Why do I have a habit of plucking my pubic hair?

Author: Lon Ryan  |  Last update: Saturday, May 17, 2025

Often, they pull when they're stressed or bored as a way to soothe themselves. Trichotillomania is a type of impulse control disorder. People with these disorders know that it might be harmful if they act on an impulse like hairpulling, but they cannot stop themselves.

Why do I keep plucking my pubic hair?

Also called: hair-pulling disorder, TTM, tric, hair pulling

Trichotillomania (pronounced: trik-eh-til-eh-MAY-nee-uh) is a strong habit that causes people to pull out their own hair. They may pull hairs from their scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, or pubic area. People may pull out a few hairs at once or one strand at a time.

Why am I addicted to pulling out my hair?

Overview. Trichotillomania (trik-o-til-o-MAY-nee-uh), also called hair-pulling disorder, is a mental health condition. It involves frequent, repeated and irresistible urges to pull out hair from your scalp, eyebrows or other areas of your body. You may try to resist the urges, but you can't stop.

Is plucking your pubes normal?

Even getting out your tweezers for the odd hair might seem harmless, but next time swap the tweezers for your razor and some shaving gel to remove those stray hairs. This is because plucking hairs can traumatise the follicle, causing scar tissue to build-up around the pore.

Is pubic trichotillomania bad?

Another interesting study found that patients who pulled pubic hair were more likely to present with comorbid lifetime obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and had an earlier age of onset of hair pulling compared to those who did not pull pubic hair.

If you have a hair pulling or skin picking - you need to know this

What triggers trichotillomania?

Causes of trichotillomania

your way of dealing with stress or anxiety. a chemical imbalance in the brain. changes in hormone levels during puberty. genetic - more than one person in a family may have the condition.

Does plucking pubic hair make it stop growing?

Tweezing your pubes can be time-consuming and painful, but it's generally a low-risk way to get rid of a few stray hairs around your underwear line. This method plucks hair out at the root and can slow hair growth by two to 12 weeks.

What are the side effects of plucking pubic hair?

Removing your pubic hair comes with the risk of getting cuts or ingrown hairs. You might also develop hyperpigmentation and inflammation of the hair follicles. Removing your pubic hair can also increase your risk of catching herpes and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Does plucked hair grow back thicker?

Pulling out the entire hair follicle will initially cause the hair follicle to grow back a little thicker, depending on the location. A research study suggested that plucking hairs from high-density areas could induce thicker hair growth, while hairs plucked from low-density areas saw no additional hair growth.

Is pubic hair a turn off?

More than 71% of male respondents say they've never been turned off by a partner's pubic or butt hair.

Can hair grow back after trichotillomania?

The good news is that trichotillomania hair loss typically isn't permanent, and there are plenty of ways to encourage new growth, from PRP therapy to topical medications. It's best to speak to your doctor or a hair specialist before opting for any of these treatments.

What kind of trauma causes trichotillomania?

Recently, a strong relationship of family chaos during childhood and trichotillomania has also been reported, in which 86% of women with trichotillomania reported a history of violence—for example, sexual assault or rape—concurrent with the onset of trichotillomania.

Why does my pubic hair feel like it's being pulled?

Ingrown pubic hairs are hairs in your pubic area that grow back in the wrong direction after you shave, wax or pluck them. Instead of growing out of the hair follicle, through the surface of your skin, ingrown pubic hairs get trapped under your skin surface. Ingrown hairs may cause discomfort and itching.

How to stop hair plucking habit?

Therapy methods that may help treat TTM include: Habit reversal therapy. This method involves helping you become more aware of your behaviors and activity patterns. By helping you become more aware, this therapy teaches you to break habits like hair pulling.

Will hair grow back after being pulled out in a fight?

In most cases, hair that is pulled from the scalp will grow back. However, repeated pulling or excessive pulling can cause scarring and permanent hair loss.

Is trichotillomania linked to autism?

Although many variables have been examined as potentially contributing to the manifestation of trichotillomania (TTM), little research has focused on problems in social interactions. Hair pulling has many similarities to the stereotypies seen in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and is not uncommon in those with ASD.

Is it better to shave or pluck pubic hair?

Additionally, plucking can cause damage to hair follicles, leading to hair growth problems in the future. Therefore, it is not recommended to use plucking as a primary hair removal method, especially for larger areas of the body. It is best to use methods like trimming, shaving, or waxing instead.

Why is my pubic hair so thick female?

However, there are certain medical conditions that can attribute to an overgrowth or undergrowth of pubic hair. For example, conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome can cause excess pubic hair growth in young women. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is associated with higher testosterone levels in women.

Does pubic hair stop growing?

Does pubic hair cease growing once it's reached a certain length? All hair grows at a contstant rate, but eventually falls out. With body hair, which typically does not grow as long as head hair, the rate at which it falls out is greater. This results in hair that appears to reach a certain length then stops growing.

At what age does pubic hair turn white?

In some individuals, the change in color of pubic hair may occur around the age of fifty, but it can happen earlier or later, depending on individual genetic predispositions and lifestyle factors.

What length to trim pubic hair for a female?

To reduce the likelihood of razor burn or irritation we've seen 4mm as the recommended length to trim pubic hair with a bikini trimmer. If you want smooth skin we recommend waxing or sugaring. Exfoliate your bikini line and apply a soothing pubic oil to prevent itch during regrowth.

When you pluck a hair, what is the white stuff?

The "white gunk" you might notice in hair follicles is typically sebum, a natural oil produced by your sebaceous glands to protect and hydrate the skin and hair. Sebum, combined with dead skin cells and other debris, can build up around the hair follicle and harden, often looking like a white or yellowish gunk.

How do I stop my pubic hair from growing permanently?

Electrolysis is a permanent hair removal method which uses a special machine to stop hair growth with chemical or heat energy; then, the hair follicles are removed with tiny electric tweezers.

Why is pubic hair curly?

Going back to a time when most of us roamed around half-naked, it has been suggested our pubic hair is curly because it does a better job capturing and holding the pheromones that are produced by our sweat glands.

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