Dorin Azerad: The Trichotillomania Hairstylist



100 Changemakers for 100 days of BFRB Awareness

I’m a hair-puller and a hairstylist - the Trichotillomania Hairstylist. I’ve been living every day of the past 25 years with Trichotillomania, the hair-pulling disorder.

I haven’t always loved my trichotillomania and hair loss.

My journey with trichotillomania began over 25 years ago when I started pulling out my eyelashes and eyebrows at age 4. A few years later, my hands moved to my left hairline. With that, the number of hairs I pulled increased exponentially.

In my teens, if you even mentioned the word “hair” around me, I’d flinch and change the conversation. Wanting nothing more than to stop pulling, I tried everything from doctors and meds to fidget toys and hair pulling journals. Nothing worked - my bald spots only got bigger and bigger, as did the headbands and bandanas I wore everyday to cover up those growing spots.

At the age of 16, I was no longer able to cover up my bald spots with headbands. My mother brought me to a local hairstylist who specialized in alternative hair. I got my first hair piece, and with that my life changed for the better.

Slowly, I decided I no longer wanted to live my life feeling defined by my deepest, darkest secret - my trichotillomania. Even more, I didn’t want others to feel defined by their own experience with hair loss. 

In 2016, I quit my first job out of college and joined the beauty industry to support those with trichotillomania and spread awareness about it and other hair disorders. 

Today, I am a hairstylist at Élan Hair Studio, a salon specializing in hair loss solutions, in Houston, TX. Behind the chair, I strive to provide each of my clients - men, women, and children - with a safe space to begin taking control of their hair loss journey.

My life changed for the better when I could wake up feeling confident about my hair and my hair loss. I want to help others who are struggling to feel the same.

I am now on a journey of acceptance and self-compassion; I’m learning to love my trichotillomania, my hair (or lack thereof), and most importantly, myself. Yes, I still pull out my hair everyday (actually, I haven’t had a pull-free day in years), but I’m ok with that! I no longer live my life wishing for a day without trichotillomania, because I love my life NOW with trichotillomania.