Laura's Story

I started pulling my hair in the 4th grade; it was all really quite innocent. We were working with microscopes and the teacher asked that we each pull a hair to look at under the microscope. Mine had a really good root ball on it, so I pulled a few more for my classmates.

Little did I know that I couldn't stop pulling. By week's end, I had a pile on the floor near my chair and a shiny bald spot about the size of a quarter at the crown of my head. Of course my parents took me to the doctor, but all they told my parents was that it was a phase and I would grow out of it. By the time I was in the 6th grade, I couldn't go out of the house without a hat or scarf on. At dance class, when it was time for a costume fitting, I’d hope it would have some kind of a headpiece. Luckily it did, and my mother and myself were saved the embarrassment of having to disclose my self-inflicted disfigurement.

Over the next ten years or so, the severity of my pulling worsened and improved. By my high school graduation, I had hair, but it was always combed over and pulled tight into a bun or ponytail. My college years were OK; I was still pulling, but able to keep it under control. I had now entered what I called my bandana years.

I'll be 45 this year, and it wasn't until I was in my twenties when I learned that my hair-pulling had a name, Trichotillomania. Isn't that a mouth full? Sounds like I'm crazy or something. Needless to say, I filed the term away deep in the crevices of my brain. Since that time, off and on, I sought help through counselors, doctors, and took a few medications. I was on Prozac a few months and lost a ton of weight, unfortunately, but I was still pulling my hair. I live in a part of the country where state-of-the-art medical resources are few and far between.

By now I'd been pulling for a good part of my life and have resigned myself to the fact that this is part of who I am. I got married and at the time had a great head of hair and never told my husband about the "trich." However, all good things must come to an end, and I began pulling again a few years into the marriage. Oh, we're still married and we have a great daughter who is in high school now. My husband teases me now and then about how he married me under false pretences and how he'd win a lawsuit for failure to disclose, but it’s all in fun. Sometimes humor gets you through the rough times.

I always (as an adult, anyway) pulled in private; it was my time alone. I remember one time when our daughter was in grade school, and I was under a lot of stress. You know, that whole "super mom" routine, juggling a career and family at the same time... well, it finally caught up with me, and I started pulling at work.

I'd close my office door and just go to town. I went out on stress leave, which ultimately resulted in a decision not to go back. During that time I struggled with some medical problems. I can directly attribute one problem to my pulling. You see, I always pull with the same hand, and the years of repetitive movement...well you get the idea. I pinched a nerve in my cervical collar, had bone spurs, and some disc problems. I ended up having surgery, and contracting a life-threatening infection. As part of the whole hair-pulling ritual, I would run the root between my teeth and pull it from the hair. As a result I developed little ridges on my front teeth, requiring some cosmetic work. The pulling got so bad that I was forced to wear a wig!

In 1999 things began to turn around yet again, this time for the better. I was attempting to navigate my way around the computer and found some websites about Trichotillomania. More specifically, I located the Trichotillomania Learning Center (TLC) and they were sponsoring a retreat within the month.I went and met what seems like a zillion people of all ages with the same problem. I learned that some just pull their eyelashes and eyebrows; some pull a little, and some pull a lot. I met and listened to professionals who specialize in the treatment of "trich." I was hooked!

To date, I've attended 3 retreats and 2 conferences. I volunteer my time by serving on both the retreat and conference committees. I've come to grips with my "trich" and have come somewhat out of the closet. I've appeared on a talk show and have been a featured story for a Discovery Channel program. In general, I feel good about myself and have stopped trying so hard "not to pull." I try and eat the right foods, exercise, and keep busy. Sometimes though, I miss going to a salon to get my hair done, diving into a pool for a few laps, and it was a trick to hide what I did to myself when I was sharing hotel rooms with friends; I would sleep with a towel around my head, and get up before anyone else to fix myself up.

At the TLC conference this year, I met some very special people. Christina Pearson (executive director, TLC) told me about them and I was most excited about what it might mean to me. Helen and her sister Jo from Klassics International gave me new hope.After pulling for 35 plus years, I knew that it was just a habit now; my muscles had their own memory and did what they wanted and what they knew best--pulling. Even with all of the therapies and medications available to me, I needed something more, something that I could manage. After all, it could easily be a full time job working on just not pulling.

As you can see from the pictures, I was still pretty good at pulling and needed some help. With the full coverage, custom-made unit that Helen designed specifically for me, it disables me from reaching my own hair. Although the overall process wasn't what I expected, I have come to love my hair. It makes me feel good about myself, and I look forward to the "tightening" session, so I can see how much of my own hair has grown back. Helen says I can do all sorts of sports with it; we water-ski a lot, so I can't wait ‘til we take the boat out for a spin. It may not be the answer for everyone, but so far, I'm enjoying the new me.

The biggest surprise though is that I have no urges to pull, and that makes me very happy.

Helen and I are planning for my next unit, which will be thicker and curlier, more like what my own hair would be like. One would think that I wouldn't need a unit for very long, but I'm not taking any chances. It took over 30 years to be an expert hair puller--I don't want to risk falling back into that habit.

Helen, Jo, and the rest of the Klassic’s family, thank you so much for your compassion, nurturing, and expertise in dealing with people with hair loss issues.

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