Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Get out of my Hair!

Also, known as Hand in Fro Disease (HIF). I think this is what I have. I noticed this problem began for me in high school. My mother brought it to my attention one day while I was sitting on her bed reading a magazine, incessantly pulling out the center section of my hair. I notice that whenever I am stressed, there goes my left hand reaching into my curls. The only time that I don't pull my hair is when it's in braids or a sew in.

Trichotillomania - Symptoms usually begin before the age of 17. The hair may come out in round patches or across the scalp. The effect is an uneven appearance. The person may pluck other hairy areas, such as the eyebrows, eyelashes, or body hair.

These symptoms are usually seen in children:

An uneven appearance to the hair
Bare patches or all around (diffuse) loss of hair
Bowel blockage (obstruction) if people eat the hair they pull out - I don't know about this one
Constant tugging, pulling, or twisting of hair
Denying the hair pulling
Hair regrowth that feels like stubble in the bare spots
Increasing sense of tension before the hair pulling
Other self-injury behaviors
Sense of relief, pleasure, or gratification after the hair pulling

2 comments:

  1. U kno I never really thought hard about this issue but I've been noticing it alot more lately. My bf's girlfriend pulls out the sides of her hair so bad that she even can't(twist or braid it). My boyfriend twists the mess out of his hair and Ive been warning him about it. I told him that its not good to play with your hair let alone twist and pull on it when its dry. I hope he doesn't pull it out too bad.

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  2. Yeah it's a bigger issue that people think about. I pulled at one section of hair so bad that I lost almost an inch of length.

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