Sara Sampaio, a gorgeous Victoria's Secret Angel, has recently opened up on her bout against trichotillomania, and it gave others the strength to come out as well.
The stunner may look like she got everything under control, but her recent admission proves she is just like everyone else. Sampaio candidly shared her struggles through the Instagram Stories, while she said she was "stuck in traffic."
During that time, she said that she is open to answering questions from her fans. One of them asked her about her eyebrow secret because she obviously has too perfect pairs. The reply from Sampaio was not expected. It turns out she has been suffering from a disorder known as trichotillomania, a condition when a person cannot stop pulling hairs.
"Well I try not to touch them, but unfortunately I suffer from trichotillomania and I pull on them!" Sampaio explained, along with a crying emoji.
Furthermore, she revealed that she uses a brow pencil to fill in the gaps. This prompted a horde of people who are suffering from the same disorder to message Sampaio, so she decided to give a little background and some first-hand experience from the disorder.
The 27-year-old first shed light on what trichotillomania is and explained to people that her ordeal with the hair-pulling disorder started when she was just 15. Sampaio narrated that when she was younger, she used to pull her eyelashes.
After doing so, she had since been hooked to pulling her eyebrows instead of her eyelashes. Sampaio detailed that the urge gets stronger when she is stressed or when she is not busy doing anything, like when she is reading a book.
Words To Live By
Lucky for her, Sampaio said her brow hairs are "very strong," but her hair-pulling habit has still left gaps. No worries, though, as it can easily be covered with makeup.
Apart from sharing her experience, she also revealed that she is getting help with some prescribed medicine, N-acetylcysteine or NAC. However, it was not enough to completely stop her from pulling hairs.
As an end note, Sampaio proudly said she was not ashamed of the disorder and encouraged people who are suffering from trichotillomania not to be embarrassed about it. The Portuguese model also said to spread compassion and never judge anyone, especially because this disorder is hard to manage.
Sampaio's revelation about her battle is a small act that goes a long way. It may help others with the same condition to be brave. She has also helped in raising awareness about trichotillomania.