The use of pharmacologic pain sensitization in the treatment of repetitive hair-pulling.

A significant problem for many individuals who engage in repetitive hair-pulling is the fact that they experience no discomfort associated with their behavior, and can thus carry on with hair-pulling outside of conscious awareness. The present case study was an attempt to address this problem through the use of a commercially available topical cream which enhances pain sensitivity. A 38-yr-old female applied the cream daily to two affected areas on her scalp. The increased pain sensitization, in conjunction with the habit reversal technique, resulted in markedly decreased hair-pulling.