[elin95]

I wonder what other people think about this.

I used to self harm on my thighs. It is really bad but the scars are fading. The thought of these scars being there forever makes me panic.

How do you cope with your scars?

With Empathy & Compassion
For Where I Was Then ...

With Loving Acceptance For How Far
I've Come & Where I Am Now.

I Hope You Are Able To Do The Same!

I have just learnt to live with them I guess. I've had to accept that they're not going anywhere and there isn't really much I can do about it. I'm planning a tattoo which will cover some scars but not much really.

I am afraid that they may actually go away! I don't really want them too. It serves as a good reminder to me of everything that I have overcome. If they leave I could have a relapse and do it again to get them back.

[scatterbrained04]

Most of mine have faded except for a few that will never go away, and no one would be able to tell what they are from. I get pretty embarassed by SI scars. These days I tend to punch myself more than do things that leave marks. SI has always mostly always been a last resort way for me to calm down.

[notz]

I did most of my cutting from ages 15 to 50. I just turned 62. Most of my scars are faded but the ones on my arms are more noticeable than ever due to the changes (thinning) of my skin as I have aged.

Just thought I'd share with you that they may re-appear or appear in a more pronounced way as mine have over time.

[junkDNA]

i dont notice them anymore until someone asks me what happened to my arm. then i turn red and wish i could hide in a hole

[TheOriginalMe]

I looked at my arm today and I thought "My poor arm". I touched the scars and reminded myself that I do not need to be that person.

[Littleton9]

Since mine are mostly on my legs I don't worry much about them until summer time. I spend alot of effort during winter though to hope they fade some. Being tan just makes me white scars stand put more and then I have the purple ones that are newer. I exfoliate my skin alot and put oil on.

I mainly hate when a child asks me what happens and then suddenly it's the elephant in the room the adults pretend to not notice.

[i dont matter]

my marks have all pretty much faded away. i would not say that I ever had SH-caused "scars".... and I would have preferred that they stay around.

[ejayy78]

I've sort of accepted the ones on my arms, especially since they have begun to fade to white, so they aren't as noticeable. However I'm always nervous that someone will point them out. I work with a lot of children and preteens and one of my deepest fears is that a child will ask me about them. What do you say about that? :/ But the ones on my thighs are so much worse and they won't ever truly fade. I haven't learned to accept those at all. I hate them and they are a constant reminder that I've ruined my body. I am in a committed relationship and my s/o has not seen these scars yet. He knows about them. And I know he loves and cares for me anyway, and can look past them, but I am so embarrassed for him to see.

I hope someday I can learn to accept that my scars are a part of my story and not be so ashamed of them.

[Nammu]

Like Notz said they get a bit more noticeable with age. It's hot where I live and there's no way to hide my arms but I wear long shorts now. I wish they would go away. It's been over 20 years and they are still quite noticeable. Plus I have null burned into my arm, I have to keep suntan lotion on it or the area that tans makes it more noticeable.

[katelyn1019]

I pretty much just accepted that they will be there for a long time. I cant even imagine myself living to be that old, but I figure they would be there forever. Mine have faded quite a lot (until I relapsed), but they were getting pretty unnoticeable.

[ScarletPimpernel]

I have SI'ed on almost every part of my body. Most of the scratches have faded. You actually have to know what your looking for to see them. My main areas where I used to cut are covered by tattoos. Again, if you look close enough you can see the scars. The only place where you can see the scars is on my thigh. I'm not going to cover it with a tattoo incase I relapse again.

I'm kinda glad I have the scars, but am also glad you can't really see them. To me, it shows how much I have overcome. But I don't want them to bring any attention to myself.

[random_emotion]

I kinda like my scars......

[just2b]

Tattoos and then i manage to cut around them...not sure i am done

[roboanxia]

I know how you all feel about sexual posts.

Possible trigger:

If you take of your clothes, a guy probably won't be looking at, or even care much about, your scars.

[dontevenknow]

Originally Posted by roboanxia

I know how you all feel about sexual posts.

Possible trigger:

If you take of your clothes, a guy probably won't be looking at, or even care much about, your scars.

Yeah I used to worry about that, guys noticing, but I realized this too. Unless you are in a very intimate, committed relationship it may never be noticed. Well at least I hope not. I am very self conscious in general so I tend to be more modest, or at least shut the lights off haha.

My scars are scattered around my body, so just in 1 specific area. I think the ones on my arms bother me the most. Because I know what they are from. It isn't super obvious, but other people may ask which would make me very caught off guard.
It is just another anxiety I don't need.

[Georgia Bridge]

"In the clearing stands a boxer,
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of every glove that laid him down
And cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame,
'I am leaving, I am leaving.'
But the fighter still remains."
The Boxer- Simon and Garfunkel
The SI scars are ones I did to myself; most of the other scars were written by others. The ones I have written are expressions of my own. Without them I would see only the artwork of others.