that is a stress matter I've learned to control to where it is not to the balding stages at times.

Oh, and keep your nails cut lower than normal. My advice is you gotta wanna stop too. Good luck on your mission, just take it one step at the time and keep God with you, he'll provide the work to keep you from pulling.

I have been pulling my lashes since i was at least four and it started b/c i would watch my mom pull. She past away and every since then i have been doing it i really thought that i was the only one in the world that did this. When I was twelve i graduated to my eyebrows. i got many beatings for doing and i was often talked about by my siblings and by people who didn't know me. this website has been helpful. I wish my dad would have known that this is a disorder and that probably would have saved my backside from black and blue and sometimes purple bruises. thanks so much....

i suffer from this also. =[. i continuously pull my eyelashes and have been doing it so repeatedly that im wondering do they ALWAYS grow back? will it sometime get to a point where i have damaged the hair follicle so much by pulling that it will stop growing?

This site is very interesting and it is really wonderful knowing that TRICH is actually a common disease and that we are not alone. It is definitely genetic (b/c my mom has it) and related to stress and OCD. It is amazing to read that most people started pulling as a pre-adolescent. I was also in 4th grade (around 8-9) when I started pulling my long gorgeous eyelashes out. I look back at the pictures from those couple years and just feel so bad for that little girl- I remember being teased. Somehow within the next few years it dwindled down to pulling here and there. My eyelashes came back. But then in sixth grade I started pulling the hair from my head out. I can still remember the moment I started. And it wasn't even me who pulled out my hair- it was a friend, who pulled it out b/c it was "out of place"!!! Not that it was her fault but that was when it started. I am now 28 years old and I am married and have a baby. I am also a "controlled" puller. I hide it well- I'm lucky that I have good hair genes? My brother and sisters have thick, long dark eyelashes. Mine are there- but are thin. I get so upset when I think about the fact that I am the only one stuck with this disease! I still battle this thing everyday- especially since I had my baby.(stress/time). I am so scared that I will pass it on to my children- it's my biggest fear. But it's what I'm given in life to bear. The only thing that seems to keep me from pulling, like the rest of you, is keeping my hands busy... Thank you for sharing your secrets- Just remember- no one is perfect, everyone has problems/ diseases and this is something we did not choose. God bless all of you and hang in there!

I enjoy plucking my eyelashes..... but some times I skid my index and middle fingers across my eyebrow. I dont know what is wrong and I can't stop!!!! I wonder what is going on in my brain? Why do i do this stuff!!!!

Why do I do this? It is so akward, but I didn't know other people had that problem too!!! I don't know how this all started... I have the wierdest hobby!!!! I pluck my eyelashes and eyebrows and put them in my silly putty :)!! I used to call it "The hairy silly putty". But one day I dropped it and it flew under the couch... but I never got it again. I used to have another problem... I used to chew on the ends of my hair!!! So when I got home my hair was covered in my spit!! It was disgusting... but when I took a shower I coulld feel the spit in my fingers!!!!! It was grouse!! But if you have that problem too just try to do something else like get in to a new hobby!!! Then you will totally forget about your habit! But now I have the eyelash plucking thing going on here.... any advice!!!! Thanks for your concerns!!!

hi, my name is grace. i'm 14, and i'm going to be a freshman this school year. i started pulling at the beginning of eighth grade. i was sitting in class, gently rubbing and pulling my eyebrows, not pulling them out. it felt good so i started pulling them out. because of that, my skin and hairs of my eyebrows started to itch and hurt a little, so i liked the feeling of pulling out the hairs and the itchiness. it was one, and then another, and then another, and another... i went and looked in the mirror after class, and it was kind of pale (i had been pulling only my left one, on the bottom, and so it was a little thinner)..i met my sister to go to lunch and asked her if it looked weird. she said no but said i needed to stop. i tried but couldn't. i showed my mom after school and she just said to let them grow back. but i didn't. i kept pulling. a month later or so i put on mascara just for fun (usually i never did cuz i didn't like it). that day i pulled my eyelashes out. mascara made it really easy. i didn't worry too much though. i let them grow back about half way and then i just pulled them out again. it became trich after that. so i've been stuck with this problem all year. i learned how to draw my eyebrows on good. at first i wasn't good and people asked me if i drew them on. i just said no......i've always been a perfectionist. that's my reputation. im almost always a straight A student. i've always pulled out crooked hairs or hairs that felt like they needed to come out with tweezers. but only now did i pull them all. my dad teases me about it, says, "are you letting your eyebrows grow back?" and it hurts my feelings really bad. my mom knew but she never said anything. only until the other day did she talk. it was extremely awkward because i've always been really sensitive, and hate talking about it. she said she kind of did it when she was a kid, and said she'd show me this website called "life with trich".. i would love any advice and help...i promised myself that i'd let them grow back over the summer for highschool, and i'm nervous as heck to go to a whole new school like this. i really don't want to.... mine isn't stress related as much i dont think. more the sensation. grace

Hey!
Does anyone think that Seborrheic Blepharitis may be linked to TTM (or at least aggravates the eyes to worsen TTM)? i have TTM, but I wonder if the extra irritation might be caused by other eye conditions..

I would love to hear your opinions / comments, but please, if you have nothing nice to say, don't bother saying anything at all. Thank you!

Hi! wow...what a relief to know that i'm not the only one suffering from this! i've been pulling my eyelashes since i was about 10 ...and i'm now 12. pretty sure mine started from anxiety. anyway...recently i've really started to make an effort to stop pulling..sometimes for like a week or so i won't pull that much and they'll grow back...but then all of a sudden without me even knowing i'll start pulling. and then not till i've pulled out like 10 will i notice that i've started pulling again. i've noticed that being around people/public as much as possible helps A LOT!...really hope mine grow back....

when i was 7 i started with the front of my hair...i pulled out chunks at a time.. and then i stopped... i had alot of problems at that time... and then once i got to high school it started again..i looked like a shaved the back of my head.. i dunno how i got to my eye lashes but it has been the thing to do for about 7 years ..when i was young i would take off my mascara that way and after a while it didnt matter if i had any on i would still pick at my eyes...only the top... then they grow a lIl and it feels so weird ..but good.. and i just rub then..when they grow enough i pull them out again... just recently i managed to sit there and not care and completely take them all out... i feel stupid.. i wear lots of eyeliner and when i'm talking to people i think...can they tell?... or i cetch myself seeing how many eyelashes they have... I'm a good looking girl i must say... it sucks that i cant stop.... i wear sunglasses all the time... My husband has learned to act like its not a issue...sometimes he'll just say..."babe..stOp"or move my hand..but there i am a minute later with my hands on my eyes...as of now i see the little black dots on my eyes coming through..i'm hoping i could leave them alone . but it is so hard.i'm always in the mirror looking at what ive done.but then i get the urge and the guilt goes out the window..and there i am pulling away.

Hey, I've been pulling my eyelashes out since I was a young kid and i am 19 now. I just started out by pulling them lightly with my fingers all through my childhood, but in high school it got really bad and I was so fed up with them that I just pulled them all out. That's when I started using the tweezers.

Within the past few months I've been pulling them every night and now i can't go to sleep without having to do it. It's like an addiction and it helps me destress. I keep a pair of tweezers at the side of my bed, and I've even got to the point of keeping on in my purse...Its so embarassing to not have eyelashes but I can't stop. Kindof the same with my eyebrows. I'm totally obsessed with them and now they are thin and small and don't fit my face.

Its not only destressing, but i've grown to like the feeling of pulling them out too, especially on my eyelids. Its almost theraputic...

Hi All,
You need help. Here it is. STOP PLUCKING YOUR EYELASHES. It is just a habit. Stop reading this web page and look at sites where people are happy and doing fun things. If you have issues and you are unhappy then try and get help for that, inflicting pain and suffering is not the answer. You will be depressed like most of the old ducks here who are still plucking at the age of 35.
I know I seem hard on you but just get it together. Just found this site by error, will not visit again. If I have upset your feelings I will say sorry. I also hope that you take note of what good advice is given to you. The truth hurts.
Good luck to you and I hope you will get over this.

that is your OPINION "protector."

anyway, i wanted to post another thought that came into my head. it seems that every time before my period (like it's part of pms) my eyelashes and eyebrows become "irritated" and i have to constantly pick at them.. i have ttm, but it "flares" up before certain times of the month.. anyone else have that issue?

Miss Take,,
I have never thought about that, but I'll let you all know, since we are all girls why not see if we notice changes during those times..

i have polled my eyelashs out and they do not grow back that fast.

Oh wow. I've been plucking at my eyelashes since I was in around 4th grade (11th now!), for the most depressing reason. I have glasses, and my lashes were so long and thick that they brushed the lenses and annoyed me. I'd pluck them out and hold a little pile of them and brush the white bulbs against my face. And ever since, I just kept doing it. I no longer hold more then one or two, however. I'll pluck a lash that's too high, too low, too light, or too dark (I have OCD and ADD as well, so I both start to think about, and worry about such things!), and all of a sudden, the surrounding area is 'loose' and all those lashes have to go too. It's horrid! I really dont know what to do. It spread to my eyebrows, and even my head for a while, but I maniged to force it back to square one, at least...

Hi, Ive been pulling since I was about 13 and Im 25 now. My lash pulling has got alot less since I left uni but every now and then I still slip up(Ive pulled again tonight). I def recommend seeing an Cognitive Behavioural Psychologist. They teach you aversion techniques and really do help you notice when youre pulling and what to do. I never pull in public so at work so its all about making myself get out and about when I do notice Im starting to stroke my lashes and hair etc before I pull. Recently I tried getting acrylic nails and it was the best decision of my life. I can honestly say I havent pulled for the last 2 months Ive had them on, and today is the first time I have pulled but I had the nails taken off yesterday! I never used to have any lashes for ages and wear alot of eyeliner to cover up. Only one person has ever noticed that I didnt have lashes and I made up some lie that I had in-growing lashes and my doc pulled them out for me.Its now alot more under control thanks to making my boyfriend and close friends tell me if my hands go up to my face if im watching tv etc.I know its tough and you feel AWFUL when you do pull but im staying positive as I know Ill have set backs but im so much better since i started seeing this Cog Therapist.Be STRICT with yourself. I give up all my tweezers etc if i feel twitchy to my boyfriend and he hides them from me. Sometimes my compulsions can last up to 2-3hours but like smoking etc, they DO pass. Be strong. Hope this helps someone xx

Hello again. It's Grace. Here's my update. My parents are making me talk about it to them and I hate it!! It's so embarrassing! My dad is so freaking pushy. Several months ago was when they started talking to me, and since then they do check ups. They wanted to "moniter" by looking up close but I firmly told them I did NOT want them looking at me up close. They still talked to me though. Every time they checked up with me and asked me if I had pulled I said no, which was a lie. I can only let them get a certain length and then I pull them out. Sorry, "them" is my eyelashes. They kind of know I'm lying. They said that if they don't notice some change in length by the end of this month, they're bringing me to the doctor. I only have like 10 days!!! That's not enough time!! I don't know what to do and I'm having a VERY hard time controlling my pulling. I always pull in front of the mirror before I go to bed. THe best way for me to control is to not look up close at myself in the mirror. THen I can't see how long they are and I don't get as strong a urge to pull. I'm really nervous.
Love you all who are fighting this like me, Grace.

Has anyone had any luck with Abby Roher's book about conquering trich?? I really don't want to have to buy a book and spend money because I'm seriously broke right now. If anyone could give some tips from the book if they've read it, I'd really appreciate it.

Hi,

I did want to say something to repsond to GRACE. a couple months ago i was on Abby's site and was actually able to get like six mini sessions that were emailed to me. and it was for free. they were alright but i still struggle. so maybe if you want you should check out her site. also i know exactly how you feel with the parent thing. that's practically how mine are. by the way im a sophmore and have been struggling since fourth grade. uggg it really stinks!!! anyways i dont want to say anything to upset you but you're quite lucky to have parents that care about you so much. the reason why they're so in your face is because they really don't know how else to help you. and they want to help you because they love. trust me. i always used to be scared to have my dad pick me up from my mom's because he would always ask if i pulled. my first reaction was obivously to lie so i would. if he believed it i usually began to feel sick inside knowing that he trusted me but doesnt know that he really he shouldnt (only in the pulling aspect though). but usually he'd force me to show him and that's nearly impossible to hide it then. then he'd usually get all upset and we'd have this long awkard conversation as we drove home. my mother on the other hand was more of the yeller especially because she just didn't know what to do or how to help. but honestly, deep down i wanted them to ask 1) then i wasn't all anixous until they found out and 2) i kinda felt like i could talk them about it and sometimes feel like i might be able to stop. i felt loved. i hated that it had to be in that way but at least i knew they love me. all i'm really trying to say is to not shield your parents. my dad and i have grown to really talk about things. talking things out really helps and if your parents want to talk (and you seem to too, because you talk about it on this site) then take that advantage. but lead the conversationg in a way that you can open up to them easier. give them ways they can help you. but really take your advantage. i read a story by a tori girl and her mom used to beat her for her pulling and would say how ashamed she was to have tori as a daughter. it was a really sad story. but anyways i hope you always confide in your parents. and you can always talk to people on here obvisouly, but also im here to talk to too. i highly doubt there's anything different you do that i do. let me know how things go for you!

God Bless,
Kelsie

Romans 8:28

Hi I wanted to respond to Grace. I have a spare copy of a really great book called 'Help for Hair Pullers'. Its a fantastic guide on understanding and coping with Trich. I found it really useful.I live in the UK but can post if this would help.As for going to the docs, dont worry!To be honest, its the best thing I ever did.Your doctor will prob refer you to a psychologist (and if not then request to if you want!).Thing is, from living with trich for the last 13 years and from seeing psychologists, its a REALLY common problem.Your eyelashes will grow back too. I know what you mean about when they grow to a certain length but whenever you catch yourself trying to look at them in the mirror, go tell your parents or whoever that you are doing so and ge them to sit with you til the compulsion goes away. I used to feel like I wanted to rip them out every second of the day but gradually if you choose not to 'give in' to these compulsions then they DO lessen, even if it takes a few months to notice. Also,you can only get better from this condition.It will be tough(Im still going through it but I only pull evry few months now compared to when I had NO eyelashes for 2 years!)but you can do it!!! xx

Hi Kath, it's Grace. What do you mean by "post"? Sorry I'm so ignorant. Hehe.

...In case you were wondering, I live in Montana, US. I'm a freshman in highschool and I've been dealing with trich for a year. I pull my eyelashes and eyebrows. I have almost none of either and I'm very depressed. I can't stop, but I really really really want to. My parents pester me about it. They say if they don't notice a difference in growth then they're taking me to the doctor, which I really don't want to do. I would rather spend my money on other things. I know insurance pays for some of it, but we're broke, trying to pay for gas and food. And according to Abby Rehoer (spelling?), therapists and doctors can be not so helpful. I don't know what to do.

And advice from anyone would be wonderful.

Thankyou so much, Grace.

Hello again everyone. Some things I wanted to say about helping not pull:
1) Don't look up close in the mirror. Seeing the stubs makes you want to pull.
2) Don't keep tweezers nearby. Tweezers only make it really easy to pull. If you have to pluck your eyebrows because they're getting kind of bushy, strictly allow yourself to do that in a certain amount of time and don't look at your eyes while your doing it. And don't keep the tweezers anywhere near your bathroom or in an easy place to get them.
3) Don't touch your face, especially near your eyebrows or eyelashes. I found that when I ran my fingers over and over my eyebrows/lashes, I found one that was starting to hurt. And then the cycle would begin.
4) If your a night-puller like me, make a schedule for your bathroom time. Example: a) brush hair b) wash face c) put on vaseline/oil ect. on eyelids or wherever you need d) brush teeth.... Do not stray from the schedule and start looking at yourself in the mirror and then pulling.
5) Get your homework done early (if your in school). I get stressed if I'm trying to get homework done late and then I start pulling.
6) Use organic make up remover. Don't just wash your face with a wash cloth and water. I used to do that to remove eyeshadow, repeatedly rubbing until it was off. Then I noticed my eyelids were getting streched. Makeup remover works like a charm. Takes it right off with no stretch. And make sure it's organic - doesn't have any of those bad chemicals like parabens and glycol propelyne which have been found related to cancer and asthma and other things. ...After I wash my face, I use Vitamin E oil on my eyelids and under eyes, which is supposed to help with stretched skin, and Emu oil where my stubs are to help growth. Emu oil and Vitamin E oil are natural. Some vaselines can have bad chemicals, so be careful.
7) Make a list of reasons NOT to pull. Like imagine how you'll look with long beautiful eyelahses. Imagine how you won't have to worry about people looking at you sideways or up close. Imagine how you'll feel confident in front of friends or your bf. Think of happy things.

Hope this helps. Love you all, Gracielou.

I just pulled three of my best eyelashes. They're all stubs, and I had these three dark thick ones that were longer than the others, and I just pulled them.
....you know I was thinking that what I really need is a boyfriend. I mean, a friend, even a best friend can only do so much. A friend can't hold you in there in their arms (well they can but that would be awkward), and they can't kiss you and say I love you. But how am I supposed to get a boyfriend if I have makeup plastered on my eyes and eyebrows? Up close it looks weird. I get compliments on my eyebrows a lot because they are so "perfect". But I'd trade them anyday for real ones. I also used to have lovely long eyelahses that I always was getting comliments for, but now I have to make sure that no one is too close to me or looking at me from the side. I HATE IT!!!!!! I'm so stressed right now. I can't talk to anyone about it, not even my sister, who is probably the closest person to me. I don't have any really close friends. The closet one I'm always in arguements with because we disagree on a lot of things like religion and politics. So a boyfriend would be a blessing. Someone to make me less stressed and tell me they love me without it being awkward. To support me and help me to STOP pulling.

I'd love to talk to anyone out there suffering with trich. My email is gracielou@mt.net. Also, anyone know of good websites I can go to for help? Trying to look around.

Thanks.. Grace

Another thing I was wondering about... Why do so many more girls have this problem than guys??...and also, how would guys hide it?? because they can't really wear make up..

I have been trying to find a place like this for years. I have done a lot of research (bought books, looked at websites, etc.) trying to find out about trich. It always says that there are a lot of us out there, but I never belived it until today. I have had this since the 4th grade, and I'm a 22 graduate student. I used to try to keep it hidden. People always told me that I had a perfect life. I was Greek Woman of the Year, an honors graduate, and very involved on campus. However, no one knew about my pulling. One day my boyfriend of 2 years came over to my apartment to bring me breakfast in bed. I didn't have my fake eyelashes on or my eyebrows drawn on. I burst into tears when I saw him thinking he wouldn't love me anymore. He just held me and kissed me for about an hour. That's when I told him all about it. I read somewhere that trich is like telling a kid "no" when they want a cookie. The more you tell him no, the more you want the cookie. Likewise, the more you try to force yourself to stop, the more you want to pull. For me, just telling my bf helped me more than I even know. I was actually able to get my eyebrows colored and waxed a month ago. I still wear fake eyelashes on my top eyelashes, but I have complete bottom lashes. For me, sleeping in the fake eyelashes really helped. It made me want to pull less since I knew I would have to look nice for work in the morning, and I didn't want to mess up my eyelashes. For those who are interested in fake strip eyelashes, Sally's is a great place to go. I just use sewing scissors to cut them down to normal length. I really hope this helps.

As a side note, a little girl at my church has trich, too. I just found out. No one knew what was going on except me. I almost feel like maybe I have it to help others who have it. Maybe you feel this way, too. Like, maybe we're strong enough to have this. Which also means, we're stong enough to get over it.

I honestly think I'm scared, though, of how I'm going to look naturally. People have told me that I'm beautiful nearly my entire life. But I feel that it's a fake beauty. I've never had much confidence for some reason. Grace, if you want to talk, my email's emilyewilder@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from anyone.

Sorry for the multiple comments. One thing I meant to put, though, is that when I started in 4th grade, I was very into things being even. Therefore, if 3 eyelashes naturally fell out of my right eye, I wanted 3 to come out of my other eyelid, even if they weren't ready. I honestly think that's what started some of this. Also, I comppletely agree with the comments about people with trich being good make-up artists! At least it's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Oh my gosh. I think that a girl at my school has trich. She didn't wear any make up, so I could clearly see. She didn't have any top lashes and her eyebrows looked like mine when I don't have them drawn on - a few random stubs with only a few hairs. I was so confused by her because she seemed not shy at all. Talkative, looked at people without looking away. I made sure that when I talked to her I only looked into her eyes, because I hated it when people looked at my eyebrows when they were talking to me (I used to be not so good at drawing them on - I had to teach myself to do them well - now people compliment me on them). Her eyebrows were very distracting though... What does she do around her parents I wonder?? Should I talk to her??...I don't really want to because I personally don't like her very much. She's not very nice. I wonder if she knows it's called trich??

Maybe the reason you have trich is to help others, too. Maybe you're strong enough to HAVE trich. I know that sounds very "fate-like" and all, but it's what keeps me going at times. A lot of people with trich are very outgoing. I know that I am. And the little girl at my church just made the junior high cheerleading squad. She's always surrounded by friends. You might find that you make a friend. However, just because she has trich doesn't mean that you have to be nice to her. Give it a chance and see. If she is still rude, don't bother with her. Trich is a problem, not an excuse for bad behavior. Good luck with it!

Hi! I've been dealing with this condition since I was in eighth grade and I'm now 22! I've never completely pulled every one of my lashes or eyebrows but I've had about 90% gone at a time before. For everyone wanting to try to grow them back try Vasoline or castor oil! It helps both grow back a little faster by moisturizing them and giving the hair nutrients. But remember try not to keep pulling them back out! It's hard I know, I always want to pull when I'm studying or doing homework (I'm in college). I always tell myself one more, only one more! (it never works) I tried the glove thing (not conducive to writing or studying). Putting vaseline on them makes them sticky and reminds you not to pull. I also keep a rubber band on my hand and slap it on my wrist whenever I get the urge. Right now I'm on Lexapro. It hasn't really helped the pulling because I think it's just habit now but my stress level has decreased greatly. I know many people are against it, and I was VERY reluctant at first, but honestly I feel so much better than I did before. Plus, no one has to know but you!!! Anyways, just be patient with yourself and forgive yourself every time! If you don't love yourself despite your faults, then it's hard for other people to!

And remember it does take about 4-6 weeks for your lashes to completely grow in. They also grow in cycles so some will start to grow one week and the next week more will start to grow, etc. However, eyebrows do take longer to grow in (I know from experience) . BUT DO NOT FRET THEY WILL GROW BACK!!!

P.S. You can email me if you want! I'd like to talk to some of ya'll! sarah_5386@hotmail.com

Hey everyone! This may sound weird but I've been dealing with my trich for about 10 years, but I've moved to nose hair lol! I have to makke myself do this instead of my eyebrows and eyelashes but you know what? you can't tell!! and plus no one likes nose hair haha and it gives you the same satisfaction as other hair. It allows your other hair to grow back in too. I am more controlled puller though and I've never lost all of my brows/lashes just gapping. Just a suggestion-->you can laugh if you want but I don't have people commenting on my nonexistent brows/lashes!

Oh my gah. Are you for real? You pull out all your eyelashes? I've never heard of that! I was searching to see if Chinese people had eyelashes & I came across this site. Whoa. Interesting.. I'd look so funny without my eyelashes.

Yes, Ashley, we pull our eyelashes, just in case you need to be reassured. You know someone very smart told me "Do not judge for everyone you meet is fighting their own battle." We are fighting our way through trich, and you know, why is it so important whether Chinese have eyelashes?? THEY are fighting a battle too, many battles actually. That would be poverty and Communism and the earthquake and disease and countless things. They are hardly being fed. You know, I've been to China and I've seen their hardships. It's terrible.
...so ya, just try not to sound so pea-brained. And think about the actual IMPORTANT things in the world. YOu're lucky to actually me able to get on the computer and look up such a stupid thing.

There are some things I wanted to say. I've been kind of having a dilemma at school. I sit in a good place in Spanish - the back corner of the room where people can't really see me from the side. People turn around to talk to me, which is fine as long as they don't see me from the side. But because of this, I can't really see the board - and my eyes have been getting worse. I NEED GLASSES!! My friends always nag me for asking them what the board says. But how am I supposed to go to the doctor and have him check my eyes if I don't have lashes?? I could never do that... I'm thinking of getting these false ones... It would feel so weird to have lashes. But absolutely WONDERFUL!!!

....I was watching some trich videos on youtube last night and some of them really scared me. I am so glad I'm not a head hair puller. I feel terrible for those people.. I'm so glad I stopped after a few weeks of doing it. I stopped a few months ago and the small bit that I pulled is now only like 1 1/2 inches long. And it sticks out so it's SO annoying!!...But watching this one video, the girl who did it pulled of her extension and she didn't look good at all. It freaked me out a little. I'll admit. It made me realize how stupid this problem is. HOw much I hate it. I want to be happy!!!!!!! Not alone and depressed. I want to STOP!

....I was wondering if anyone knew if getting oil in your eyes is bad? I use Emu oil and Vitamin E oil on my eyelids to help strenthen my hair follicles (though I don't want ot clog them).. THe oil often runs in my eye a little and makes it sorta blurry. Is this bad? Does it collect at the back of my eyeball? Maybe this is why my eyesight is going bad/...

The other day I got like 3 or 4 compliments on my eyes. Weird how it was all in one day. And weird how they can be pretty without lashes.. Guess I've gotton really good at doing make up.. I'm sure we all have, those who've been dealing with this problem for a while and have taught ourselves to be experts in the field... I watch people all the time at school. I notice everyone's beautiful lashes and natural brows and I LONG for them!! I really want to fight trich. We all do.

I can't stand the way I feel about myself. I just want to break down and cry. I've been struggling with this crazy disorder since I was in elementary school. I can't stop plucking my eyelashes, no matter what I do. I even have people come up to me and say my eyelashes look weird, and I blame it on my make-up that day. I wear heavy black eyeliner everyday, all the time. I have to re-apply it many times a day because otherwise people will notice the gaps in between my lashes. I've never thought of myself as a beautiful, becuase I can't achieve that perfect look with gorgeous lashes. Whenever I'm alone, I just cannot stop myself. I will just pluck one or two, then three than I'm missing large amounts of eyelashes. I even count in the morning, 20 more lashes and you'll look normal again. What I can't seem to understand is why I just cannot stop myself. When I'm done plucking my lashes, i stick them in my eyes and i get a thrill in the morning of picking them all of my eye. I feel like a nobody, and i don't know what to do. This is the first time I have ever in my life talked about this painful disorder. :(
help.....

I can't believe how long people have been posting on this thread. My first post was back in Nov. 2005 and not much has changed since then. I guess I am a controlled puller now...able to regrow eyelashes fully before pulling them all out again. I have never really had eyebrows since I started about 10 years ago. I have one spot on the top of my head that I pull from. Luckily it's not too big and I have no desire to pull elesewhere on my head. Anyway, the struggle continues and I don't expect it to every get easier. I am 29 now and it seems that, although they do grow back, my eyelashes take longer and longer. I would def. say it would take three months full months to have all my eyelashes at their full length now. As always, good luck to everyone. And don't freak out...your hair will grow back if you let it. Just quit looking in the mirror and be patient!!

J-I've often wondered if it would be worse to think you're beautiful when everyone else didn't. Or to be beautiful and have people think so, but to not think it yourself. I'm sure you're beautiful. And I know that it takes a lot of courage to speak up even in a thread like this where no one can see you. It's still incredibly scary and makes you vulnerable. But congrats to taking the first step. :) If anyone would like to communicate over email, mine's emilyewilder@gmail.com.

j ~~~

i know exactly how you feel.. me being the same.
a good way to help quit is learning when and why you do pull. stress is common trigger.. first thing about stress. DON'T be depressed and stressed and hating yourself because you pull out your hair.. think about POSITIVE things like how beautiful that eyelash that you really want to pull will look like when it's long. just be happy.. get fake eyelashes to help you keep your hands from your eyes and so people don't look at you funny.. just don't hate yourself for it.. you MUST have the willpower to stop.. make it a challenge for yourself. give yourself a star on the calendar for every day you don't pull. and at the end of the month treat yourself for doing a good job..
also learn when you pull.. if your a night puller like me in front of the mirror - don't look in the mirror at yourself, just quickly brush your teeth and hair and wash off your make up and go to bed. DO NOT dawdle and allow yourself to look up close.. your not doing yourself a favor. think of how proud you'll be of yourself in the morning when you remember, "oh, i didn't pull last night." and you'll be able to smile because you know it's a start.
...also, go for more natural looking make up.. then people don't stare at you because it's so dark and obvious, and then end up seeing you have no lashes. this is what i do:
1) a line of liquid brown eyeliner where lashes should be
2) a thin line of dry liner above it to help blend the liquid liner
3) a gentle line of dry liner where lashes should be on bottom lid
4) chocolate brown eyeshadow on top lid and a little above (if you have green eyes use plum shadow, if you have blue eyes use chocolate, if you have brown eyes use plum or deep blue)
...hope i can help you. my email is gracielou@mt.net...i'd love to talk to you!!!

Hey guys... I just wanted to say, I talked to the girl who has trich at my school. As far as I know, she pulls her scalp hair (she wears a wig), and her brows and lashes ~~ she doesn't wear any make up on those... So I haven't said much to her, but I'll let you know how it goes..

I'm 19 and I've been pulling since I was 5. 14 years, and I'm completely over it, but I really honestly can't help it. I've gone through periods where I stopped and my eyelashes and eyebrows grew back, but usually I started again once something stressful happened, or I became really bored. I've been looking it up lately, and scientists are debating whether Trichtillomania is a genetic disorder passed on from your parents. It's also a form of OCD. It's the most embarassing thing ever, having to wear makeup and hiding from others when I'm not. I can completely understand what all of you guys are saying. I was so glad to find out that I wasn't the only one, because that's how I felt for so long. For myself though, I feel like God gave me this condition because it really shows you who your real friends are; not because you're pretty or whatever, but for you. I have a lot of amazing friends and an amazing boyfriend who I know notice, but they love me anyway. I'll be praying for all of you!

Hi! My name's Olivia and I'm 12 years old. I've been pulling my eyelashes for 8 years. It's horrible because my parents have tried everything and now they are threatening to take me to a group discussion with other eyelash pullers every week. I told them to give me a month. The one thing I've found that helps is pulling at the hairs on my stuffed animals(ecspessially the really crappy ones at the mall arcade because the fur is easier to pull) I hope eventually I stop and hope no kids have to go throughh what I've gone through(or adults!) Bye!!!

I also am scared to death kids will find out, so I wear all this really dark eyeliner... :( And in 5th grade one girl actually did find out but I pretended I had no idea what she was talking about

Wow... I just figure out what I've had for 8 years. I've had doctors,my parents, everyone tell me it was just a "bad habit". And someone commented that when they see family(and the family examines eyes closely) they look away. I do the same thing. And I once told my bff but she thought I was joking and made me feel like a freak. She didn't understand... And the really sad part about my eyelashpulling story is well I sew. So I sewed this dinosaur stuffed animal once. And Dino was my best friend. So at night if I got the urge to pull I would look over at him and hug him to my chest till the urge went away or I fell asleep. But in May last year(I had had Dino for almost a year) my family went to this bike race in Philidelphia because my Dad is a super bike racing lover and we came back to the car and someone had broke in. That day I had brought Dino in a Winnie-The-Pooh bag figuring noone would steal it but they stole him. While I had him I had almost completely stopped pulling but after he was stolen it got worse.Oh, god... I'm crying now. But that's another method. Get a stuffed animal to hug and remind you not to pull. Take the animal to bed and also while your watching tv.I've tried making other stuffed animals but even my favorites dont help. Later today I'm gonna look for a stuffed animal to hug tonight (or maybe I'll make one!) And if there are any other like 10-15 year old girls out there who would want to talk(I'm 12) you can e-mail me at spotios@hotmail.com

I've also(sadly) thought about getting stupid fake eyelashes. I really dont want them. And I constantly look in the mirror and think I look ugly. No other 7th grader thinks they look ugly because they pull their eyelashes! I want looong pretty eyelashes.... :( But I'm glad I can just say this to you guys without you thinking " Wow, that girl is a total loser cause none of my family or friend even understand!

Scary... Yesterday this one friend of mine was examining me closely and she noticed my REALLY bad eye(only 3 lashes) and kept bugging me about what happened... I just hid my face in my hair and acted like I had no idea what she was talking about... :(

I had no idea until recently that there were others out there with the same addiction that I have. I have been pulling my lashes since at least 3rd grade(I'm 28 now). I now have virtually none, just a few on the outter edges. I have been trying to stop for ages, but it is truly an addiction. I thought of seeking professional help, but I really think that it needs to just come from within. It is embarrassing when people notice and think you are crazy, but a few hairs on your face doesn't make you beautiful. You make you beautiful. I am definitely going to try to stop pulling them out. This post has given me hope. :)

i am 17 years old and have been pulling my eye lashes out i think since i was about 8 or 9. i currently do not have any eye lashes on my top lid. i thought i was a freak or something that i did this,but reading this web site has baffled me! i try to stop and let my eyelashes grow but every time i feel a little stub poking through my "bald" upper eyelid i just pull it out with out even thinking. the other day my co-worker asked me "what happend to your eyelashes?" i made up some stupid excuse like they just fall out. i felt ashamed and like i was a freak. i cover the baldness up with eyeliner everyday so i was surprised she could tell... i stopped for about a month and had full gorgeous eye lashes that i put mascara on! but the habit came back and they were ALL gone. i am worried that my eyelashes will never grow back... i am going to put either vasaline or vitamin e on my eye lids to try and stimulate growth and hopefully it will work! im just glad im not the only person out there that has this problem!

wow, i didnt think ther was so many others that do the same thing i do. i hate always having to wear dark makeup so people dont notice i have no eyelashes.im in gade nine and i havent been pulling them for that long, but it feels like ive been doing this for so long. now when i look back ive noticed i used to take out all the realy short eyelashe because they looked weird, but now every time i feel one that hurts or feels weird i pull it out.and after a few minuts thers another bald spot. I hate when people try to look me in the eye, i feel like if they look too long they might notice i have barely any eyelashes. ive been trying realy hard not to pull them out, and i thinkk im doing well but i just always want to pull, i catch myself sometimes running myfinger along the edge of my eyelid feeling the little hairs and wanting to pull them out. i dont no what to do though, i told my friend, she was nice about it but i could tell she though it was weird. alot of you said it wasnt that bad when you started youd only take a couple out and then it escalated but ive already riped all of them out and its only been a few monthes. i realy dont no wat to do. is ther anything you can take to help stop, or make the hair grow back faster? thanks

does anyone notice that after wearing mascara their eyelashes hurt and you want to pull? is it certain mascaras or is it the weight of the mascara on the eyelash itself? any comments?

Hey guys. I've noticed some new people making some comments and I wanted to reply to them.

Ok,JANA, here's my reply for you. You asked why your eyes sorta hurt after wearing mascara. Here's why: when you use mascara, don't start at the base of the lashes to put it on, because then it pulls at your roots in your eyelid and makes them sore.. So here's what you do. When you brush the mascara on, start in the middle of your lashes and don't start all the way at the roots. Also, go gentle. Just brush it on softly, don't pull your lashes up because you're brushing so hard. Also, replace your mascara every 3 months so it doesn't dry out and then you have to brush it on harder to get in on. If you replace it every once in a while, it will stay more liquidy...

Ok as for Chrissie, I'll have to talk later because I gotta go right now.. So I'll answer your question about fake eyelahses... Toodles!!

OK I'm back. So Chrissie:

Yes, fake eyelashes work even if you don't have real ones. They're pretty tricky to get on, though, and it may take you a while to get good at it. I tried them myself, and they work, but they took a long time to get on (I wasn't really good at it) so I don't really use them anymore.

I've also heard they help you to not pull because you can't get to your real ones. You can sleep in them, too. You can shower in them as well as long as you don't get your face wet.

Here's what to buy: either Ardell 109 or 110 (I've heard those two are used most commonly) at Sally's Beauty Supply, and make sure to buy the adhesive too, to stick them on. And use the directions on the eyelash packet so you know how to put them on right. The total cost is about $8 for the lashes and glue.

Oh, and remember to trim them down. Cut them a little shorter and also cut them sorta jaggedy so they look natural. Real lashes aren't all the same length.

Hope this helps!!

: )... Gracielou

I just wanted to say to you guys, I've been pulling for a little over a year, and I used to absolutely hate myself for it. I would cry myself to sleep and would get really depressed. I never actually tried to stop. I just told myself "You have to stop. You look terrible." But I never set out to actually do it.
Now, I'm a lot happier that I'm actually trying. I've been trying for a few months now. I would go for a week without pulling but then have a relapse. Do it a week at a time. Get a calendar for your room and some gold star stickers and put a star on every day you didn't pull. The next week start a new session. (A month is too long for some people - shorter time is better).
You will feel amazing at the end of the week when your looking at the gold stars and thinking, "I went for a WHOLE WEEK without pulling!!" Smile and pat yourself on the back and make yourself a milkshake. If you relapse, it's OK!!! Don't get all depressed (that just creates more stress and makes you pull even more).
Every time you have an urge, do something. Anything that works. Involving your hands helps. Play basketball, clip your nails, play piano, go talk to your mom or dad or sister or anyone else. Just do something. And then you get to put on a gold star!!! YAY!!! lol.. But it really is rewarding.
Currently I have stubs for lashes and virtually no eyebrows. I use makeup to cover up everything. But I don't hate myself. I just keep trying.... I often think to myself, "You know you have to get over this one day. So why not make it today!?"

Hope this helps, and please anyone who has any advice please post it up!!!

Thanks, Grace.

I found this site a while ago, and i have since then came back to it many times. I started pulling when i was about 11 years old. And i think i started cause of all the pressure of the competition dance class i was taking. I quit dance, but continued my other two sports; soccer and basketball. It has actually HELPED me to have something on my mind, and to have something to think about, instead of sitting at home, thinking about picking. A few weeks ago, i decided that i would see how long i could go without picking. I got to about a month, when i just totally lost it. I had been growing long pretty lashes, and i could finally wear mascara! And then one stupid little thing set me off, and i went completely down hill. I know have absolutely no eyelashes or eyebrows. But i cover it up during the day with makeup and its actually hard to tell. But thats not the point. I WANT long pretty lashes. I dont want to be like this anymore..I am going to try and go a month (and longer!)And i think that after this is off my chest, i might be able too. I will keep you updated!
God Bless!

Keeley

Okay, so my eyelashes finally look normal again! Not like they used to, they're still pretty thin, but so thin that they're bald in spots, and they're thick enough to tell that I have some. Anyway, if you don't have many lashes [but enough to put on mascara], spin your mascara wand while putting it on, it works well for me, because it spreads them out and makes them look thicker. Might not work for everyone, but it worked for me.

Best of luck everyone!

It's been a while since I've been on here, but it's good to see that some people feel like they're getting better at not pulling. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people right now...sigh. I just got through my second semester of working on my masters, and I have over one month before next semester starts. My boyfriend and I are going to take off from work and go on a trip to Mexico (we're in Texas, so it's not that far) if I can not pull more days than I pull! Incentives are good. Hope everyone is well! :)

i'm 13. i've been pulling my eyelashes out since like 1st grade maybe? anyway, i thought my parents were in the 9-11 crash, because right after that happened they flew to vegas. i've never really talked about this before, and i hate when people say," you have no eyelashes? " because you just want to punch them. i try not to do it, REALLY BAD. it's just addicting. i really want to get out of this habit, because i just want to go on without somebody asking me that same question. i've tried like telling myself i wouldn't do it, and just stopping. i havent been doing it much lately, & that's good. i have a little, but i want them to be long and gourgeous again like they used to be when i was young. so if anybody has any methods, please help.
i hope i get out of this habit, and i hope you all do too. thank you very much, and i'd appriciate it if you helped me, and others that are having these same problems.

i'm sorry i didnt mean to post it 3 times. my computer froze up, but if anyone could read my comment, & help me that would be great!

hi, i also have trich.
gracie, you are inspiring. :]
im 12. & i pulled all of my eyelashes out when i was in 2nd grade.well right now im in 7th grade.& i have no eyelashes , i dont put false lashes,liner, etc. i just leave it bear. i pull my eyebrows too but not alot, i pull them to look "stylish" or not so thick as they were. i did have a bald patch before but its like 7 inches. & blends in with my hair, god bless. i dont use anything to make my eyelashes grow. i asked my mom if i could shave my legs & she sed no, of corse i shave a part of them to see how theyd look recently i noticed that if u do shave your legs, pull hair it takes longer for the lashes to grow, if you didnt know. so if you do have an urge pull in a specific spot. like 2 hairs. i know youre not supposed to pull but , nobody really follow those rules.nobody really comes up to me saying "you dont have eyelashes." thank god ! i hope it stays that way . but some of the 8th grade knows, becasue of my brother who cant keep his mouth shut.
he calls me lashless "laweh" as a cover. but i dont like when people randomly say "hey sabrina" when i dont even know them ! i know why thyre saying hi, because of my brother. but i still tend to keep a social life. i fit in with "the group" tip: i wouldnt tell friends about your trich. because half the time they'll tell. i only told 1 true friend. & she hasnt told anyone since, i told her in 2nd grade.i am so proud of her for keeping such a secret.
i pulled al of my eyellashes out a few days ago. i havent pulled since then . i hope they grow in evenly.
i am a girly girl but nobody really uses mascera yet.
so hopefully they grow in.
i pray to god that they grow.
i pray for everyone with trich. thank you . & anyone with tips?

well , i'm 16 and have no social life except for the people i live with , because i am too embaressed to go out and hang with other people because i pulled out ALL of my eyelashes , it started when i was in the 8th grade , and i just can't stop , i've tried and tried , i even got my nails done , but that made it so much easier , it's like a stress reliever to me , but all the people in my house notice it and they say mean remarks and it brings my confidence by a whole lot , i don't know what to do , i want to go out and have fun , but even with make-up and all that good stuff , you can still tell i have ZERO lashes , what can i do =/