Trichotillomania: Disorder Usually Seen at 17, Actress Olivia Munn Affected

Excess hair or skin can be annoying. As humans, it's natural to pick or pull at these things, as anyone might from time to time. However, when people excessively rid themselves of certain excrements, including skin sheddings, hair or nail clippings, it can be become detrimental to their health, otherwise known as Trichotillomania.

As many as 4 percent of people may have trichotillomania, according to the National Institutes of Health, and the condition is four times more common among women. The disorder is usually first seen before people reach age 17, and the period of hair-pulling usually only lasts for about a year, according to the NIH.

Symptoms of trichotillomania include actually pulling your hair out; wanting to pull the hair out and feeling relieved after you've pulled it out; playing, chewing, eating or rubbing the extracted hair; and having patchy, bald or sparse areas on the body where the hair used to be, according to the Mayo Clinic.

This disorder affects millions of people of all ages, according to the Trichotillomania Learning Center. Research into treatments for the disorder, including skin picking, have grown steadily over the past decade. Although no one treatment has been found to be effective for everyone, a number of treatment options include management of these behaviors by educating and awareness of problems regarding the disorder. More specific treatment options include cognitive behavioral therapy, varying medications and support groups.

As this disorder is brought on by anxiety, it's no surprise that some in the public eye, too, are hit with it. According to the New York Daily News, Olivia Munn, an actress from "The Newsroom" recently revealed that she pulls out her eyelashes as a way to deal with anxiety.

"I don't bite my nails, but I rip my eyelashes," the 32-year old actresses said. "It doesn't hurt, but it's really annoying. Every time I run out of the house, I have to stop and pick up a whole set of fake eyelashes."

Munn currently stars in the aforementioned HBO drama and in Steven Soderbergh's male stripper flick, "Magic Mike."