Try putting your tweezers in some sort of container, fill it with water and freeze them. That way when you get the urge to pull by the time they thaw out hopefully the urge will have pasted. No cheating and putting them in a pot of hot water or anything like that.

Try to stay out of the bathroom except for the needed reasons. Keep your bikini area dry. I know the re-growth itches. I does for me when I shave. To lighten the scars try a cream you can find in the make up isle at the drug store. I found it at Wal-Mart. It is what they make for faces to remove spots caused by the sun or age. I used it on my leg, I had a burn scar and it got rid of it. Not overnight, took a few months.

Check out this site.

http://www.trichotillomania.co.uk/

this is the link to go straight to the forum board:

http://lilboh-nfl.dnsalias.com/trich/modules.php?name=Forums

To sign up look to the right for the link that says Begin.

On the boards about half way down is the category Where do you pull from. Under that is Other parts of the body. Maybe you will find better tips there.

After your first visit the easiest way to check the board is to click View posts since last visit it is on the right on the forum board.

Let me emphasize first that I am in favor of finding creative ways, like what crzychk suggested, to help break the habit. However, if the problem is regrowth, then have you thought about the idea of permanently removing the hair? I am one of those on top of the head hairpullers ( but I have pulled from "down there" ) I am inspired by your courage to share your personal story. And also a little jealous. While there is still grief, shame, and stress that comes from pulling anywhere, you pull from an area that is easy to cover up- which unfortunately makes the problem is easy to hide-proud of you that you are not. Sometimes I wish I had the balls to completely shave my head and start over. That's beside the point. All of this to say, while I believe there is a better way out there ( and I hope you seek those options first ), there is always laser hair removal. There is the cost to consider, and the idea of replacing tweezers with a professional or personal use of a laser, but the end result---no hair--no problem. Good luck. I am rooting for you ( no pun intended )

I don't pull from my bikini area, I just pull from my eyebrows and eyelashes. I pick at my skin and ingrown hairs though. I always pick at my boyfriend's blackheads and stray hairs too, and he hates it.

I am new here and googled bikiki tweezing and found this group. I could have written the post by Cornelia.

I see a therapist and psychiatrist for major depression - I'm on cymbalta which has helped somewhat. Today for the first time I mentioned to my therapist that I seem obsessed with tweezing. It used to be mainly eyebrows (but not so that I have none), then legs, and now I also do my bikini line and even my entire pubic region. I too pick at pimples or ingrown hairs and it takes all my self control not to squeeze pimples on other people!

I too seem unable to stop - I've been late for appointments but can't pull myself away from my bathroom!

I guess I'm saying that I don't have any advice for you, but wanted to let you know you're not the only one.

I think that you and I - because our plucking is in areas or our bodies that aren't public - have different concerns than others with this condition, though the urges may come from the same places.

Wow. I just started a couple of weeks ago after attempting home electrolysis. they all came back ingrown and now I cant stop! my bikini area looks like hamburger meat but each ingrown (and regular) hair I see as an enemy if you will and when that little dot finally gives way to a 1/4 inch hair its like VICTORY! lol hiding in the bathroom and started in on my legs too. taking it easy on the eyebrows. Then afterwards peroxide, witch hazel, antibiotic ointment, antifungal, zit lotion, you name it. I'm obsessed like I'm at war. WTH?

I mostly pick eyelashes, eyebrows, scalp skin, and pimples and pores on my arms and face (though when I'm really nervous I go for the pubes too!)

I've been able to 90% stop pulling my eyelashes through a kind of a weaning approach. I told myself that I was allowed to pull, but not as hard and not for as long as I had been, and if I didn't get any eyelashes out, oh well! I would have to wait a few hours until I was allowed to pull again. And I gradually decreased from there. I mostly focused on pulling more gently and lightly, so I wouldn't actually pull the hairs out as much anymore, and thus I would have less and less incentive to keep pulling.

At least that worked for me, since getting the hair out and being able to hold it and look at it and scrutinize it gives me the most release, not just the pulling itself. So maybe if it's similar for you you can tell yourself (though this will be hard) that you aren't allowed to use tweezers anymore, but you are allowed to use your hands, so this will force you to let the hair grow in long enough to pull at with your fingers, and your fingers wont be able to pull out as many hairs as your tweezers, so you will slowly begin decreasing the "payback" you get from pulling.

I'm still really struggling with the scalp and pore picking, but I've gotten a few good ideas from people here, like give yourself a barrier - a device or method that will still give you a similar feeling as pulling, but that separates you from the act of pulling itself. Like for me I've been trying to use a really stiff, bristly brush to scrub my scalp every day so that I feel like there's less dead skin on there to pick at, and I've gotten a blackhead removal tool to use instead of my fingers on my face, and I've been trying to just use more blackhead and pimple removal products on my face so that there will be less to pick at in general. So maybe giving yourself a barrier - like switching to hand picking, rather than tweezing, or promising yourself a good wax as soon as the hair gets long enough to wax again, so there won't be anything to tweeze anyway.

I dunno, I hope some of this helps!

All i can say is exactly the same thing happened to me. All started from when I used to get waxed regularly and I noticed strays that bothered me so I would pluck them out... but never did I think it would result in a disorder like this!!! My main problem area is my legs, but pubic region also and underarms. But it's the legs that bother me as I have lots of scars and is obviously more visible that people can see. I'm literally addicted to it and now I'm not working due to depression it has taken over my life! If only I could get paid for it! ha
I started a new anti-depressant today, prozac which is meant to help with hair pulling and other anxiety-related problems when at a high dose. As well as the impulse side of it, I have got BDD too and a bit of OCD and I know they are all closely linked. I'm wondering if anyone here has BDD too?as the reason I started it was because I hate hair on my body where it shouldn't be! I'm desperate to get IPL laser on it all to stop it happening, I've already had a bit done but it's very expensive and takes ages for all the hair to go but I'm definitely going to make sure I get it done, but first need to let my legs heal a bit so I can get it done, otherwise it will be all pigmented. I've tried every technique to stop myself doing it and the longest I've lasted is maybe a couple of days, which was great for me. I'm hoping the medication will help too before I get the laser removal done. I just got book on it to help,called 'help for hair pullers' so maybe have a look at it on Amazon.

Everything everyone has mentioned is excellent to help you!
I will add, since I relate to what you are saying, that I had to add a goal sheet, to mark out ten minute slots of time to help me break the pattern of hiding in the bathroom to handle the pulling in private.

I strongly recommend the pimple tool, you can find it at Walmart, it will stop you from using your fingers, and acts as a barrier. It also protects the skin from excessive breakage. I used this tool on several ingrown hairs with success, and then used the vaseline to keep the area moist to give it time to heal after that.

Best wishes!

Hello, I'm so happy to have discovered this site and conversation. I was the victim of a sexual assault less than one month ago. Since that event, I have been obsessively tweezing out all my pubic hair. The hospital personnel did a rape kit in which they *aggressively* tweezed about 15 hairs. Before this, my normal routine has been full bikini waxes. I don't talk about what happened to me (well, except on this message) because I felt very ashamed and also the feeling at the hospital from law enforcement and the male nurse did not feel supportive. I almost wish I would have just rolled over and blocked it. I can do that. The only kind contact was the advocate brought in as required by law. I digress. I cannot stop THINKING of plucking. When I'm plucking it's as if I enter some peaceful mindspace where I just zone out. It is completely satisfying and gives me a sense that I am helping myself and recovering. I love to get at the bumps especially where I know an ingrown hair is hiding. I pull it out and there is a bit of pus (I'm very sorry for the faint of heart and/or stomach) and even better if blood accompanies it. If the hair breaks off, I'm crestfallen. I will then continue to go at the hair until I have excised it all. My arms and wrists get tired from holding the hand mirror, flashlight et al and that is the most frustrating part. I could do it ALL NIGHT! The pain is somehow invigorating. Then I use an isopropyl alcohol soaked cloth and let it soak in. What becomes a downer is the "aftermath". The next day the area looks disgusting. It's not smooth (of course), just red, swollen, bumpy, looking like an infectious outbreak. The pain is not invigorating the next day. It is achy, grating, and I feel enormous shame. I wear my leggings or skinny jeans and I'm continually reminded that I've done something very abnormal and I worry about my sanity. So it's a net loss. But, now, again, I'm anxious and "fantasizing" about doing it again. I have a long-distance boyfriend who is coming to visit tonight. I am not comfortable talking about anything yet. I feel very foolish. I want to add that I have no self-harm history nor any skin picking hair plucking history. I take Cymbalta for my depression which is not mild. I went through a difficult divorce and am currently packing for a move. You could say I am under some stress at the moment.
I have very bad insomnia so Ambien for that and Klonopin for anxiety. My psychiatrist says I have Adjustment Disorder mixed anxiety and depression. He described the disorder as a reaction to a traumatic event less than six months prior. I am fairly sure I'll be depressed and anxious longer than six months. I hope not, however my coping skills are clearly abysmal. I am so thankful to have a safe place to talk. I hope I can be a resource for everyone here. I will do my best. And please, if you do have the emotional bandwidth to do so, I welcome your advice or suggestions. I admire your strength for sharing with others. You have already helped me. Camille