Trichotillomania: What Is The Disorder That Makes Olivia Munn Rip Out Her Eyelashes?
Trichotillomania: Why Does Olivia Munn Rip Out Her Eyelashes?
Actress Olivia Munn recently revealed that she pulls out her eyelashes as a result of the "impulsive control" disorder trichotillomania. People with the disorder have the urge to pull out their hair, whether it be on their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows or elsewhere on the body, leading to thinned hair.
"I don't bite my nails, but I rip my eyelashes," Munn, 32, told the New York Daily News. "It doesn't hurt, but it's really annoying. Every time I run out of the house, I have to stop and pick up a whole set of fake eyelashes."
Advertisement
As many as 4 percent of people may have trichotillomania, according to the National Institutes of Health, and the condition is four times more common among women. The disorder is usually first seen before people reach age 17, and the period of hair-pulling usually only lasts for about a year, the NIH said.
Symptoms of trichotillomania include actually pulling your hair out; wanting to pull the hair out and feeling relieved after you've pulled it out; playing, chewing, eating or rubbing the extracted hair; and having patchy, bald or sparse areas on the body where the hair used to be, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Advertisement
"They may spend hours in front of a mirror in these very odd postures trying to locate that one hair that they know is there that they feel doesn't belong," trichotillomania expert Dr. Nancy Keuthen told ABC News.
People may also feel tense either right before, or if trying to resist, pulling out the hair, according to Mental Health America.
Advertisement
"Whenever I get emotional, or sometimes very stressed, or if I'm upset, I go for my hair," Jena Metts, who at the time had trichotillomania, told ABC News in 2008. "And [it's] perfectionism sometimes. If there's like a little hair sticking out, I want to pull it."
The exact cause of the condition isn't known, but the Mayo Clinic reports that it may be a result of genetics and the environment, and possibly even differences in brain chemicals.
Not all doctors agree on the treatment method for trichotillomania, according to the National Institutes of Health. Some may prescribe medicines like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or naltrexone; for other cases, habit reversal techniques or behavioral therapy can help to stop the hair-pulling.
For more little-known anxiety disorders, click through the slideshow:
Body-Focused Anxiety Disorders
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.