Trichotillomania – much worse since having my Daughter?
*** I have asked this in Mental Health but wanted to post it here too because a) it’s where I normally ask/answer and b) I wondered if any other Mothers suffered from Trichotillomania and if they could help me
I have suffered on and off with Trichotillomania since I was about 15. It started when I first started wearing mascara as I would play with my eyelashes, they would become clogged with mascara and I would pull them out. I have never pulled hair from anywhere else other than my top eyelashes, not even my bottom eyelashes. My eyelashes always grow back, although the process is getting slower and my eyelashes definitely aren’t as full as they used to be. When I pull, I am never happy until the complete lid is hairless – it starts with a few and ultimately ends up with no upper eyelashes and if I cant get them with my fingers, I’ll whip the tweezers out.
My Daughter was born last May and while I was pregnant, I didn’t pull at all and with all the baby hormones my hair growth was great and my eyelashes were wonderful but since having my Daughter I seem to be pulling at an alarming rate.
Has anyone else experienced this post partum? I have been on some anti anxiety medication for post natal depression since my Daughter was 2 months old but I am now being taken off of these and I really dont feel that these tablets have made the problem worse.
I have tried everything. My tweezers are even currently in a frozen cup of water in the freezer so that I would have to defrost them before I could use them but nothing works. I dont knowingly pull and everyone tells me when I’m doing it and I stop but seriously, it’s driving me crazy.
Where do I go for help? How can I stop this? I really want my pretty eyelashes back and I don’t want my Daughter growing up thinking that this is normal behavior
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I’m so sorry to hear about what you’re going through!
While I haven’t experienced what you’re going through, I have witnessed the problem a few times and I know it’s painful. I work in the mental health field and the only thing I’ve seen that’s effective is medication and counseling, done concurrently.
Have you considered a different medication and are you in counseling at this time? The counseling is a must since it involves behavior modification.
I don’t know that I helped any. I just wanted you to know that someone read your posting and is sending positive thoughts your way!
Best wishes.