Topical Advice

I've had a bit of a setback lately, and I have a pretty sizable bald spot on my left eyelid. That part of my eyelid is sort of itchy and raw, and that eye gets irritated easily lately since there's fewer eyelashes to protect it from bacteria and dirt.

So I'm seeking topical advice. What topical medications have you used on your eyelids or in your eyes to soothe the irritation that follows a pulling spree? I've tried Vaseline, and it feels nice while I rub it on the eyelid, but the relief doesn't seem to last very long. And my eye itself is still dry and irritated.

So what have you used that you have found to work? Eye drops? Ointments? Other methods of relief? There's nothing we can do to make the eyelashes grow back faster, but I'm hoping I can find something to at least ameliorate some of the negative aftereffects.

Birthdays and Pullfreeathons

Today is a very special day. It commemorates two anniversaries. The first is the day of my birth. I have been on this Earth for 22 years today. The other anniversary (the more relevant one to this blog) is that today is 10 days since the day I began my "pullfreeathon." This is a term used on the UK site, Trichotillomania Online (on my Trich-ed Out Links list, right sidebar) to indicate a pledge that trichsters can take to NOT pull. It's not a competition against anyone else, only against yourself and your compulsion to pull. You post on the forum to tell people that you are beginning a pullfreeathon, and the other members of the forum come out to support you!

I've found it very helpful. It helps me combat the urge to pull because I know other people (who understand what I'm going through) are cheering me on and keeping me honest. I also feel I have more of a duty to myself because I have a specific reason not to pull. Not just because I know it's not good for me, but because I want to increase the number of days that I can say I've been pull-free. I recommend pullfreeathons to all fellow trichsters.

Trichotillomania Advice: KEEP YOUR HANDS BUSY

If you are like me, then your unconscious tendency to begin pulling comes from extra tension and energy trapped in your body. For me, it's worst when I'm concentrating hard with my mind. My mental energy is being expended, which leaves me with unused physical energy that often manifests itself in pulling out my hair.

Take charge of that excess energy. This is my biggest tip. Keep your hands busy doing something other than pulling out your hair. Preferably keep them far away from whatever area you may be tempted to pull. Since I pull out my eyelashes, I keep my hands busy by twirling my hair around and around my fingers. Doing so doesn't give me a chance to start pulling because my hands are so busy doing something else. Obviously, this is probably not the best idea if you're a scalp puller.

I also found an interesting and positive website with a lot of information about trichotillomania. They're trying to get you to enter their program (not for free, of course), but the site is beneficial, I think, even if you just read the info: The BrightLife Center for the Rapid Relief of Trichotillomania.

You are not a victim. It may feel like trichotillomania is controlling your life, pushing you into an unescapable corner. I often feel like that. But you must remember that while suffering from trich is not a choice, taking steps towards relief is.

Trichotillomania Suggestion, seemingly obvious

I've found the simplest act sometimes works to stop or at least delay pulling. Especially if you're in the middle of a pulling spree.

My suggestion, obvious as it may seem, is to change something about your environment. When I'm pulling eyelashes, sometimes I have to get up and take my contact lenses out. Maybe sit up if you are lying down. File your nails. Put on a ring. Change your hairstyle. Put on hand lotion. Take a shower.


Pulling is all about the repetition, the monotony. Break the pattern and take control by changing something that you have control over.

Trichotillomania Confession: I've been bad

(I love Futurama).
I've been bad for awhile. My left upper eyelid is basically bald right now. I have to wear eyeliner all the time so that people don't notice that I have no eyelashes on my left eye and few on my right eye. It's amazing the amount of time trichsters spend trying to cover up our hair loss.

Sometimes, when I've pulled out a bunch of eyelashes, my eyelids get really irritated and dry, and it makes me feel like I need to pull out more. It helps sometimes to put Vaseline on my eyelids and eyelashes. Then it doesn't feel the same, and helps soothe the physical urge to pull.

Also, since I've put up this blog, I found out that a friend from middle/high school also has trich. One of those small world things. So many people have it, and so few actually talk about it.

Self-discovery about my Trichotillomania

I think that one of the most important ways to deal with having trich (or any kind of disorder) is to be aware of the ways it affects you. I made a discovery about my trichy tendencies today.

I was doing some reading (one of my biggest pulling triggers) on the couch in my apartment. I was eating Cheez-its out of the box in a very repetitive way. Hand goes in the box, hand goes to my mouth. Lather, rinse, repeat. When I had finished off the box, I realized that I hadn't pulled any hairs out since starting to eat the crackers. Maybe the cheesy goodness was distracting me, but I think that part of why snacking appeared to replace pulling was because of the repetitive nature of it.

Pulling out eyelashes, for me, is a repetitive action. I pull, look at the hair, rub it between my fingers, flick it away. Pull, look, rub, flick. Over and over. Sometimes, like when I'm snacking, I replace that behavior of my hands with something else. I think this might be a key in replacing my pulling compulsion with something else. Maybe not eating constantly, because that's not much healthier than pulling out eyelashes.

If you can recognize when you pull and, just as importantly, when you DON'T pull, I think that is one of the first steps to changing your behavior. If any other trichsters read this blog, when do you pull? When don't you?