Beating Trich Community Group
You mean that there is a name for IT? Im not weird? Trichotillomania, that big, long word that is the bane of our world. With knowledge and support of others we CAN break free and live without this disorder interfering with our lives. Lets keep this uplifting and supportive and give each other the encouragement the other needs to make it to that next day.
One of the biggest concerns for trichsters is hair re-growth. It is also one of the most difficult questions to answer. Re-growth will largely depend on the duration and intensity of the pulling. There have been cases where people who have pulled for 30 years have achieved full coverage once they have become pull free, whilst other have permanent damage after 5 years of pulling.
First lets look at the structure of the hair. KERATIN, the same strong protein that makes fur and feathers in animals, and the outermost layer of skin and nails in humans, is the main protein composition of our hair.
Each strand of hair consists of three layers.
MEDULLA - is the innermost layer which is only present in larger, thicker hairs.
CORTEX - This is the middle layer and is responsible for the texture and color of hair.
CUTICLE - This is a thin, colorless protective layer. Below the surface of the skin is the hair root, which is enclosed within the hair follicle
At the base of the hair follicle is the DERMAL PAPILLA The dermal papilla is fed by the bloodstream, which carries nourishment to produce new hair. The dermal papilla is very important to hair growth because it contains receptors for ANDROGENS, which regulates hair growth. To understand how hair grows lets take a look at the normal hair growth cycle. Hair follicles follow a genetically programmed cycle that can be broken down into 3 stages.
ANAGEN - GROWTH PHASE About 85% of hair follicles are in the growth stage at any one time. This stage varies from 2-5 years with hair growing approx 10cm per year. Eyelash, arm and leg follicles have a shorter growth stage lasting only a few months so the resulting hairs are shorter.
CATAGEN - TRANSITIONAL PHASE This stage lasts about two weeks. During this stage the follicle shrinks to 1/6 its normal size. The lower part of the follicle is absorbed by the body and hair growth ceases.
TELOGEN - RESTING PHASE About 15% of hair follicles are in this stage at any one time. The resting phase normally lasts about 2 months. During this stage the bulb of the hair shaft moves closer to the surface of the skin. This causes the hair to loosen and then it is shed. At the end of the telogen phase the hair follicle re-enters the anagen phase. The follicle enlarges again and a new growth cycle starts.
Hair is continually shed and renewed by the alternating cycle of growth, rest, fallout, and renewed growth. Each follicle follows this cycle independently of others, so the total number of hairs normally remains consistent. On average 50 -100 hairs are shed per day. This does sound a lot but when you consider the total number of follicles on your scalp is around 150,000, it is a very small amount.
FOLLICLE DAMAGE When you pull a hair the hair follicle will try and repair any damage that has occurred. The human body has a remarkable way of repairing itself but this can take some time. If you pull a hair and the root is not pulled out this means that the hair is in its resting phase, however if you pull a hair with the root attached the hair is in the active phase which means it is actively growing. If you pull part of the root out this can damage the hair follicle.
The BLACK tip you see on some hairs is the area responsible for color pigment. While the hair follicle is repairing the hair will grow but the MELANIN (which gives hair its color) will not have 'fused' with the protein cells that are our hair, causing the hair to grow in grey or white. In time your normal hair color may re-establish itself, but this is not always the case. The follicle may be repaired enough to grow but the formation of melanin can cease which causes the hair to stay grey or while. Hair can also grow in different eg- if you have straight hair it may grow in curly.
If you pull the hair and the whole follicle comes out with a RED tip, you have just detached the blood supply and muscle. This is permanent damage. This means that the hair will NOT grow back.
RECOVERY TIME FRAME Different areas have different chances for recovery speed. This is just an estimate of how long FULL recovery will take. You will see new growth fairly quickly in most cases.
LASHES - Some people can get FULL recovery in 6 months but if you have been pulling for many, many years it could be 2-4 years.
EYEBROWS - FULL recovery can be slower than lashes because this area is more easily damaged and for some people it does not totally grow back.
SCALP - FULL recovery for normal hair can take 2-6 years. This sounds like a long time but you have to remember that your hair only grows about an inch a month.
You have to wait for each hair pulled to start its growth cycle again and if it is growing in "funny" you have to give you body time to repair itself, then you have to wait to grow length again.
First lets look at the structure of the hair. KERATIN, the same strong protein that makes fur and feathers in animals, and the outermost layer of skin and nails in humans, is the main protein composition of our hair.
Each strand of hair consists of three layers.
MEDULLA - is the innermost layer which is only present in larger, thicker hairs.
CORTEX - This is the middle layer and is responsible for the texture and color of hair.
CUTICLE - This is a thin, colorless protective layer. Below the surface of the skin is the hair root, which is enclosed within the hair follicle
At the base of the hair follicle is the DERMAL PAPILLA The dermal papilla is fed by the bloodstream, which carries nourishment to produce new hair. The dermal papilla is very important to hair growth because it contains receptors for ANDROGENS, which regulates hair growth. To understand how hair grows lets take a look at the normal hair growth cycle. Hair follicles follow a genetically programmed cycle that can be broken down into 3 stages.
ANAGEN - GROWTH PHASE About 85% of hair follicles are in the growth stage at any one time. This stage varies from 2-5 years with hair growing approx 10cm per year. Eyelash, arm and leg follicles have a shorter growth stage lasting only a few months so the resulting hairs are shorter.
CATAGEN - TRANSITIONAL PHASE This stage lasts about two weeks. During this stage the follicle shrinks to 1/6 its normal size. The lower part of the follicle is absorbed by the body and hair growth ceases.
TELOGEN - RESTING PHASE About 15% of hair follicles are in this stage at any one time. The resting phase normally lasts about 2 months. During this stage the bulb of the hair shaft moves closer to the surface of the skin. This causes the hair to loosen and then it is shed. At the end of the telogen phase the hair follicle re-enters the anagen phase. The follicle enlarges again and a new growth cycle starts.
Hair is continually shed and renewed by the alternating cycle of growth, rest, fallout, and renewed growth. Each follicle follows this cycle independently of others, so the total number of hairs normally remains consistent. On average 50 -100 hairs are shed per day. This does sound a lot but when you consider the total number of follicles on your scalp is around 150,000, it is a very small amount.
FOLLICLE DAMAGE When you pull a hair the hair follicle will try and repair any damage that has occurred. The human body has a remarkable way of repairing itself but this can take some time. If you pull a hair and the root is not pulled out this means that the hair is in its resting phase, however if you pull a hair with the root attached the hair is in the active phase which means it is actively growing. If you pull part of the root out this can damage the hair follicle.
The BLACK tip you see on some hairs is the area responsible for color pigment. While the hair follicle is repairing the hair will grow but the MELANIN (which gives hair its color) will not have 'fused' with the protein cells that are our hair, causing the hair to grow in grey or white. In time your normal hair color may re-establish itself, but this is not always the case. The follicle may be repaired enough to grow but the formation of melanin can cease which causes the hair to stay grey or while. Hair can also grow in different eg- if you have straight hair it may grow in curly.
If you pull the hair and the whole follicle comes out with a RED tip, you have just detached the blood supply and muscle. This is permanent damage. This means that the hair will NOT grow back.
RECOVERY TIME FRAME Different areas have different chances for recovery speed. This is just an estimate of how long FULL recovery will take. You will see new growth fairly quickly in most cases.
LASHES - Some people can get FULL recovery in 6 months but if you have been pulling for many, many years it could be 2-4 years.
EYEBROWS - FULL recovery can be slower than lashes because this area is more easily damaged and for some people it does not totally grow back.
SCALP - FULL recovery for normal hair can take 2-6 years. This sounds like a long time but you have to remember that your hair only grows about an inch a month.
You have to wait for each hair pulled to start its growth cycle again and if it is growing in "funny" you have to give you body time to repair itself, then you have to wait to grow length again.
""however if you pull a hair with the root (roots are white) attached the hair is in the active phase which means it is actively growing. If you pull part of the root out this can damage the hair follicle.""
I delete posts if they are double (computer glitches) I might have hit one by accident if so sorry.
HAIR RE-GROWTH POSSIBLE!
GOOD NEWS!
I just attended the TLC retreat, and also a session on Hair Biology with Dr. Novak. She gave lots of interested information on hair biology. PLUS, MOST people DO have the capacity for hair regrowth. Most TTM people who do not think that their hair will regrow is because they HAVEN'T been in recovery LONG enough, so they think it won't fill in, so they actually keep pulling. According to Dr. Novak, the LARGEST % of people HAVEN'T damaged their follicles enough to stop regrowth.
More importantly, there were Successful TTM'ers AT THE Retreat, who had pulled hair for 20+ years, been in recovery for 10 years, and had ALL their hair back! I met them in person, and saw their BEAUTIFUL HAIR!
Peach fuzz or thinner than normal hair is a GREAT sign because it means your follicle IS still ALIVE! It does also mean it is temporarily traumatized, and that your hair is in a state of HEALING. Peach fuzz is a
precursor to regular size hair, just as in babies.
Kinky hair also is a GREAT sign because it means your follicle IS still ALIVE! It does also mean a tempora rily traumatized follicle, and that your hair is in a state of HEALING. The waiting game is LONG for these to go back to straight. I have hair almost to my waist, and as I have changed my head criteria, I have foot long hairs that are at least 6 inches of kinky before they went back to straight.
So, it is not an overnight process. Pulling out the kinky hairs is a mistake because you are actually making them more kinky each time, and traumatizing the follicle more each time - so it will take that much longer for it to go back to straight. It is possible, although NOT likely, that kinky hair might stay that way. In other words, for MOST people, once it is kinky, it WILL eventually go back to normal. (It is the eventually that we have a hard time with.) If your hair is growing in white, it will probably change back to its regular color after awhile. Means the color sac is (usually temporarily) traumatized, and will eventually start producing color
again. Age also was a factor in this. I have also had this experience. Some of my hairs go 1 inch and half Grey before changing back to dark brown. Again, a small % of people could permanently experience loss of
color - usually older people closer to the normal graying age.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Myths vs. Facts
Myth - There is a pervasive, erroneous worry out there that "root" pullers damage their hair more than the "other" pullers.
Myth - If/ when you pull and get the "white" thing, you won't get their hair back, or higher probability that you won't get your hair back.
Myth - If you see blood, or other stuff attached to the root, you won't get your hair back, or higher probability that you won't get your hair back.
FACT - If the hair comes out, the root IS out, and ALWAYS is out, no matter what is attached to it.
FACT - It DOESN'T matter anyway, because the old root DOES NOT generate the new hair.
FACT - The MAJORITY of us can have TOTAL regrowth!
FACT - VERY IMPORTANT - What you may or may not see attached to the root has NO affect on possibility for regrowth. It is NOT a sign of permanent damage! People see all kinds of weird things on the roots - and there are tons of things that go in that make the root look different at different times in the growth stages - size, shape, color, stuff attached to it, etc.
FACT - Pulling lots of the white things means you are pulling all the "Youngest" hairs. It may mean it takes longer for those hair follicles to gear up again since they normally wouldn't regrow until that hair died and fell out naturally.
FACT - Pulling the kinky hairs will probably make them even more kinky - further SLOWING down the healing process for that follicle.
FACT - Pulling the extra thin (peach fuzz) hairs makes the healing process START over, you would have to get a new extra thin (peach fuzz) hair, before you could get a regular hair, so you are SLOWING down the
healing process.
FACT - You can see above how our own pulling patterns can make us think we are not getting our regular hair back, when in fact we ARE!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
RECOVERY TIME FRAMES
Different areas of hair have different chances for recovery speed.
Lashes - FULL recovery, some people can get them in 6 months, if you have been pulling for years and years - could be 2-4 years.
Eyebrows - FULL recovery, can be slower than Lashes - this is an area more easily damaged and does not regrow totally back for some people.
HEAD - FULL recovery, 2-6 years for Normal Hair! Think about it, your hair only grows 1/4- 1/2 inch a month, and you have to wait for each hair pulled to start its growing cycle again. Plus, if it is growing in kinky or "peach fuzz", you have to wait a long time (my experience 6 months), for that phase to change back to regular hair. And then you have to grow length again. I think the Doc's time frame also takes into account people who are in the process of recovery, and having occasional pulling relapses.
On possible damage forever - the Doc talked about this as a rarity although possible. Even in this chance, it would be pretty rare for someone to be able to damage ever follicle on their entire head! She emphasized that there are usually physical signs on your skin (not the pulled out hair) if you have permanently damaged follicles. If you had scabs and scars, that could be a sign for those particular spots of possible permanent damage. You would STILL have to wait to recover from TTM behaviors, and stop picking at those areas for MONTHS before you would know for sure. Female pattern baldness areas are the easiest permanent damage area, and some people in recovery do have thinning and damage in those areas. But again, that is not the experience of MOST people! You can't even begin to evaluate that until you have been pull
free for months to years!
HAIR BIOLOGY
2a). The white thing is NOT the root, it is the Root Sheath (surrounds the root) - also sometimes called the bulb. The white thing is only present in Growth Stage 1 of hair (the youngest stage).
2b). The part you pull out is the root. The root sometimes has the white root sheath around it, sometimes NOT. Sometime the root will have other things on it, including a black bulb.
2c). If you pull out your hair, you usually can see the root. It looks very different at different growth stages. It
is the rounder part at the bottom - but how round or oval it is varies depending on the growth stage. Sometimes it is so round it looks like an onion with a stalk, where the root is the onion. Sometimes it is so
straight, the root is just the 1mm at the bottom (it is big enough to see). If you see the white bulb, the root is under the bulb, more towards the bottom. Sometimes there are other types of cells attached to the root, which can be different colors, or different textures, some kind of see-through, some not. If you see an "ink spot" at the bottom, that is probably because you also have a root sheath or attached cells looking "white" or "lighter color" - and are seeing the "black ink spot" at the bottom which is just a spot of the root without the root sheath. i.e. like looking at the end of a hot dog (root) sticking out of the bun (root sheath).
2d). Normally, when hair falls out on its own, the root falls out, and the hair grows back completely. You can't damage the root by pulling, because it is gone. The root has nothing to do with regrowth. "
This report was sent to me by a trichsters who attended a recent trich conference
HAIR RE-GROWTH POSSIBLE!
GOOD NEWS!
I just attended the TLC retreat, and also a session on Hair Biology with Dr. Novak. She gave lots of interested information on hair biology. PLUS, MOST people DO have the capacity for hair regrowth. Most TTM people who do not think that their hair will regrow is because they HAVEN'T been in recovery LONG enough, so they think it won't fill in, so they actually keep pulling. According to Dr. Novak, the LARGEST % of people HAVEN'T damaged their follicles enough to stop regrowth.
More importantly, there were Successful TTM'ers AT THE Retreat, who had pulled hair for 20+ years, been in recovery for 10 years, and had ALL their hair back! I met them in person, and saw their BEAUTIFUL HAIR!
Peach fuzz or thinner than normal hair is a GREAT sign because it means your follicle IS still ALIVE! It does also mean it is temporarily traumatized, and that your hair is in a state of HEALING. Peach fuzz is a
precursor to regular size hair, just as in babies.
Kinky hair also is a GREAT sign because it means your follicle IS still ALIVE! It does also mean a tempora rily traumatized follicle, and that your hair is in a state of HEALING. The waiting game is LONG for these to go back to straight. I have hair almost to my waist, and as I have changed my head criteria, I have foot long hairs that are at least 6 inches of kinky before they went back to straight.
So, it is not an overnight process. Pulling out the kinky hairs is a mistake because you are actually making them more kinky each time, and traumatizing the follicle more each time - so it will take that much longer for it to go back to straight. It is possible, although NOT likely, that kinky hair might stay that way. In other words, for MOST people, once it is kinky, it WILL eventually go back to normal. (It is the eventually that we have a hard time with.) If your hair is growing in white, it will probably change back to its regular color after awhile. Means the color sac is (usually temporarily) traumatized, and will eventually start producing color
again. Age also was a factor in this. I have also had this experience. Some of my hairs go 1 inch and half Grey before changing back to dark brown. Again, a small % of people could permanently experience loss of
color - usually older people closer to the normal graying age.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Myths vs. Facts
Myth - There is a pervasive, erroneous worry out there that "root" pullers damage their hair more than the "other" pullers.
Myth - If/ when you pull and get the "white" thing, you won't get their hair back, or higher probability that you won't get your hair back.
Myth - If you see blood, or other stuff attached to the root, you won't get your hair back, or higher probability that you won't get your hair back.
FACT - If the hair comes out, the root IS out, and ALWAYS is out, no matter what is attached to it.
FACT - It DOESN'T matter anyway, because the old root DOES NOT generate the new hair.
FACT - The MAJORITY of us can have TOTAL regrowth!
FACT - VERY IMPORTANT - What you may or may not see attached to the root has NO affect on possibility for regrowth. It is NOT a sign of permanent damage! People see all kinds of weird things on the roots - and there are tons of things that go in that make the root look different at different times in the growth stages - size, shape, color, stuff attached to it, etc.
FACT - Pulling lots of the white things means you are pulling all the "Youngest" hairs. It may mean it takes longer for those hair follicles to gear up again since they normally wouldn't regrow until that hair died and fell out naturally.
FACT - Pulling the kinky hairs will probably make them even more kinky - further SLOWING down the healing process for that follicle.
FACT - Pulling the extra thin (peach fuzz) hairs makes the healing process START over, you would have to get a new extra thin (peach fuzz) hair, before you could get a regular hair, so you are SLOWING down the
healing process.
FACT - You can see above how our own pulling patterns can make us think we are not getting our regular hair back, when in fact we ARE!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
RECOVERY TIME FRAMES
Different areas of hair have different chances for recovery speed.
Lashes - FULL recovery, some people can get them in 6 months, if you have been pulling for years and years - could be 2-4 years.
Eyebrows - FULL recovery, can be slower than Lashes - this is an area more easily damaged and does not regrow totally back for some people.
HEAD - FULL recovery, 2-6 years for Normal Hair! Think about it, your hair only grows 1/4- 1/2 inch a month, and you have to wait for each hair pulled to start its growing cycle again. Plus, if it is growing in kinky or "peach fuzz", you have to wait a long time (my experience 6 months), for that phase to change back to regular hair. And then you have to grow length again. I think the Doc's time frame also takes into account people who are in the process of recovery, and having occasional pulling relapses.
On possible damage forever - the Doc talked about this as a rarity although possible. Even in this chance, it would be pretty rare for someone to be able to damage ever follicle on their entire head! She emphasized that there are usually physical signs on your skin (not the pulled out hair) if you have permanently damaged follicles. If you had scabs and scars, that could be a sign for those particular spots of possible permanent damage. You would STILL have to wait to recover from TTM behaviors, and stop picking at those areas for MONTHS before you would know for sure. Female pattern baldness areas are the easiest permanent damage area, and some people in recovery do have thinning and damage in those areas. But again, that is not the experience of MOST people! You can't even begin to evaluate that until you have been pull
free for months to years!
HAIR BIOLOGY
2a). The white thing is NOT the root, it is the Root Sheath (surrounds the root) - also sometimes called the bulb. The white thing is only present in Growth Stage 1 of hair (the youngest stage).
2b). The part you pull out is the root. The root sometimes has the white root sheath around it, sometimes NOT. Sometime the root will have other things on it, including a black bulb.
2c). If you pull out your hair, you usually can see the root. It looks very different at different growth stages. It
is the rounder part at the bottom - but how round or oval it is varies depending on the growth stage. Sometimes it is so round it looks like an onion with a stalk, where the root is the onion. Sometimes it is so
straight, the root is just the 1mm at the bottom (it is big enough to see). If you see the white bulb, the root is under the bulb, more towards the bottom. Sometimes there are other types of cells attached to the root, which can be different colors, or different textures, some kind of see-through, some not. If you see an "ink spot" at the bottom, that is probably because you also have a root sheath or attached cells looking "white" or "lighter color" - and are seeing the "black ink spot" at the bottom which is just a spot of the root without the root sheath. i.e. like looking at the end of a hot dog (root) sticking out of the bun (root sheath).
2d). Normally, when hair falls out on its own, the root falls out, and the hair grows back completely. You can't damage the root by pulling, because it is gone. The root has nothing to do with regrowth. "
Thanks Crzy.