#trich talk

[princess-nidria]

i headcanon junkrat as having trich and that’s why he has bald patches uvu

[trichtalk]

I am new to this but I'm reaching out for help. I have trichotillomania. I pull my eyebrows and eyelashes. I started this in middle school and have struggled ever since. I was wondering if anyone has ever tattooed either one if so how did it go?

Hey crs604! Thanks for reaching out! I know exactly how you are feeling as I pull from my eyebrows and eyelashes as well. I haven’t gotten my eyeliner tattooed but I have taken the plug with my eyebrows and I can honestly say it was the best decision I have ever made. Here is a picture from before when I used to draw my eyebrows on:

And here is a picture from a week or so after my tattoos healed :

I love my tattoos and it has honestly made my life living with Trich so much easier. Finally for once in my life (or since 9th grade lol) I can just wake up and leave the house without having to take the time to draw my brows, I can go swimming, wipe my face, sweat, etc. All the concerns that I really had before when I was drawing them on everyday are gone.

I got my tattoos from the Permanent Makeup Clinic in McLean, VA and they were wonderful. BUT **Important Note** : Before you decide to go forward with a tattoo make sure you have done your research! If you need help with this I will gladly assist!

I do have to have touch ups like once a year, and this year I’m trying Microblading which is something else I would recommend for Trich suffers. I’m going back next week for a touch up and I’ll be sure to do a post so you can see what it’s all about and how the results for me. Until then, here are some pictures from the Dollistic Instagram Account where I currently go for MicroBlading :

If you are feeling nervous about getting tattoos you can always try out a temporary tattoo first and see how you feel about it. I know that HeadCovers Unlimited Sells a variety of different options.

I can’t praise my permanent tattoos enough, however, after getting them I am more willing to pull my brows because the consequences aren’t the same…. Whether I pull or not the tattoos are still there… So I would kind of say that getting them made my pulling worse.Whether that makes a difference in your decision is up to you. But I hope some of this information has been helpful and here are the links to the more in-depth posts that I have done about my tattoos in the past :

Permanent Makeup Clinic : Eyebrow Tattoos

Eyebrow Tattoo 2 Week Update

Eyebrow Tattoo Touchup!

Eyebrow Tattoo Touch Up! (2 Years)

Good Luck Love <3

[trichtalk]

[trichtalk]

I have trich and i pull out my eyebrows. i found that getting fake nails has helped some, but i am back to pulling more and more. i pull when i am alone in my room or around people i am very comfortable with. i also pull more when bored anxious. do you have suggestions of methods or coping strategies to stop pulling? i am so much happier when i have hair.

Hey Anon! Thanks for reaching out! I’m sorry you’ve been having a hard time with your pulling lately… I can totally empathize and I also have had a really hard time with it in recent weeks. That’s great that you’ve tried the fake nails and that they've helped a little bit but maybe these suggestions from the ComB Model might be helpful as well.

Here are the supposed 5 styles of pulling:

Sensory: Visual, tactile, and physical urges. Can involve all five senses before and after the behavior.

Cognitive: Thoughts and beliefs about hair before, during, and after the behavior.

Affective: Emotions before, during and after. They may be positive or negative.

Motor Habits/Awareness: Ways that the individual’s body makes it easier to pull hair. It may be automatic or focused, or both.

Place: It may include the environment, location, activity, social environment, time of day, and various tools that trigger hair pulling

You said that you pull when you are alone and in your room, which leads my to believe that “Place/Environmental Interventions” might be good for you. Some of the ideas that were presented to us about this at the conference were

Decreasing privacy (leaving your bedroom door open, studying/reading/paying bills etc in a public area of the house)

When doing paper work or homework or even when you are on the computer, try standing at a counter (as most people with BFRBs have more problems when they are still or laying down)

Decrease Environmental Cues (dim lights, put makeup on in the kitchen using a small makeup mirror instead of in the bathroom or in your room, and set a timer for when you are in the bathroom or when you are getting ready/in front of the mirror alerting you that you need to leave the room and move on)

Rearranging Furniture and sitting in different places, avoiding seating where you can use an arm rest

Trying to avoid using anything with a screen late at night (the light emitted stimulates the central nervous system and can make it difficult to wind down) hence increasing the urge to pull

Try doing mental tasks early in the day when you are more alert and physical tasks in the afternoon or at night when you tend to get restless

Have at least 3 fidget objects nearby in every area where you typically deal with a BFRB

You also said that you tend to pull more when you are bored or anxious, which has to do with being both over stimulated and being under stimulated. For this I would suggest more “Affective Interventions” which help to engage in a healthier response to life’s ups and downs. 

Instead of picking or pulling in order to reward or comfort yourself (”I had a good day to I deserve to pull” “I had a bad day or feel anxious so I need to pull”) promise yourself that you will find another way to reward or better deal with the emotions

Use relaxation techniques to calm down when you are anxious and stressing out (I like this one as I usually turn on some calming music, practice breathing in and our and I put a wet washcloth over my eyebrows)

Practice visualization (covert rehearsal) to imagine yourself using strategies in these trigger situations

Engage in physical exercise or hobbies that stimulate your mind and body

If interpersonal stress triggers pulling, learn assertive skills that are consistent with your style and values

Spend time outside the house and fight the temptation to be alone, as that is when we tend to pull the most

Do something constructive around the house when you feel anxious such as cleaning, organizing etc

If you have a pet, literally pet your pet, brush them and maybe play with their hair as this can help to calm you

Tap into your creative self and do something that will take some concentration like painting, dancing, or writing

I’ll have to think of some things that personally help me but these were some suggestions that were provided by the Behavior Therapy Center of Greater Washington under the leadership of Charles Mansueto, PhD and his ComB SCAMP Model. Let me think a little bit more and I’ll come back and edit this post with a more personal response about what helps me in these situations. One thing for SURE that helps to reduce the pulling for me is working out. When my arms are sore I can’t even bring my hand up to my head and if I do I can’t hold it up there for long, so that is something I would definitely suggest is doing some arm exercises or using wrist weights when you are alone in your room!

[trichtalk]

Going Facebook Live!

Hey all! As some of you might know I have been working as a member of the Millennial Task Force for the TLC for a few months now. One of our big focuses is BFRB Awareness Week which is the first week in October! Because this week is something that is such a big deal and a time that is very special to us we are holding Facebook Live Events with some of the members of the Task Force that I wanted to share with you all!

We have something going on almost every day and here is what the schedule looks like thus far :

General Q & A about Living with BFRBs October 2 : 11:30am PT / 12:30pm MT / 1:30pm CT / 2:30pm ET Mackensie Freeman, moderated by Maddie Lapp

Coping strategies BFRB Urges October 2 : 4:30pm PT / 5:30pm MT / 6:30pm Claire Cameron, moderated by Sera Torregiano

Make-up, Skin and Hair care October 3 : 5:30pm PT / 6:30pm MT / 7:30pm CT / 8:30pm ET Jessica Jones, moderated by Maddie Lapp (Woohooo this one is mine!)

Parent Q & A October 4 : 9:00am PT / 10:00am MT / 11:00am CT / 12:00pm ET Paula & Katie Koppel

Talking to others About BFRBs: October 5 : 4:00pm PT / 5:00pm MT / 6:00pm CT / 7:00pm ET Sera Torregiano, moderated by Claire Cameron

Ask the Dr. with Marla Deibler, PsyD, MSCP October 7 : 9:00am PT / 10:00am MT / 11:00am CT / 12:00pm ET Moderated by Leslie Lee

BFRBs and School October 7 : 12:00pm PT / 1:00pm MT / 2:00pm CT / 3:00pm ET Katherine Paris, moderated by Mackensie Freeman

Once the events get closer I’ll be able to provide links to the link chats for you all to view and participate in if you want to! Make sure to tune into The TLC Foundation for BFRBs Page for more information : https://www.facebook.com/tlcbfrb

Just something that I wanted to share I hope to see some of you at my Live chat on the third! <3

[trichtalk]

Hi! I am so glad I have just found this blog! I have had trich for 20+ years (I’m 31). I mainly attack my eyebrows and sometimes my eyelashes. I nearly have no eyebrows left but I have had them semipermanent tattooed. Do you have any ideas that would help me to stop this long lasting habit? My doctor doesn't seem to recognise this as a real thing that is a problem! I've tried hypnotherapy but it had no effect. I'm getting so down about this now that I'm worried it will lead me back to depression

Hey lyagirl thanks for reaching out! I’m glad you’ve found this blog too! Over the years I have posted a lot of different ideas to combating Trich that might be able to help you out! Definitely scroll through my blog and take a look at some of the posts, you’ll definitely find some ideas there.

If you told me a little more about your pulling style I might be able to help you think of some things that can prevent you from doing it. As I told the previous Anon there is a model that is out now called the SCAMP Model that tries to pinpoint how and why people pull and gives them alternate things to do to deter and retrain themselves to refrain from pulling. The Model includes Sensory, Cognitive, Affective, Motoric and Place/Environment pulling styles. Maybe dig a little deeper into when and why you are pulling and maybe we can come up with a plan to help you stop this.

In reference to your doctor… Trichotillomania is a real thing which has been classified, and given an ICD-9-CM Diagnosis code (which I have copied below). You might want to remind him of this next time you see him/her! ICD-10: F63.3ICD-9-CM : 312.39OMIM : 613229DiseasesDB : 29681

On a side note, I have talked about my HeadCovers Unlimited Fake Eyebrows that I wear and this is the number one thing (aside from acrylic nails) that prevents me from pulling because they fully cover my eyebrows for extended periods of time. Here is a post that I did about the brows so you might be able to get a better idea of what I am talking about : HeadCovers Brows

I know how hard it can be not to get down on yourself, and not the let your pulling spiral you into a depression. Believe me, all of us Trichsters have felt that one and one time or another, just know that you are not alone if ever you ever need anyone to talk or vent to, I’m here!

Looking forward to talking with you more!

[trichtalk]

I think I might have trich? But it's weird where instead of pulling out my eyebrow hairs with my fingers, I twist the hairs constantly until they're bent and won't brush back, and then I use tweezers to pull the bent hairs out. I'll twist constantly (like when I'm bored or stressed or thinking) but I only go through with tweezers once a day. Does this constitute trich, and if so is this common? Is there any way to stop this?

Hey Anon! Thanks for reaching out! Although I am not a doctor and can’t officially diagnosis anything I would say that this still constitutes as Trichotillomania. That is actually how Trich kind of started for me. I started twisting my hairs and eventually the twisting led to pulling them out. Although you aren’t going straight to pull the hair out right off the bat, you are later singling out hairs that look or feel different and then pulling them out.  I would say that this is pretty common action along with rubbing them and just touching on and around the brows in general. When I went to the TLC conference two years ago I learned that there are several different pulling styles, five to be more exact, The SCAMP Model (Sensory, Cognitive, Affective, Motoric, and Place/Environmental). And we each pull for a different reason or multiple. It might be best to do a little research into what type of pulling style you have and what might be best to help prevent that. Once you determine what is making you pull it might be easier for me to offer some suggestions for you :)

Something that I thought of off of the top of my head is using brow wax to help reduce the twisting and pulling. The main purpose is brow wax is the prevent the eyebrows from moving, kind of like setting them in place for people who have “wonky untamed” brows so to speak.

I think if you were to use some of this wax, that you wouldn’t “like” the feeling of twisting the hairs, that now have wax on them, in between your fingers. The hairs will feel sticky and not the same as the way that they currently feel.

If you are interested in trying this you can look for brow wax or brow sculpting wax at any beauty store, Ulta, Sephora etc. and I know they do have a limited supply of these types of sets at like CVS and Walgreens, Maybelline has a brow Drama Plate that should be available at either one of those places.

Not sure if this will work for you but I just wanted to put it out there as something to try. Let me know how it works out!

[trichtalk]

Q: I had someone basically tell me if a boss or interviewer were to see me picking at my eyebrows I wouldn't get a job, and while I highly doubt that's true it still made me feel a little shaken... can I ask for a quick reassurance or something?

Thanks for reaching out! I’m sorry that someone made you feel uncomfortable by saying that, definitely not the encouragement that you need when going into a job interview! While you can’t predict how everyone is going to react to seeing you picking or pulling (in this case during an interview) they legally can not deny you a job because of the way that you look or because they see you doing something like that. Personally, I tend to pull while I’m sitting in front of the computer and at my old job I was sitting in front of the computer for approximately 8 hours a day. Naturally, I pulled while I was at work, and some of my coworkers saw me doing it. They never said anything mean to me about it, but they did eventually ask me what I was doing and why I was pulling my eyebrows and eyelashes out. I decided to tell them about trich and they were extremely supportive! I even got to take a few hours off out of the work day to get my eyebrows tattooed and come right back into the office! Also before I got my eyebrows tattooed I was going into work with drawn on and patchy eyebrows everyday without any trouble. Lastly I have never been to an interview where I haven’t been extended a job offer despite my trich or lack or eyebrows or eyelashes. So again while you can’t predict to how someone is going to react when they see you pulling, it’s definitely not a guaranteed negative and doesn’t mean they are not going to consider you for the position. You can certainly have a successful interview and land a job while still having trich and/or derma and I encourage you to think about all the positive attributes that you have to offer :) Good luck!! Link to the same response on the Trich-N-Picks Page Link to the Trich-N-Picks Main Page