Does pulling your hair make you loose hair?

by Kim on May 29, 2008

pulling hair
Michael M asked:


I just wanted to know if pulling your hair actually makes u permanently lose your hair. I have this habit of playing/pulling the hair at the front of my head especially when im thinking, bored, or stressed. I have lost quite a lot of hair in that part of my head, but the hair loss is from before i started this habit.

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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }

1 WainWain 06.01.08 at 2:45 pm

not really. I've read somewhere that its actually a good exercise for hair roots…just forgot where …

2 jonathan c 06.02.08 at 2:17 am

It really depends on whether the roots of your hair are strong or not.
Just try not to pull on your hair too much and don't take any risks doing so.
I'm not too sure if u will permanently lose hair just by pulling it. However, there are always therapies to grow your hair back…

3 pottersclay70 06.04.08 at 9:29 am

I don't think that is the case. My mom pulled and twisted my dad's hair on a trip once because she was nervous where they were driving. It fell out in a little spot BUT IT GREW BACK GRAY!

4 sabinaauchi 06.05.08 at 12:38 am

hey there. first of all, it depend on what kind of hair u have. a humanbeing loses around 50-100 hairs per day, so dont panic. if it is much more than that, then use a anti hair breackage product. every five years the hair makes a one month brake and doenst grow. so it might seem that u are loosing to much :)

5 STELLA 06.05.08 at 5:23 am

MAYBE NOT PERMANENTLY, BUT IT'S NOT GOOD FOR UR HAIR, THAT'S FOR SURE!! STOP DOING IT FIRST, THEN START TAKING SOME PILLS TO HELP UR HAIR GROW AGAIN- FOR EXAMPLE PANTOGAR OR REVALID

6 vicky b 06.08.08 at 1:58 am

Could it be …Alopecia Areata?

Alopecia areata is considered an autoimmune disease, in which the immune system, which is designed to protect the body from foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria, mistakenly attacks the hair follicles, the tiny cup-shaped structures from which hairs grow. This can lead to hair loss on the scalp and elsewhere.

In most cases, hair falls out in small, round patches about the size of a quarter. In many cases, the disease does not extend beyond a few bare patches. In some people, hair loss is more extensive. Although uncommon, the disease can progress to cause total loss of hair on the head (referred to as alopecia areata totalis) or complete loss of hair on the head, face, and body (alopecia areata universalis).

What Causes It?

In alopecia areata, immune system cells called white blood cells attack the rapidly growing cells in the hair follicles that make the hair. The affected hair follicles become small and drastically slow down hair production. Fortunately, the stem cells that continually supply the follicle with new cells do not seem to be targeted. So the follicle always has the potential to regrow hair.

Scientists do not know exactly why the hair follicles undergo these changes, but they suspect that a combination of genes may predispose some people to the disease. In those who are genetically predisposed, some type of trigger–perhaps a virus or something in the person's environment–brings on the attack against the hair follicles.

7 JayHawk 06.10.08 at 5:06 am

i don't think so.

8 Parii 06.12.08 at 1:23 am

i u hav more problem of loosing hairs,u can simply go to a hair specialist.or if u know about the "YOGA" of "BABA RAMDEV" IN INDIA.u can also try that one.and stop thinking that u hav loss ur hair due to this habit.its not true at all.

9 поцелуй 06.15.08 at 8:35 am

it can when done too much but there's another problem here… compulsive hair pulling is a disease (trichotilomania). it's when people do it when they feel stressed out, hair pulling is such a relief for them. you know better, if it bothers you so much, consult a doctor. be evaluated. it's better to be sure right? so that it can be prevented.

10 starfox 06.17.08 at 4:30 pm

please stop if you want a beautiful head of hair. i used to do that for some reason and just take my word for it, its not as pretty it could be.

11 Semiramis 06.20.08 at 7:34 pm

It is called trichotillomania , if you search on the net you will find out everything about it.I can tell you from personal experience that it doesn't make you permanently lose your hair.

12 Jamie W 06.20.08 at 9:43 pm

yes. I am a stylist and this is actually common. (mostly with girls, but I've seen boys do it too). Just like waxing, if you constantly rip hair out at the follicle, you will "kill" the root there. If it has started to fall out before you started this (this is a normal spot for hair to thin) you will just be making it worse. Sorry.

13 rita 06.21.08 at 12:08 am

Maybe if you pull your hair up to tight.

14 beck 06.22.08 at 6:16 am

As others have suggested, it sounds like you might have trichotillomania which is an impulse control disorder which compels you to pull out your hair.Most sufferers pull from their head, their eyebrows, or their eyelashes - but some pull from anywhere and everywhere. I actually pull out my eyelashes, and used to pull from my head for a little while when I was younger but then I pulled heaps out one day and I looked in the mirror and there was a big bald patch on my head, I think that shocked me into stopping. But I still battle the eyelash pulling. It sounds like you have a pretty mild case, some people pull so much that they end up completely bald, with no eyebrows or eyelashes. You can visit for more info and read stories, and find info on how to try and stop. Good luck! And to answer your question (I think that's the idea of this site, right?!) - I have been pulling out my eyelashes for years, and they still grow back. They take a LOT longer to grow back, and they don't seem to be as thick, but I can't tell whether that's because some of them aren't growing or because I end up pulling more out before they get a chance. But so far, they have been growing back. Just keeping busy has been the best way for me to combat this disorder, as I only seem to do it when I'm thinking, watching tv or reading - idle hands are the trichotillomania devil's playground!! Good luck I hope you beat it : )

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