‘I couldn’t stop pulling out my hair’

‘I couldn’t stop pulling out my hair’

After six years battling a severe psychological condition, Katie now looks better than ever

Katie Neiman, 28, lives in Brighton, East Sussex, and is a PR officer. Six years ago, she began to suffer from trichotillomania, a condition that gives her an uncontrollable urge to pull out her hair.

‘Until recently, activities like yoga or going to the cinema were off-limits. Anyone sitting behind or hovering over me made me self-conscious because, if you looked closely at the top of my head, you’d see what I was trying to hide: a bald patch.’

‘In 2006, I was in my third year at uni, revising for my stressful final exams. While studying alone, I pulled out a hair. The sensation of it coming loose felt really comforting – so I started to pull at my hair regularly, looking for that calming sensation when I was overworked. One night I looked down and saw a big clump of hair in my hand. I still can’t understand why I enjoyed doing something so destructive. But I couldn’t stop. After a month, I had a bald patch.’

‘I back-brushed my hair to cover it. If I saw my hair had gone flat, I wouldn’t look anyone in the eye. Yet, as the months passed, my habit got out of control. My partner of seven years felt too distressed by what I was doing and we parted ways, which was heartbreaking. My family felt helpless and confused – why was their bubbly daughter doing this to herself? '

‘But in 2010 I saw a TV documentary about women who suffer from trichotillomania, or TTM. I couldn’t believe it! It was me! I realised I wasn’t alone and felt incredibly relieved.’

‘I first heard of the Intralace system on the documentary. It’s a weave with a mesh base that’s put over the areas of baldness, so I physically can’t pull out hair. Within six months, my hair had grown back. Unfortunately, when the system was removed I started to pull again, and lost six months of newly grown hair in four weeks. I was devastated. I’d ruined what I tried so hard to fix, and the procedure isn’t cheap, costing up to £700. I had another system put in at the end of last year, so my hair is growing nicely once again.’

‘I realise TTM is something I’ll probably always struggle with. But I am trying to be more confident, and strutting my stuff for Essentials is my way of encouraging women out there who are struggling with their appearance or a bad habit. You can overcome it.’