A TikToker has opened up about his struggles with a condition that causes him to pull his own hair out.
Ruben says he has been pleased by the positive response he has had for speaking about life with trichotillomania An online content creator who has a compulsive hair-pulling disorder says others with the condition "shouldn't be ashamed" or "feel embarrassed".
Ruben Chorlton-Owen, 24, from Abersoch in Gwynedd, has trichotillomania, also known as trich or TTM. The condition causes him to obsessively pluck his beard or eyebrows when anxious or bored. Clare Mackay, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Oxford, said the condition could be very severe and result in people pulling out all of their hair. Ruben, who was diagnosed with trichotillomania 10 years ago, said at his lowest point he pulled out most of the hairs on his eyebrows. "I remember looking in the mirror thinking 'what have I done?' I began avoiding photos and sometimes wore a cap to hide thinning patches," he said. "If people asked what had happened, I would joke about a shaving mishap rather than admit the real reason."Ruben, who stripped away most of his eyebrow hairs, said he used to pretend he had had shaving mishaps Ruben, who has more than a million followers on TikTok, hopes that by speaking out about his condition he will show others that they are not alone."Just be happy with yourself and if you want to have a look online or reach out to some charities or even myself, feel free."They may pull out the hair on their head or in other places, such as their eyebrows or eyelashes, according to the NHS.It is one of a family of disorders known as body-focused repetitive behaviours, or BFRBs, like biting nails or picking at skin.Ruben's partner Amber Phillips said she first became aware of Ruben's trichotillomania when they were watching TV. "I'd notice he would always be pulling his hairs, and I'd say 'what are you doing?' and it was quite often, more often than a normal habit. He'd say 'I can't stop doing it'.""I think it's really good that he's spreading awareness," said Amber. "I'm really proud of him and it's a really brave thing to do, to come out and speak about something that you're insecure about and that you do keep hidden."Clare Mackay has lived with trichotillomania for 40 years and now works in partnership with the support group BFRB UK and Ireland. Her new book, Keep Your Hair On: Understanding Urges to Pick, Pull and Bite, is based on her personal experience and years of research into body-focused repetitive behaviours."But it can be very severe - people can pull out all of their hair. Different people are triggered by different things. It's fundamentally a self-soothing behaviour.""There are therapists that offer particular therapies, but self-help strategies can be just as effective. And one of the best ones is finding other people who suffer with the same thing.""Most of us know about cognitive behavioral therapy which can help address the thoughts and the patterns that we have about pulling," she said. "We also have acceptance and commitment therapy, or ACT. This helps people create a little bit of space between the urge and the behaviour. And it also helps us to react differently to how we respond to that urge."Ruben said having his eyebrows micro-bladed - a semi-permanent cosmetic tattooing technique that shaped and filled them - had reduced his urge to pull the hairs. He intends to make more videos about trichotillomania following a positive response to his decision to speak about his own experiences. "I did have a bloke reach out saying 'thank you so much for this, it's given me the push to get help with my own situation'," said Ruben.Dame Shirley Bassey reveals she can no longer reply to fan mail'Hero' dad fell to his death during hospital leaveAlcohol minimum pricing 'no longer deliverable' before next electionHospital visiting hours to be extended from April
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