auntypammy@webtv.net
(Pamela Chepotch)
Hi All
Here is the time frames on regrowth from my notes from the Hair
Biology session at the TLC Retreat.
Eyebrows were pretty slow - like 2-4 years for fill in - and eyebrows
did have the most liklihood for permanent damage :(
(think of betty boop and all the older ladies who tweezed to try and
get that look - and are stuck with it).
I do not pull my eyebrows anymore - its been at least 2 years if not 3
or 4. They did not filll in. I originally had really long and dark
brow hairs. Since they look stupid so long and curly, with only a few
here and there, I keep them cut short with scissors. I read that on
the remailers somewehre as an idea to keep the urges down (which has
worked 100% for me).
Even though they didn't grow back the way I would like - it takes WAY
less time to draw them on now - because the outline and shape is there
:) so I don't end up with crooked ones. I use the Maybelline
crayon-type pencil - that is all red. I put in on with short strokes
so it doesn't look to harsh. Sometimes I blot powder over it to
soften it more, and that also keeps the makeup fresher looking all
day.
I have thought about getting the permanent tattoos now for the brows-
but definitley do not want to get permanent tattos on the eyes ... and
i do not like the way it looks when I have makeup on my brows but not
my eyes ... so I have not chosen to do that.
Someone, somewhere along the way, posted about a website with
temporary eyebrow tatoos - where you could put them on and they would
alst 3 days or more? I don't have that informaiton.
At the TLC Retreat, they also talked about being able to replace
eyebrow hairs in cosmetic surgery ... blanking out on the term for
htat ... don't remember the price, it was majorly expensive ...I think
someone mentioned like $10,000 for that?
If anyone would like the full email iwth notes from the Hair Biology
session - please email me personally and I will be happy to forward it
to you. It expailns why you get the kinkies and greys, and what the
white things are, etc. Understanding the biology of the hair, did
help me fight some of my illogical reasons to pull - like
rationalizing pulling the kinkies, greys, all the 'wrong' hairs, etc.
Hope this Helps
Pam
_________________________________________
RECOVERY TIME FRAMES
**Different areas of hair have different chances for recovery speed -
but in a nutshell - the longer you have pulled - the slower it goes.
**Lashes - FULL recovery, some people can get them in 6 weeks to 6
months, if you have been pulling for years and years - could be 2-4
years. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This Section Updated
Later - Notes not checked by Doctor ... Hi All Here is my better
explanation on the time frame for regrowth of lashes - because I had
asked a question to the Doctor, and knew what the question was when I
typed the notes :) There are a few things with the lashes on speed of
recovery: ***1) it totally varies from person to person, anywhere from
6 weeks to 6 months to 2-4 years for complete regrowth and fill in,
(most people get 'something' in 6-8 weeks); ***2) the longer you have
pulled generally the slower it is; ***3) the first time they regrow a
lot of people get the thing where they are all on the same 'lifecycle'
and then all fall out at the same time, making resisting the pulling
very difficult; ***4) A lot of people get 1 set in in the 'shorter'
time frame - that is sparser than what they used to have, and
therefore think they will never get the rest. But most of us do - it
is just that is where it might take 2-4 years to 'completely' fill in.
I.e. (I'm making up a number, lets say before I ever pulled I used to
have 100 lashes on each upper eyelid and 80 on each lower. I pulled
for 17 years and then tried to let them grow in. In 8 weeks I got a
'set' on each upper lid of about 50 lashes, and about 40 on each lower
lid. So I thought I would never get all the rest, didn't like the way
they looked anyway, so pulled them all out again. I probably can get
the rest, but it will take much longer for hte 'total' number of
eyelashes to fill in.) ***5) A lot of get a set of the 'short
stubbies' first. They eventually go back to normal aslo. They tend to
be more 'itchy' and also make resisting the urges very dificulat.
***6) A lot of us get ones 'pointing' in the wrong direction, - this
would be akin to a 'kinky' hair on the scalp - i.e. the damaged
follicle, if heals, will straighten back out eventually. I personally
have not found a way to resist these. So the best I can say, if you
absolutely can NOT resit, then at least "pull' it in the direction
that you WANT it to grow in. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**Eyebrows - FULL recovery, can be slower than Lashes - this is an
area more easily damaged and does not regrow totally back for some
people. **HEAD - FULL recovery, 2-6 years for Normal Hair! Think about
it, your hair only grows 1/4- 1/2 inch a month, and you have to wait
for each hair pulled to start its growing cycle again. Plus, if it is
growing in kinky or "peach fuzz", you have to wait a long time (my
experience 6 months), for that phase to change back to regular hair.
And then you have to grow length again. I think the Doc's time frame
also takes into account people who are in the process of recovery, and
having ocassional pulling relapses. **On possible damage forever - the
Doc talked about this as a rarity although possible. Even in this
chance, it would be pretty rare for someone to be able to damage ever
follicle on their entire head! She emphasized that there are usually
physical signs on your skin (not the pulled out hair) if you have
permanently damaged follicles. If you had scabs and scars, that could
be a sign for those particular spots of possible permanent damage. You
would STILL have to wait to recover from TTM behaviors, and stop
picking at those areas for MONTHS before you would know for sure.
Female pattern baldness areas are the easiest permanent damage area,
and some people in recovery do have thinning and damage in those
areas. But again, that is not the experience of MOST people! You can't
even begin to evaluate that until you have been pull free for months
to years!