Hello,

I am 58 years old and have been pulling my eyelashes and brows since I was about 12 years old.

Some months it would get worse than others and on occasion I have stopped pulling and let them grow back out. I’ve had almost a complete set of eyelashes now for a year — mainly because the older you get, the harder it is to put make-up on. And I control it by knowing this.

I do occasionally pull from the inner corners because they aren’t missed and aren’t noticeable as much. I put them under the screen so that I can look at them every day and admire them as if they are tiny pots of mine. I have no idea what causes this but the impulse is always there; it never goes away. I just fight it every day.

It seems we all have some kind of ritual we do after we pull. Mine is to touch the root to my lips and then I stick them to the computer so I can admire them. I like the pain from pulling but I’ve pulled for so long now, there’s no pain anymore. Also, some of my brows never grew back from all the pulling I’ve done over the years so I have to pencil them in a bit.

I wish I knew how I’d find a cure for this compulsion and find out why we do it. I want to know why we do it more than anything. I am so ready to stop. I look for any blackhead or pimple — searching only on my face for one. I thought I would share my story because I know there are so many others like me. Good luck to us all in controlling this awful disorder.

Cathy