The Trich Prof

26/08/2025

This week's research highlight is a pair of 'golden oldie' BFRB research papers.

These two pieces of work were conducted by a group of scientists who worked together at , and the studies involved large numbers of the BFRB community. None of this would have been possible without the pioneering work of who brought the community and scientists together.

IMHO, these papers remain the biggest, best, strongest evidence we have of the scale of the unmet need for people with hair-pulling and skin picking disorder.

Both papers collected data from a large group of people and detailed the distress we feel, and the various ways in which BFRBs have impacts in many aspects of our lives.

They also detail the lack of knowledge in the healthcare professions, and shortcomings in the treatments being offered at the time.

Despite their best efforts, this lack of awareness remains true today. The fight for recognition and understanding goes on, and these papers continue to be the primary evidence for the unmet need.

21/08/2025

Research paper highlight!

This one follows from the one I shared on July 29th (same colour post) and is more evidence that a specific nerve fibre, called the CT, might be important for understanding urges to pick, pull and bite.

CT fibres are nerve fibres that we think selectively respond to pleasant touch, like being hugged or stroked. They connect our skin and our brain and fire when our skin is enjoying a feeling.

In this study the researchers compared people with skin picking disorder against people who don't, and found that both the experience and brain activity associated with CT optimised touch was different.

It's not possible to tell from this study whether the skin-pickers always had different CT responses, or whether they changed in response to skin picking, but this is the first evidence that there is something different about these nerves in people with BFRBs.

Read the full study here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00406-023-01669-9

Watch a video about CT fibres on the Trich Prof Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/6NA5o3xQgqg?feature=shared

13/08/2025

I picked up this little statue on a visit to yesterday. It is one of my favourite places, and I highly recommend a visit to anyone who wants to feel more normal about their picking, pulling and biting behaviours. They're EVERYWHERE!

Primates pick, pull and bite at themselves and each other a lot. They/we do it for hygiene, social bonding and to regulate emotions. Just like us, some individuals from other species of primate over-groom and have patches of missing hair or scratched skin.

Maybe not everyone feels soothed by realising we're just like other primates, but I definitely do. coined a term - biosolidarity - for the feeling of connection and relief we experience when we realise we're not alone, and I get this feeling when I look at other primates.

For me, this feeling contributes to compassion for my pulling behaviours, which unlocked effective management strategies. I was never able to reduce my hair-pulling by telling myself off, or feeling weird/freakish, or setting unobtainable goals (and this was all I had for 40 years!). Effective management came through compassion and understanding.

I hope you find him soothing too. He needs a name... any ideas?

29/07/2025

Time for some BFRB neuroscience!

I have been eagerly anticipating this paper coming out since learning about the research last year...

The researchers 'listened in' on a particular nerve fibre, called a CT, that we know responds to pleasant touch (like hugs, a reassuring hand on shoulder, cuddles when we're young, and self-grooming).

They were able to tap into the signals that go to the brain when the skin is touched, brushed and the hair deflected. In each case, the CT 'fires' for a second or two to indicate a touch has happened.

Then they looked to see what would happen when a hair is pulled out...

The CT goes bananas! It fires a lot, and keeps going for around 12 seconds. So you hair-pullers out there... this might be 'that' feeling we get when a good hair is pulled, and to our brains, it's like a really good hug.

And for skin-pickers, the same might be true... after all, our hair is just a comonent of our skin, and the same 'hit' might happen when we pick skin that contains CT fibres. More research needed!

This is a great example of how neuroscience can help us understand urges to pick, pull and bite. My forthcoming book is full of them... announcement coming soon!

Full paper: https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP287706
Article about CTs: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627314003870?pes=vor&utm_source=wiley&getft_integrator=wiley

Videos on TheTrichProf YouTube channel (link in bio)

23/07/2025

Can you help BFRB UK & Ireland to grow?

This fantastic charitable organisation was set up a decade ago by Bridget Bradley and Pavitt Thatcher in recognition of the substantial unmet needs of people living with BFRBs, and their loved ones.

The wonderful BFRB UK & Ireland team is comprised entirely of volunteers, who give their time and love to ensure that everyone with a BFRB has someone to talk to.

To meet growing demand, the team is expanding, and have opened up several new committee roles.

Can you help? Email Hello@bfrbukireland.com to find out more, or visit their facebook group.

22/07/2025

In ‘s project we are looking to deepen our understanding of the experience of hair pulling disorder in teenagers. We’re particularly focusing on the role shame plays in the distress young people feel.

Laura has conducted structured interviews with 12 young people, and these photos were taken as we organised all the things that came up into themes.

It is emotional for me to be involved in this process. So many of the things these young people are struggling with are identical to my experience 40 years ago. Whilst this is validating, it is also heartbreaking that nothing has changed in all those years.

Stay tuned to hear what we learn!

19/07/2025

Body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs) are highly stigmatised conditions.

Awareness and understanding are low in the general population as well as in healthcare professions.

This leaves people suffering in silence, feeling misunderstood and feeling unable to ask for, or find help.

Thank you to all the people working hard to raise awareness and advocate in whatever way you can. All contributions - big and small - make a difference. You are all heros.

To those who don't feel able - that's OK! Stigma makes it REALLY hard to speak out. I wasn't able to for 40 years, so I know just how hard it is. Take your time and put your own safety first.

Please watch and share the video on the last slide: https://youtu.be/Rkc-vpXJ8Bw?feature=shared

And for more info about stigma in BFRBs check out this great talk from : https://youtu.be/Fe30ZQqJe0Y?feature=shared

08/07/2025

I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that one day I would use my face, my voice, and my story to raise awareness about BFRBs.

I know it's hard to imagine when you look at these screenshots , but the shame I felt was vast and crippling. I hated my face, because it contained my ugly naked eyelids and missing eyebrows, and the evidence that I was weak and stupid because I couldn't control my urges to pull out my hair.

I no longer feel week or stupid, and am even starting to believe that my face is perfectly acceptable, regardless of how many lashes or brows it has.

Please check out the video that these shots belong to here: https://youtu.be/Rkc-vpXJ8Bw?feature=shared, follow the link to my YouTube channel in my bio, or search for TheTrichProf on YouTube.

05/07/2025

Thank you +++ to for inviting me to talk at , and to for this lovely feedback.

Bringing into the professional environment can feel risky sometimes, but comments like this make it totally worth it.

01/07/2025

I made a video of my '6 things everyone should know about BFRBs'.

I hope you find it useful.

Please share!

Body focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs) are things like hair pulling, skin picking, nail biting, lip picking, cheek biting, etc. We all do these things a ...

27/06/2025

Click through to learn how I manage my BFRB urges. We're all different, but this is what I have found works best for me.

First a definition: Urges are the triggers that kick off the behaviours. An urge sends my fingers looking for something to pick, pull or bite.

Urges are uncontrollable

BUT - I have learned ways manage how I RESPOND to the urges

The most important thing I discovered, once I stopped being completely dominated by shame, was that my urges are not all the same. Different urges need different solutions:
1) Emotional urges signal a need for an outlet, such as writing, painting, or chatting to a friend.
2) Habitual urges are gentle, and can be channelled into something else (distraction)
3) Sensory urges are urgent and insistant, and I can only overcome these using physical barriers (e.g. putting tape on my fingers).

Do you identify with these types of urge? Do you have other types? Let me know in the comments!

09/06/2025

I'm delighted to have been invited by the British Society of Paediatric and Adolescent Dermatology to present at this year's about body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs).

I'll be talking about predisposition, urges, actions, and consequences of BFRBs, which I've spent the last 2 years researching, and the last 40 years living with! I hope to stimulate conversations about multi-disciplinary approaches to find the best ways to support people who live with overwhelming urges to pick, pull or bite at their hair, skin or nails.

Thanks to bspad.co.uk - see you in Glasgow!