TRICHOTILLOMANIA HAIR LOSS

Trichotillomania is based on an obsession with the hair. People with trichotillomania tug and pull their hair making bald patches or areas of diffused hair loss. The hair for plucking is selected from other hair based on it being different in some way, perhaps feeling rough to the touch or more curly than other fibres. Once a bald area has been made it becomes even more enticing to pull at the hair around it making the alopecia patch larger.

Sometimes the hair plucking is more generalised and looks like Diffuse Alopecia. This is generally a non-scarring and non-inflammatory form of hair loss, although long term repeated plucking over several years may result in irreversible scarring damage to some hair follicles.

Trichotillomania affects 2-3% of people with hair loss making it a fairly common condition. Studies have indentified the scalp as being the most commonly affected area.

Approximately 70% of cases involve scalp hair loss, 50% involve eyebrows or eyelashes, 30% include pubic hair, 20% body hair and about 10% involve facial hair.

As well as plucking the hair, affected individuals may then chew or eat the hair. Hair eating is known as trichophagia while hair chewing may result in hair balls (trichobezoars). About 40% of cases involve hair chewing while 10% of affected individuals eat their hair. Eating hair is rather unwise as it is irritating to the stomach and may lead to digestion problems and ulcers.

Many individuals that suffer from trichotillomania are often unaware of what they are doing and do not realise the reason for their hair loss.

Trichotillomania can affect both children and adults although the adult version almost always affects women.

Psychiatrists regard hair pulling as a psychological disorder and treatment will usually involve therapy.

hair4all offers a hair integration system which is worn permanently. This fantastic product helps the sufferer resist the temptation for continual hair plucking.

There can be many reasons for hair loss please click on the links below to read about hair loss causes.

Celiac Disease associated Alopecia Hair Loss	Psoriasis Hair Loss
Diffuse Hair Loss	Scalp Ring Worm Hair Loss
Female Pattern Hair Loss (Androgenic Alopecia)	Scarring Alopecia Hair Loss
Folliculitis Decalvans Hair Loss	Scleroderma Hair Loss
Folliculitis Hair Loss	Seborrhoeic Dermatitus / Eczema Hair Loss
Lichen Planopilaris Hair Loss	Telogen Effluvium Hair Loss
Lichen Planus Hair Loss	Trichotillomania Hair Loss
Lupus Hair Loss