What is Trichotillomania Hair Pulling
Trichotillomania (TTM) or "trich" is an impulse control disorder characterised by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, beard hair, nose hair, pubic hair, eyebrows o...
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Tweezing versus pulling
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Hello All!!
I have been pulling (eyebrows and eyelashes) since I was 10-11 years old (and I am now 39) so I have been at this awhile and my pulling has evolved over time.... one thing that I started doing was tweezing out eyebrows that are out of line or really bothering me instead of pulling them. My rationale in the beginning was the sometimes when an eyebrow is growing back and it is very sharp and prickly it drives me crazy... and I would end up pulling about 10 brows out while I was trying to get to the offending brow. So I decided that it was better to just save myself the torment of it (and spare the brows that were near the "offending" brow) and just get it with my tweezers. I also thought that by plucking out other brows that were "out of place", like other non-trich people do when grooming, I was giving myself an outlet to pull that was somewhat acceptable. For the most part, I think this has been okay- the problem is when they start looking sparse and I then tweeze to make them more uniform and then they start to grow back, etc. I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience?? I am wondering if I need to put the tweezers away. Of course, when the brows start growing all willy nilly all over the place it will make me very self conscious... but maybe this is what I need to do. Posted on 10/30/09, 04:10 pm |
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i am interested to hear what other folks think, since i do this too. i found it really helps me reduce my pulling. but i also wonder if it is only reinforcing my desire to pull. 
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I'm glad you posted this! I definitely engage in this too, and I was unsure of how "safe" it was. One thing that I've been thinking about lately has revolved around a book I read on trich, in which the doctor said that our goal should not be to remove trich from our lives, but to learn to live with it in a healthy manner. Looking at it from this perspective could give us the room and the perspective from which to actually stop pulling in a sustainable way. So, if tweezing does prevent mass pulling and gives pulling a cosmetic focus, maybe it is a helpful way to live with our trich.
But, what do you all think? This is an interesting discussion! (Happy Halloween! Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!!)
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I have found that getting my brows professionally groomed is a huge help. Sometimes it is a challenge, because they will cut the edges of some of the hairs to shape them, making them more 'prickly' and bothersome, but overall, I feel that it gives me the sense of control over their appearance and helps me to limit my own grooming and to groom within the lines that they have established.
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Thanks for all the comments everyone!! Moxie, I have often thought that it would help to have them professionally done and then groom within the lines they have established.... of course I have never been able to get myself to purposefully draw attention to my brows because I am afraid they will ask questions. Did you find it awkward the first time?? Did you explain trich or just let him/her wonder??
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Hi -I'm also 39 and have been doing this since I was six (we have been in this boat together a long time)....
For me I pull all of my eyelashes/brows out every day so it may be a bit different -but I do use tweezers too to get those harder to pull hairs. Use caution here as one thing can lead to another and you'll end up like me with none at all....(although I have my brows tattooed on so it isn't so bad -lol).... Sorry u r going through this too (((hugs)))
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