Trichotillomania and Permanent Makeup
BFRBs, Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors, impact 1/25 people. One of the most common ones is Trichotillomania (hair pulling). While many people suffer from BFRBs, some aren’t even aware that they have the disorder.
Trichotillomania (Trich) is the act of pulling out hair from various areas of the body. The most common areas are the scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes, but hair pulling could occur on other areas of the body as well. While Trich affects both girls and boys, 80-90% of people who pull are female. https://www.bfrb.org/learn-about-bfrbs/trichotillomania
If you have Trichotillomania of the eyebrows, permanent makeup may be a good solution for you. There are 2 methods that could be considered:
- Microblading
- Powder brows
Microblading is the look of individual hair strokes being tattooed into the skin, either with a machine or a handheld tool. The permanent makeup artist would design an eyebrow shape and then work within that shape. While microblading is a nice option, it may not be right for everyone, and depending on how often you pull it may not be the best option for you. The natural oil in your fingers from pulling as well as the constant rubbing on the skin from pulling can make the microblading fade faster.
Powder brows are either done with a tattoo machine or with a SoftTap method of “stippling” pigment into the skin. The majority of permanent makeup artists will offer the machine method. This method works the same way in terms of the artist designing an eyebrow shape and then working within that shape. When done with a well trained hand and an artistic style, the powder brow option will leave the client looking as though she penciled or powdered her eyebrows in at home.
If you have Trichotillomania and are considering permanent makeup, do your research to find an artist that feels like the right fit for you. Ask them if they are familiar with Trichotillomania, because depending on the severity of your pulling they may suggest a specialized aftercare. Also, be sure to ask the artist to see lots of before/after images of their work, as well as healed results.
To learn more about how Hope & Olive can assist those with BFRB’s, such as Trichotillomania, visit our Services page.