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Erica N
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- About Me:
- In June of 2010, I noticed that my bad habit of pulling out split ends was becoming something more. I had begun to tug on single pieces of my hair; doing so would take my full attention. It began to disrupt my everyday life. After doing much research, I determined that I had trichotillomania, but I was too ashamed to seek treatment. In August of 2010, I noticed that my hair was thinning in a few spots, so I did more research and began an intense self-CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy). I could tell it had begun to work a bit, but it was agonizing to try to stop. At the end of August 2010, in an attempt to make the temptation to pull less overwhelming and to become less attached to my hair, I went to the salon and had my stylist cut 6.5 inches off my hair. By October 2010, I was doing a lot better controlling the trich--don't get me wrong, it is still very hard, and sometimes I find myself doing it without even realizing it; however, about 90% of the time now, I can stop after I realize what I am doing. I would guess that as of now, January 2011, I do not pull enough to exceed the average number of hairs humans lose per day. Even though I had essentially stopped the pulling, my hair continued to get thinner and thinner around the crown of my head and in the back-center of my head. As a female who is constantly bombarded with America's culture of beauty, I became pretty worried about this in December 2010. I was embarrassed to go back to my hair stylist, but finally broke down. She was very supportive of it and recommended that I try Joico Clinicure products. (My salon does not carry Joico products, so I was confident she wasn't just trying to get money). I began using them, but I also made an appointment with a local dermatologist who apparently specialized in hair loss issues. Speaking with the dermatologist was my first time talking to anyone about Trich; I tried to explain it objectively and explain symptoms. It was difficult to keep my composure while talking about it, and obviously I didn't go into the frustrated tears, the feelings of guilt, and the general despair Trich used to (and sometimes still does/did) bring about. She cut me off in my explanation and proclaimed "You don't have trich, you just have a bad habit." I still feel that this was wrong--picking at my hair completely consumed my life and thoughts for at least three months! She then looked at my hair and scalp and told me I have alopecia and that I need to use men's Rogaine on it (since men's is more concentrated then women's). And then she basically shooed me out the door. Now I'm looking for answers--I don't know what kind of alopecia I have, and I don't know exactly how to go about treating it. I want to find out more information about if I can use Clinicure and Rogaine together, and if so, how to do this (the order of application). Also, this may sound bizarre, but I do cardio workouts 4-5 times per week, and I always sweat a lot, so I want to know if the sweat from my head that drips on my face and neck will cause me to grow facial hair or something if it contains Rogaine. Additionally, my hair has always been my favorite physical feature, so losing it has been pretty touch. I guess you could say I am searching for treatment answers, self-confidence, and something to look forward to (in regard to my hair) for the future.
- Do you have alopecia?
- Other type of alopecia
- Are you age 18 or older?
- No - I am not 18 or older
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