Amy Schumer Hair Loss Condition Revealed

A quick look at Amy Schumer and her career shows she has enjoyed a successful 2022 (so far). Her new Hulu show, “Life & Beth” debuted to good reviews, and she was also one of the hosts this year at the Oscars. The 40-year-old also revealed she has struggled for years with trichotillomania which is a disorder that compels a person to compulsively pull out their body hair in areas such as the scalp and eyebrows.

During an interview about her Hulu series, Schumer said “I think everybody has a big secret and that’s mine. And I’m proud that my big secret only hurts me but it’s been what I’ve carried so much shame about for so long.”

According to Schumer, the disorder started during a difficult point of her youth. It was a time in her life when her father declared bankruptcy and was also diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In addition, her mother ended up leaving her father for the married father of her best friend. The hair pulling was so bad that she had to wear a wig when she returned to school.

Schumer said that “everybody knew” she was wearing a wig. “And it’s not that I used to have this problem and now I don’t” while adding it is “still something that I struggle with.”

Amy Schumer Worries for Her Child

Her ongoing battle with trichotillomania makes her worry about the future of her two-year-old son. Schumer is worried he might share the diagnosis at some point since, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the condition has a genetic component. “Every time he touches his head I’m having a heart attack.”

Her character in “Life & Beth” also has trichotillomania and she hopes showing the condition in the show will encourage others to “alleviate shame. I really don’t want to have a big secret anymore. And I though putting it in there would be good for me to alleviate some of my shame and maybe, hopefully, help others alleviate some of theirs, too.”

“Life & Beth” Offers Guidance for Trichotillomania Help

Besides speaking out about the issue in interviews and showing it on the television show, the team at “Life & Beth” also made to share where people with the condition can find help. The episode that focuses on the disorder direct anyone who feels they are suffering from the condition to get more information from the TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors.

The Foundation praised Schumer’s portrayal of the disease. The executive director of the organization told The Hollywood Reporter, “Our community is breathing a collective sigh of relief after having our behaviors mischaracterized and misinterpreted for so many years.

Trichotillomania – When it Might Occur

It has been reported by the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) that trichotillomania can begin to affect people as young as 22-months-of-age. The report also mentioned that, as of March 2020, there were no records of the onset of the disease in people over the age of sixty.

In addition, the report also stated trichotillomania impacts men and women in an equal manner pre-puberty. However, women are anywhere from five to ten times more likely to be affected after they begin puberty. The ADAA said trichotillomania often begins during times of stress in adolescence or childhood.

Trichotillomania Treatment Options

Trichotillomania is considered to be a type of obsessive-compulsive behavior disorder which differs in severity from person to person. Thankfully, there are treatment options such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that help patients effectively manage the condition. This therapy aims to alter the behavior of the person by identifying and focusing on the triggers that result in hair pulling. The doctor works to redirect the action and form positive responses to the triggers.

There is the possibility of medications helping the condition but there has not been one particular medicine that has been identified to work for all patients.

While a hair transplant might seem like a logical solution to replace hair that has been pulled out of the scalp, the treatment is not recommended if the condition is still an ongoing issue for the patient. Hair has been shown to regrow in many cases once the underlying cause of the condition has been identified and treated and the patient stops the behavior of pulling the hair. There are also cases where the regrowth of hair is not always complete due to the constant pulling of the hair which damages the hair follicles.

Our office does not recommend a hair restoration surgery until anywhere from six to twelve months after the patient stops the behavior of pulling the hair. It is necessary to wait this amount of time in order to make sure the hair pulling does not start again. It is also important for us to wait until any treatment plans for the condition have been successfully completed.

In general, a hair transplant will only be considered if the patient is not in the hair pulling phase (stable) and is not at any risk of continuing to pull their hair.