Who told you it was a skin disease, Jimbo? It's an impulse control disorder, which means it's psychological instead of dermatological. It's probably a lot like OCD. In this case, the compulsion is to pull out hair.

I think trich is a lot more common than people realize. Before I read this post, I've known of three people who had it, and all three of them were adolescent young men. The stats say it's more common in females, but my guess is it's simply more frequently reported in females, who're more likely to seek treatment for all conditions (and also who probably worry more about their hair). Are you getting medical treatment for it? To stop the compulsion, I mean, not to treat the bald spots? The son of a friend of ours had good luck with one of the SSRI antidepressents in treating his trich.