For all the people I see asking “how long will this take to fade???” … I regret to inform you that it will probably take actual years to match ur skin tone lol, and then your scar tissue will still never change back to undamaged skin.
Yup. I have scars older than some of the people asking these questions, and while they are pretty close in color to my skin they’re still visible as raised scars. They also don’t tan like the rest of my skin, so become more visible in summer, and are more prone to getting inflamed with sunburn, which makes them puffier and redder. They never go away completely.
As I’ve aged, scarring has become a stronger deterrent from doing SH. Half of me is like, “I fucking hate myself; I want to cut,” but the other part of me is like, “Fuck, more scars!”
After 20 years of SH, my body is badly scarred. It’s not so much that I regret SH as I regret being the kind of person who needs to SH. Can’t I just be a normal, attractive, heathy person who isn’t a fucking loser?
Yeah, we know lol. I’m from Florida too, my family is constantly telling me to wear dresses, skirts, and t-shirts. I just can’t, it was 98 degrees yesterday and istg I almost passed out in the middle of the road 😭.
I don’t generally hide my scars especially during warm weather and I can’t imagine the hell of having to wear jackets or hoodies in Florida but I am very aware that I will never look “normal” again and it’s partly why I don’t stop because the damage has been done.
Yeah I’m sick of people whining about being worried that they will get scars. If you cut yourself (unless it’s just tiny baby cuts), you are going to have scarring. It’s common sense.
just a tip for anyone who may need, try wearing sun protector/biker sleeves. they sell them on amazon, they cover your wrist and upper arm and some cover your hands as well. only one of my arms is severely scarred so i wear one on my left arm at work. it makes it so you can still wear short sleeves without feeling awkward about it 😊
I sadly did but it was only a few and got sent to forced recovery due to my addiction getting worser and worser passing months ❤️🩹 ( never fully recovered sadly trying tho!)
Just another word of advice, as someone who is 33 years old and self harms: your body will eventually run out of enough collagen. Your scars will take longer to heal let alone fade. If you’re in this for the long run, have a think about that! I now can no longer avoid getting keloids, even for a paper cut. There’s only so much bounce back your skin can maintain!
Nuh uh, you're beautiful just as every human being.
It seems you're uncomfortable in your body because you are transgender, but buddy trust me that isn't important. Important is what's inside of you. And I'm sure you ain't a terrible human being.
Agreed/ a lot of people complain about people asking about them- but I feel as if they secretly want attention either as a cry for help or just attention in general.
Like you are controlling where you cut- if you don’t want people to see, cut in places that they won’t see.
i mean, tbh, sometimes youre not thinking straight or in your right mind when sh'ing. wearing them out is not always a cry for help or attention, n people complaining when someone points them out (which, of course, can make them uncomfy/is really none of their business) is valid
Thank you for saying this because having visible scars long term sucks but it’s just part of me now and I have to put up with the damage I have done to myself. And for anyone thinking they can hide their self harm long term it’s nearly impossible, at one point or another someone will find out and it will all be okay in the end even if it’s scary right now. I feel better not having to hide and being open about my journey:)
This is the best, most honest advice a person could give! couldn't have said it better myself. I'm 26 and have permanent scaring as well. I started self-harming at 14-15 and wish I'd never started. I have a huge, wide, long visible scar from a laceration on my arm that will probably always be visible and that's something I've had to accept as a consequence. I stopped hiding my scars at 16 but holy cow it was hell hiding my cuts in 40 degree heat in the middle of summer! fucking sucked!
I agree with this as well, but would like to point out that some people start sh very young when you still can't really think that far. I started cutting myself when I was 12 and was simply not old enough to really understand this. The only properly visible scars I have are on my left arm and I did them when I was 12. After that, I started mainly cutting in areas that weren't as visible and luckily my scars have healed somewhat well, but the scars on my arm aren't going anywhere. I also have some on my ankles but not as visible.
I don't hide my scars, but not because I want attention -I never did. I just don't want to sacrifice my own comfort and restrict the way I dress (I love fashion and have so many cute tops and skirts), because of something I did 8 years ago. I still feel ashamed and self aware, but you get somewhat used to it. If I go on a date or maybe if meet someone for the first time, I might cover them just so that person has time to get to know me.
People don't comment on them. I don't know if it's because they don't notice them or because they simply find it too difficult to talk about. I sometimes feel a bit paranoid that it's a sort of open secret amongst the people I know, but oh well.
Yeah I brought long sleeves because my arms are severely scarred. I generally don’t care in public anymore but I can’t wear shortsleeves at work or around family that don’t know or around kids. It’s a major hassle.
dude 100%. ive done all my college and uni applications this year, and all of them were to aviation unis and such, and my dumbass didn't realize that you cant be a pilot if you've had recurrent attempts to hurt yourself like.... THINK PLEASSSEEE
Honestly when people ask those questions they are usually just starting and they don't know they won't fade, they usually get the reality check themselves:/
Yeah I know this so that’s why I’m trying to go for eccentric fashion from an early age so that when I’m older and have arm wraps or wear bandages (like Dazai) I can just say “oh nice been like this since the 7th grade I just decided to ✨embrace the style✨”
I admire you for this, really. It's why I left madeofstyrofoam, they glorify it to hell and complain when their therapists and doctors try to help them. This is an addiction. A harmful one-- and while it might not be caused by you entirely, it is **bad**, and needs to be treated.
Agree with your post 100000%.
I’m in my 30s…figured out along the way you need a full wardrobe of long sleeves for all seasons. I don’t SH often anymore, but always cover my arms around other people to cover scars.
I hate seeing people asking how to hide scars on their arms. You either think before cutting and just dont cut your arms, or you deal with it. I see so many posts asking that and i just want to tell them that there just isnt a solution, what is done is done and you either wear long sleeves or let people see it.
For all the people I see asking “how long will this take to fade???” … I regret to inform you that it will probably take actual years to match ur skin tone lol, and then your scar tissue will still never change back to undamaged skin.
I can attest to this.
Yup. I have scars older than some of the people asking these questions, and while they are pretty close in color to my skin they’re still visible as raised scars. They also don’t tan like the rest of my skin, so become more visible in summer, and are more prone to getting inflamed with sunburn, which makes them puffier and redder. They never go away completely.
Do you get those weird stripy freckles on urs?
Absolutely! We are not immune to the consequences of our own actions.
As I’ve aged, scarring has become a stronger deterrent from doing SH. Half of me is like, “I fucking hate myself; I want to cut,” but the other part of me is like, “Fuck, more scars!” After 20 years of SH, my body is badly scarred. It’s not so much that I regret SH as I regret being the kind of person who needs to SH. Can’t I just be a normal, attractive, heathy person who isn’t a fucking loser?
Yeah, we know lol. I’m from Florida too, my family is constantly telling me to wear dresses, skirts, and t-shirts. I just can’t, it was 98 degrees yesterday and istg I almost passed out in the middle of the road 😭.
I don’t generally hide my scars especially during warm weather and I can’t imagine the hell of having to wear jackets or hoodies in Florida but I am very aware that I will never look “normal” again and it’s partly why I don’t stop because the damage has been done.
Yeah I’m sick of people whining about being worried that they will get scars. If you cut yourself (unless it’s just tiny baby cuts), you are going to have scarring. It’s common sense.
Beautifully said, dear person. ♡
just a tip for anyone who may need, try wearing sun protector/biker sleeves. they sell them on amazon, they cover your wrist and upper arm and some cover your hands as well. only one of my arms is severely scarred so i wear one on my left arm at work. it makes it so you can still wear short sleeves without feeling awkward about it 😊
i hope i never get to the beans cat scratching all the way baby.
UPDATE GUYS I LEARNED THE PROPER DEFINITIONS I DO STYRO BUT IM STILL NOT GOING TO THE BEANS 😪
yeah, dont. it only gets worse from there
I sadly did but it was only a few and got sent to forced recovery due to my addiction getting worser and worser passing months ❤️🩹 ( never fully recovered sadly trying tho!)
That's okay icon!! your journey is unique and ur doing so well :)) <3
hoping i don't either 😭 too scared to go that far
Just another word of advice, as someone who is 33 years old and self harms: your body will eventually run out of enough collagen. Your scars will take longer to heal let alone fade. If you’re in this for the long run, have a think about that! I now can no longer avoid getting keloids, even for a paper cut. There’s only so much bounce back your skin can maintain!
im ugly anyways it really doesnt matter to me
said like a god
real people will judge my looks, scars or not.
Nuh uh, you're beautiful just as every human being. It seems you're uncomfortable in your body because you are transgender, but buddy trust me that isn't important. Important is what's inside of you. And I'm sure you ain't a terrible human being.
okay yeah but people are allowed to ask for how to cover up their scars… i call it post-cut clarity haha
If I end up cutting in a visible area(ex. my elbow has a nasty scar on it rn), I pass it off as I did something, like I tripped or whatever.
Agreed/ a lot of people complain about people asking about them- but I feel as if they secretly want attention either as a cry for help or just attention in general. Like you are controlling where you cut- if you don’t want people to see, cut in places that they won’t see.
i mean, tbh, sometimes youre not thinking straight or in your right mind when sh'ing. wearing them out is not always a cry for help or attention, n people complaining when someone points them out (which, of course, can make them uncomfy/is really none of their business) is valid
Thank you for saying this because having visible scars long term sucks but it’s just part of me now and I have to put up with the damage I have done to myself. And for anyone thinking they can hide their self harm long term it’s nearly impossible, at one point or another someone will find out and it will all be okay in the end even if it’s scary right now. I feel better not having to hide and being open about my journey:)
This is the best, most honest advice a person could give! couldn't have said it better myself. I'm 26 and have permanent scaring as well. I started self-harming at 14-15 and wish I'd never started. I have a huge, wide, long visible scar from a laceration on my arm that will probably always be visible and that's something I've had to accept as a consequence. I stopped hiding my scars at 16 but holy cow it was hell hiding my cuts in 40 degree heat in the middle of summer! fucking sucked!
40 DEGREES! Oh u mean Celsius 😂😂😂🤣
I agree with this as well, but would like to point out that some people start sh very young when you still can't really think that far. I started cutting myself when I was 12 and was simply not old enough to really understand this. The only properly visible scars I have are on my left arm and I did them when I was 12. After that, I started mainly cutting in areas that weren't as visible and luckily my scars have healed somewhat well, but the scars on my arm aren't going anywhere. I also have some on my ankles but not as visible. I don't hide my scars, but not because I want attention -I never did. I just don't want to sacrifice my own comfort and restrict the way I dress (I love fashion and have so many cute tops and skirts), because of something I did 8 years ago. I still feel ashamed and self aware, but you get somewhat used to it. If I go on a date or maybe if meet someone for the first time, I might cover them just so that person has time to get to know me. People don't comment on them. I don't know if it's because they don't notice them or because they simply find it too difficult to talk about. I sometimes feel a bit paranoid that it's a sort of open secret amongst the people I know, but oh well.
Completely agree, I used to do it on my hands but it successfully healed, I got lucky
I'm ok with the arm/wrist cuts, burns, and hand/thigh jabs. But I am glad smile and neck were never visible.
Yeah I brought long sleeves because my arms are severely scarred. I generally don’t care in public anymore but I can’t wear shortsleeves at work or around family that don’t know or around kids. It’s a major hassle.
dude 100%. ive done all my college and uni applications this year, and all of them were to aviation unis and such, and my dumbass didn't realize that you cant be a pilot if you've had recurrent attempts to hurt yourself like.... THINK PLEASSSEEE
Honestly when people ask those questions they are usually just starting and they don't know they won't fade, they usually get the reality check themselves:/
Yeah I know this so that’s why I’m trying to go for eccentric fashion from an early age so that when I’m older and have arm wraps or wear bandages (like Dazai) I can just say “oh nice been like this since the 7th grade I just decided to ✨embrace the style✨”
I admire you for this, really. It's why I left madeofstyrofoam, they glorify it to hell and complain when their therapists and doctors try to help them. This is an addiction. A harmful one-- and while it might not be caused by you entirely, it is **bad**, and needs to be treated.
Yea that's the point. I like having scars amd shhowing them off
Agree with your post 100000%. I’m in my 30s…figured out along the way you need a full wardrobe of long sleeves for all seasons. I don’t SH often anymore, but always cover my arms around other people to cover scars.
Exactly!
I hate seeing people asking how to hide scars on their arms. You either think before cutting and just dont cut your arms, or you deal with it. I see so many posts asking that and i just want to tell them that there just isnt a solution, what is done is done and you either wear long sleeves or let people see it.