Fear of Hair(Trichophobia ): Causes, Symptoms, Treatments

Fear of hair or trichophobia is a rare phobia that causes an irrational, abnormal, and persistent fear of hair. The word derives from the Greek khanate, “loose flowing hair,” and Phobos, which means aversion or fear. Other names used for phobia include Trichopathophobia, where tricho is Greek for hair and pathogenic for disease. Thus, trichopathophobia means an extreme “fear of hair disease” that causes a person to fear going bald or developing problems with the scalp or hair.

Another name for fear of hair is Trichophobia, which is the general fear of “loose hairs” seen on clothing, furniture, floors, etc. Hypertrophobia is the persistent and constant fear of hair and is closely related to xenophobia.

Most are afraid of other people’s hair and, in some cases, even animal hair. Many Chaetofobics try to avoid people with thick, dense, curly, or Afro-style hair. Others are only afraid of loose and flowing hair and avoid places like hair salons or hair salons where there are more chances of finding hair on the floor.

Phobics have a panic attack at the sight of their hair, often believing they are “going to be damaged by it.” Many realize that their phobia is irrational; however, they are entirely unable to control it. Some people do not let other people touch their hair (or avoid touching other people’s hair), fearing that this could cause them to go bald. Other phobics have also been known to freak out when they see white or gray hair or even their body hair.

You might also like to read: Fear Of Ducks: Causes, Diagnosis, Self Help.

Causes of trichophobia

Ketophobic individuals believe that “hair is dirty.” The condition is often related to a fear of germs; one feels that the hair can make them sick if they contact it. Hair also gets greasy, dandruff, lice, or sometimes fungal infections.

• This makes people with an anxious mindset feel disgusted or disgusted by it.
• Hair loss could also trigger fear of hair phobia in men or women who fear going bald.
• Traumatic experiences during childhood with people with abundant hair.
• People obsessed with hygiene and cleanliness, which often border on obsessive-compulsive disorder, are more likely to suffer from xenophobia. They feel extreme disgust at seeing hair in unlikely places like food, clothing, etc.

Symptoms of fear of hair phobia

Trichophobia individuals present various symptoms depending on the level of their phobia.

• Tremors
• Stomach aches when looking at hair.
• Vomiting
• Feeling of madness
• They often refuse to cut or cut their hair for months or may prevent other people from touching their hair.
• Many people clean several times a day to ensure there are no traces of hair.
• Some experience a full-blown panic attack – racing heartbeat, rapid breathing, dizziness, etc.

Treatment of fear of hair

• Kethophobia is a highly treatable phobia; the best way to overcome it is through a combination of drugs and psychotherapy.
• Depending on the severity of the phobia, the therapist may prescribe anti-anxiety medications. However, these have some side effects, including drowsiness, etc.
• NLP or neurolinguistic programming is an effective remedy to treat xenophobia. This therapy was developed by Dr. John Grinder and Dr. Richard Brandler. It involves asking the phobic to describe the first event/memory that led to the phobia. It is then asked to “float out of the body” and dissociate itself from memory.
• You are led to believe that your older self is ‘watching a movie of your younger self experiencing trauma but going to a safer place where there is no fear.
• In addition to NLP, hypnotherapy, relaxation, and self-help techniques such as yoga and meditation can also help overcome xenophobia.