Sara Sampraio has followed the example of British supermodel XXX and chosen to speak plainly about her own unusual form of hair loss. We look closer.
Sara Sampraio
Her stellar career in modelling began when she was spotted at the tender age of just 15 in her home country of Portugal. At the age of 16, in 2007, she won a prestigious hair modelling contest, Cabelos Pantene. Diligent parenting would mean her blossoming modelling career would have to be put on hold until she had finished her education. After high school she went on to further education and she completed her studies at the University of Lisbon… while working part-time as an editor.
On completion of her studies she immediately became an in-demand talent. She spent three years from 2012 as the face of Italian beach and leisure brand Calzedone Mar but really established her name as a runway model. She has walked for a huge list of the world’s great designers, has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as well as the covers of Vogue, GQ, Harpers Bazaar, Marie Claire, Elle… the list goes on.
She has also fulfilled her dream as a model by securing one of the most sought after jobs in the industry… after three years working for Victoria’s Secret in various roles she finally got the call to be one of their Angels at the 2016 Paris Fashion Show.
In 2017 she also made her first appearance on television in hit US show “Billions.” She has played herself in “Clappers”and turned up in a couple of music videos… including one for superstar DJ David Guetta in one of her Victoria’s Secret Angel uniforms.
Talking Trichotillimania
Sara is a keen social media contributor and has a large loyal following. During a Q&A session, on her Twitter account, with fans she was asked about her eyebrow routine and immediately confessed to a problem.. “Well. I try not to touch them, but unfortunately I suffer from trichotillimania and I pull on them!” she wrote. “So I have lots of gaps in them, I just use a eyebrow pencil to fill out the gaps.”
It’s an unusual level of honesty from a celebrity, all the more unusual because it is a supermodel talking about her appearance. But there is another layer to it, one that is also very much in the public consciousness at the moment. Trichotillomania is, at the end of the day, a mental illness. An irresistible urge to pull at your own hair that results in bald patches.
HIS Hair Clinic
Well done to Sara for bringing trichotillimania into the light. It is a challenging and depressing condition for sufferers. A mental tick, in some ways similar to nail biting, or foot-tapping, or any of a range of mildly manic behaviours which are from one perspective harmless, but from the point of view of the sufferer can be terrible.
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