Hair plucking - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Message Board

chrisboli · 02-26-2005, 06:01 AM

I am a 27 yo female. I am not sure if I am ocd. My dr has never said so. I pluck my hair, constantly. Not from my head, mainly under my navel, around my breasts...I am italian and have dark hair. I also, will pluck hair, or dig into my skin to get the dair hair that is barely showing. is this ocd? what is it? also, i cant allow scabs to heal. i have had one in my nose, for FIVE years, and i use tweezers to get it out, it feels so good. please help.

bbybyrd · 02-26-2005, 10:07 PM

There is a disorder called trichotillomania that deals with pulling out the hair. You might want to research that. Also, with the scab picking, I do that also...it can be a form of self injury. There are a lot of webpages on self injury also.

kitkat77 · 02-27-2005, 12:02 AM

I have OCD and I do this too. It's not exactly trichtollomania -- the dr's don't know what to call it but it is OCD related. Same thing with your picking scabs -- sounds like you're a "leveller", everything has to feel as smooth as possible.

If these are your only 2 "habits" and there's no other signs or symptoms of anxiety, you'd be better off simply trying your best to stop this behavior rather than taking pills. However if you find yourself doing these things more frequently or if they are troublesome, then perhaps you should see your doctor.

Put some ointment (polysporin type) in your nose on the scab and keep it as moist as possible, whenever you can. I know this is hard (I had one on my leg once for nearly a year cuz I wouldn't let it heal) but it WILL heal if you leave it alone. As for the hair plucking -- I still do this sometimes but am not bothered by it.

*sunshine* · 03-28-2005, 05:30 PM

Hello,
Your situation sounds somewhat similar to mine. I have a couple of scabs on my head that I must pick off routinely. I know this sounds disguisting, but once I feel them, it is an uncontrollable urge. As a result of my constant picking, I'm starting to form bald spots where they are. I'm worried that I do suffer from a psychological disoreder (OCD) and that my hair will not grow back. Someone please give me their advice.
*sunshine*

kitkat77 · 03-29-2005, 01:23 AM

Picking scabs is not necessarily an OCD. I have a friend picks all her scabs but this is all she does and has never been diagnosed with OCD. She wants her skin level and smooth -- she just wants it that way. I have OCD and I NEED it that way. This is not to say that you do not have OCD but it is possible that this is just a nervous habit you have acquired. OCD is thought fueled -- the reasoning behind the behavior is more important than the behavior itself.

I have heard that hair will not grow back in a scar, but am not positive that this is true.