Posts Tagged ‘Beauty Salon’

Trichotillomania: Symptoms, Causes, And Treatments

Trichotillomania is a psychological condition in which sufferers experience hair lose due to compulsive twisting or pulling of the hair until it breaks off or is removed from the scalp. Roughly 4% of the population suffers from trichotillomania. Sometimes the pulling is so subconscious, but habitual, that sufferers will cause unsightly and painful sores on their bodies. Women are nearly four times more likely to suffer from it than men.

Typically early symptoms of the condition can be seen in children under the age of 17, but the disease can present itself at any time during a person’s lifetime. When young children experience the hair pulling compulsion they typically outgrow the behavior. In many cases trichotillomania can resolve itself within 12 months, but sometimes the behavior continues for longer periods of time.

The exact cause of trichotillomania is unknown. Often the hair pulling compulsion seems to develop as a coping mechanism for managing high levels of stress. It can also be triggered by symptoms of depression.

Symptoms and Complications

There are several complications that can arise as a result of trichotillomania. Symptoms that are typically present in sufferers can include:

Bald spots. These spots may be present on the head, eyebrows, eye lashes, or any place where there is normally hair present on the body. Sufferers frequently have patches where the hair is shorter than the rest, or spots where there is no hair at all. This will result in an overall uneven appearance. Read more…