Plucking
For many people with a pathological hair loss, the so-called alopecia, this is a very big cosmetic problem, which often becomes a psychological burden. Therefore, researchers are working at full speed on an effective treatment against pathological hair loss. More recent studies aim at the regenerative power of the hair.
In a study with mice, about 200 hairs were removed from the dorsal fur in a certain pattern and finally a growth of about 1200 hairs was observed at the same place. Here is a first approach that the targeted hair removal, the hair growth can stimulate. A messenger substance, tumor necrosis factor alpha, is said to play a decisive role in this process. Some people also tend to pluck their hair. Many look specifically for gray hair or for hair with split ends, in order to pluck them out.
Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania is a pathological disorder of impulse control. Affected people consciously tear their hair out without feeling any real pain. This pain is often completely ignored.
The disease often occurs during puberty and affects boys and girls alike. The hair is often plucked out according to a pattern or the symmetry is maintained. The hair roots are then examined closely before they are discarded.
In rare cases, the hair is also swallowed. This is called trichophagia. The disease trichotillomania often occurs in the context of other affective disorders such as depression or anxiety disorders.
Triggers for this behavior are usually traumatic experiences such as abuse, extreme mobbing and a high susceptibility to stress. Without treatment of the illness and also the underlying disease, Trichtillomania has considerable consequences.The scalp suffers greatly from the plucking of the hair and reacts in the long run with skin irritations to the stress. This problem also leads to other social problems such as isolation from the social environment.
This in turn worsens the actual problem enormously. Treatment is done with therapy, relaxation techniques and autogenic training. In some cases and depending on the dependence on the underlying disease, psychotropic drugs are also used.
