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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Trichotillomania: A Big Word for Hair Pulling

WEB-ART_TheHairForLife_IMG_20150107_145826376_cmykApproximately anywhere from two to ten million Americans suffer from trichotillomania. People of all ages and ethnicities suffer, but it seems to be more prevalent in women, with an average onset age of eleven years old. While the underlying biology is not clear, what is known is that people with trichotillomania have a neurologically based predisposition to pull their hair as a self-soothing mechanism. The pulling serves as a coping method for anxiety and other emotions.

Trichotillomania is a lot like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) due to the repetitive behavior associated with both disorders. The action of pulling is preceded by an uncomfortable sensation that must be relieved. Unfortunately, the constant pulling creates damage to the follicle and results in a head with little to no hair. In most cases, the hair will grow back. However, there are instances in which the constant pulling damages the hair follicles so much that regrowth does not occur.

Luckily, the Hair for Life Center in Englewood is a trich-friendly salon and specialty center that can replace and repair the damaged hair. A nonsurgical hair enhancement process called IntraLock specializes in treating clients with trichotillomania. During the IntraLock process, tiny hair-like threads are looped around the hair that has not been pulled. Once a pattern has been placed by the thread, new human hair strands are applied and hair is repaired, giving clients the freedom to feel confident again. At the Hair for Life Center, Discretion is their number one priority. All of the hair application rooms are private and performed one-on-one with your very own hair technician. The application takes approximately two or three hours and the new hair lasts up to three years.

Many of the clients express that once the IntraLock process is applied, they do not get the urge to pull out their hair any longer. As their hair grows back, their confidence is boosted and they are able to live without the stress of hiding bald spots.

Karen DeRose is a licensed cosmetologist who has been working with clients suffering with trichotillomania for the past 20 years. To speak with Karen privately, call 201-731-3530. To learn more about the IntraLock process at the Hair for Life Center, call 1-855-328-4247 or visit TheHairForLifeCenter.com.

trichotillomania Local Insights
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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