I still have the lines all over my leg from cuts I made, I guess mostly in October and Novermber. I was (mostly) not doing it after like the second week of November or December. Mine were not deep either, and they are still fading, but may be permanent - I don't know yet. I don't want mine to fade too much - if I can't see them I will probably have to make more. The scratches on my face from my fingernails last February faded to the point that you have to look really close and know what you are looking for in order to find them. I do have white lines down my arm that have been there for probably 4 or 5 years.

Generally, the scratches that I have done with fingernails do not make permanent scars, and usually are gone within 6 weeks at the most, often less than that (and I have to be pretty worked up to make significant scratches that way) while cuts with a blade stay much longer and some seem to be permanent (and I could do that kind out of the blue with no particular reason if I felt like it). I feel it but don't care.

It has been my experience that thoughts of cutting persist long after you stop doing it, sometimes even if you feel better and are not depressed (same goes for suicidal ideation - it takes a while to stop thinking about it after being past the crisis - could be several months), but thinking about it does not mean that you will do it. You might want to try to change your thoughts when you think about hurting yourself - find something else to think about instead, maybe a song or something that will take you to a better place.

There's no way for me to tell how your scars will change, but even if they are scars now they are probably still fading and will show up less and less even over several years.

<font color=orange>There is an easy answer to your problem that is neat, plausible, and wrong.

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