Trichotillomania – hair-pulling hair-loss
Hair Loss through Hair Pulling: What is Trichotillomania?
Susan recently sat down with long-term salon client and University of Oxford professor Clare Mackay to discuss the hair pulling disorder Trichotillomania (or Trich for short), a condition she’s lived with since the age of 12.
Trich is described as an uncontrollable urge to pick hair from the body, face and scalp and is estimated to effect over a million people in the UK alone. It is part of the group of body-focused repetitive behaviours (BRFB for short) such as nail biting and skin picking. It is often mistaken as a form of self-harm and therefore shrouded in shame and, whilst this can be the case for some, often it is simply a habit that has become second-nature.
Clare is now researching the condition for the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford and was recently featured in the Salon Focus hair industry magazine where Susan was asked to share her experience of the condition – as a stylist – and her approach to clients who had signs of the disorder.
Susan and Clare discussed Trich in-depth whilst Clare was last in the salon, she hopes to help dismantle the stigma surrounding it by opening up the conversation and Susan was honoured to be part of that process.
The full interview is uploaded on our social media platforms, please check it out and learn more about this fascinating subject.
If you feel that Trich maybe something you experience and would like advice or support then please speak to one of our team members –
we are here to help!
If ‘Trich’ is a new term for you, check out this infographic below and be sure to visit Clare’s Instagram @thetrichprof to learn more about her important work!
