Big Brother star Nikki Grahame undergoes eyebrow treatment to cover up bald patches

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Nikki Grahame is well known for her television tantrums
She speaks for the first time about her compulsive condition
Semi-permanent eyebrow treatment has given her back confidence

By Phoebe Jackson-edwards For Mailonline

Published: 08:37 EST, 31 July 2015 | Updated: 11:39 EST, 31 July 2015

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Television personality Nikki Grahame revealed for the first time she has been battling an addiction to plucking her own eyebrows from the age of ten.

The troubled 33-year-old now has large, permanent patches where hair cannot grow after suffering from trichotillomania, an impulse control condition causing a compulsive need to pull out hair.

The Big Brother contestant, from Watford, couldn't step outside the house without using an eyeliner to fill in the gaps in her brows but has now had semi-permanent treatment to transform their appearance.

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Nikki Grahame would pull out her eyebrows compulsively and has been left with permanent gaps

They appear much fuller after semi-permanent eyebrow treatment filled in Nikki's brows

Trichotillomania is affects up to four per cent of the UK population, mainly women.

Nikki said: 'I've been plucking my eyebrows since the age of 10 and from my teens I was pretty much doing it everyday.

'It had become like an addiction, if I passed a mirror I would have to fiddle with them.'

She is devastated that obsessive plucking of her eyebrows has left permanent damage.

'In the past few years I've noticed bigger and bigger gaps in the brow line where hair won't grow back.

'There are now two big gaps on both sides, right in the middle of the brows and I have to put on eyeliner pencil to cover them up every time I go out.

'I've been told they will probably never grow back and I'm really upset about it.'

This is not the first time Nikki has spoken out about her problems.

She has always been vocal about her struggle with anorexia which she suffered with from the age of eight.

During treatment, tiny strokes are applied to give the appearance of hair in the gaps

During a gymnastics class, another girl commented that Nikki looked 'fat' in her leotard.

It was this combined with family upheaval that triggered her eating disorder.

Her disorder was so severe, at 15 she weighed just 4st 3lb.

The lifelong struggle has left her unable to have children naturally because she's never had a period.

She has always been open about her anorexia but this is the first time she has opened up about her trichotillomania.

Nikki said: 'I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self to stop doing this.

'I would like to warn other girls of the problems of over plucking their eyebrows, sometimes they don't ever come back.'

Nikki pictured with the anesthetic cream covering her brows to numb before treatment

WHAT IS TRICHOTILLOMANIA

Trichotillomania is a condition where a person feels compelled to pull their hair out.

They may pull out the hair on their head or in other places, such as their eyebrows or eyelashes.

Trichotillomania is an impulse-control disorder (a psychological condition where you are unable to stop yourself carrying out a particular action).

It is not known what causes trichotillomania, but there are several theories.

Some experts think hair pulling is a type of addiction. The more you pull your hair out, the more you want to keep doing it.

Trichotillomania may be a reflection of a mental health problem. Psychological and behavioural theories suggest that hair pulling may be a way of relieving stress or anxiety.

In some cases, trichotillomania may be a form of self-harm, where you deliberately injure yourself as a way of seeking temporary relief from emotional distress.

The most effective treatment is therapy to change your hair-pulling behaviour, combined with a network of emotional support.

Visit your GP if you are pulling your hair out or if you notice that your child is.

She's not the only high-profile sufferer of the condition which results in a compulsive urge to pull out the hairs on eyelashes, eyebrows, legs, arms, hands and in extreme cases even the hair on the scalp.

Samantha Faiers, who starred in The Only Way is Essex, has admitted her struggle with a compulsion to pull out her eyelashes.

She uses false eyelashes to hide the damage caused.

Nikki is now speaking out after having semi-permanent brow treatment at the Debra Robson LDN clinic in Harley Street give her back the appearance of full eyebrows.

The makers claim it combines the latest technology and techniques to provide accuracy and longevity.

The treatment used a micro needles with a 0.2mm extra fine point and uses multiple colour shades to match precisely to Nikki's hair colour.

After the pigments were carefully blended, a customized design template was created for the shape and thickness of the brow is set.

An anaesthetic cream was applied to Nikki's brows 30 minutes before the treatment and then hundreds of ultra-fine strokes are infused into the skin to replicate the appearance of hair.

The treatment takes around 30 minutes and is almost entirely pain-free.

The treatment lasts for up to two years as opposed to most semi-permanent treatments which only last up to six months and costs up to £999.

Nikki said: 'I can't stop looking at the new brows.

'It's changed my face, I can't believe it.'