[gon3withth3wend]

I'm feeling extremely terrible about myself right now. Cutting is a relatively new thing for me (Not a whole year where I've actually been deliberately breaking skin with other objects), and I want to stop before it gets really bad. I have a lot of scars on my hip, and then one day I realized that the scars on my hip meant that my body in swimsuits would look terrible, and then doctors would notice, and any of my future partners would notice. So then I moved to my arms, where I could cover it, but I realized covering my arms was harder than I thought. I've spent so many days feeling really self conscious. I want them to go away. I don't think anyone has realized yet. But I want the scars to go away! I keep on reading that they don't, and I really don't want to believe that. I think I might have made it worse by cutting over scars after they already start to heal also. I want to stop and fix it before people find out, before it gets bad. Is there really no way to make them go away, or make them a lot less noticeable? I used to be so happy that unlike other girls, I had no stretch marks or body imperfections. I know it sounds terrible, I always thought, no matter how unhappy I was, "At least I'm still pretty". And I've been taking that away from myself. Sorry. I'm venting now. I really just want to know if there is a way to get the scars to go away, and if there is anything that I may be tempted to do that is unsafe. I have a type of bleach that I used on my face for acne scarring, but I'm not sure if I can start putting it on cuts that are still kind of open.

[whenwillitend]

In my case, no, they never go away. I have been cutting and burning for 16 years, I have a lot of scars, and sometimes I wish I could make them go away, because I know people stare. Mine are mostly on my arms. I tried Mederma. I used it three to four times a day for six months, and nothing happened.
For some people Bio Oil works. And I know that you can have them removed with laser treatments, but that's very expensive. Not an option for me, I have too many scars. The other thing you can do is use body makeup, you know, the waterproof kind that celebreties use to cover up tattoos and such. It's called camouflage or something like that. It's fairly cheap, $25. I've been thinking about ordering some, but I can't right now. You can look up the website.

The best thing to do of course is not getting any more scars in the first place. I know, easier said than done. But seriously, quit, now, while you still can. It WILL get worse.

Good luck to you and I hope this helped a little.

[jadedrose325]

I haven't cut my self in years. The cuts from the beginning are extremely hard to find. You have to know exactly where to look to know it's not a normal skin crease or something. The ones I did later on are still visable, but since my legs are so white to begin with most people don't see them on the rare occasion I wear shorts. There is a scar from 7 years ago that you can see no matter what. The scar that should have gotten stitches. But I kind of like it. It's a reminder why I had to quit and that no matter how small I started....It gets worse. I can handle bad, but I can't go through worse again. If I ever started up again with actual cutting I don't think I would ever be able to quit.
Whenwillitend is right. Quit, now, while you still can.

[Nemo39122]

You seem to be at that "Oh f*%#!" point, where what you've been doing suddenly sinks in and you realize the consequences...I'm sure everyone has been through it, I know I did. But here's the good news...hopefully it'll scare you into stopping. For me, it just made me more depressed and I convinced myself that I was a monster. My self-injury actually escalated after that point and essentially consumed my life. It became a part of me...a dark side. Please stop now because trust me, you do NOT want to get to that point.

As far as the scars, yes they are all permanent. However, that does not mean that you can't fade or diminish them. Some of the scars from my early cuts are impossible to see now, though I'm sure they're still actually there. I've tried Mederma scar gel as well...I used it at least once a day for quite awhile (several months). It mostly just helped make them less red and blend in with my skin, but they were still there. I still have to cover them up. I haven't tried anything else so far.

[onlytime]

I don't think my scars are ever going away There are certain things that help some people, like Bio oil, vitamin E, and mederma (like someone has already mentioned). I tried a lot of different types of makeup to cover up my scars too but they never worked.

It sucks that I have to live with this for the rest of my mind, but I guess it's something I have to learn to accept.

This may be obvious and I don't mean for it to be condescending, but the best thing you can do is figure out what cutting does for you and find other ways of coping. Are you seeing a therapist?

[Ticli-Otops]

They will fade, with time. Depending on the severity, they will be almost un noticeable. But, like in my case... they're deep enough to where they will always show. But, they will fade, and they won't be as noticeable as they are, now. Once you stop hurting yourself, your scars will start healing. What i've learned, is that these "scars" that you have now, are not REALLY scars. Once they're FULLY healed, they will then be considered scars, and you will be able to decide if they're how you want them to be. While they're healing, there are different products that you can use along with the natural healing process, that will make it so they aren't as visible as they would normally be, after complete healing. I have also learned that the healing process of what's soon to be scars, can be very painful. Keep me updated on these scars? Good luck.

[nicoleb2]

I'm fairly certain a lot of my scars will never fade enough to be not noticeable. If you didn't cut too deep, they will fade in time. If you cut deep and should;ve gotten stitches, i wouldn't get your hopes up

[grey_aj]

I read the subject title of the post and I felt for you immediately... I feel the same way. I'm not an extremely frequent cutter either, but from times when I have done it, the scars are still there... I started with my wrists but I play the violin and it was very hard to hide it from my violin teacher who wanted me to play without a watch or bracelets. I moved to my hips but what's going to happen if I get into a relationship one day? They have not faded, I think it is because of my pale skin. It also really depends on what kind of skin you have. I feel like people who are more tan have a better chance of the scars being less visible, it is really variable amongst differing skin types. Vitamin E is supposed to help :P

- AJ

[lickinfrogz]

My scars are deep and large, and it will take a long time to disappear. however i am old and a lot of my normal child hood scars have gone away. it depends on the size really.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by gon3withth3wend

I'm feeling extremely terrible about myself right now. Cutting is a relatively new thing for me (Not a whole year where I've actually been deliberately breaking skin with other objects), and I want to stop before it gets really bad. I have a lot of scars on my hip, and then one day I realized that the scars on my hip meant that my body in swimsuits would look terrible, and then doctors would notice, and any of my future partners would notice. So then I moved to my arms, where I could cover it, but I realized covering my arms was harder than I thought. I've spent so many days feeling really self conscious. I want them to go away. I don't think anyone has realized yet. But I want the scars to go away! I keep on reading that they don't, and I really don't want to believe that. I think I might have made it worse by cutting over scars after they already start to heal also. I want to stop and fix it before people find out, before it gets bad. Is there really no way to make them go away, or make them a lot less noticeable? I used to be so happy that unlike other girls, I had no stretch marks or body imperfections. I know it sounds terrible, I always thought, no matter how unhappy I was, "At least I'm still pretty". And I've been taking that away from myself. Sorry. I'm venting now. I really just want to know if there is a way to get the scars to go away, and if there is anything that I may be tempted to do that is unsafe. I have a type of bleach that I used on my face for acne scarring, but I'm not sure if I can start putting it on cuts that are still kind of open.

nope none of my scars went away. most scars dont go away sometimes some will fade to a faint white line instead of a huge brownish or red-ish line but that took months to a year for that to happen.

I like your idea of stopping now before it gets worse. a suggestion for you, let what ever marks you have now heal up then talk with your treatment providers.. if you dont have any recent cuts theres no reason for them to hospitalize you and most treatment providers around here are very willing to work with someone who lets them know ***before*** they do anything or ***before*** the thoughts turn into actions.

my own treatment provider and I have a contract that we made up with her agreeing not to hospitalize me if I call before I do anything and when I call her I must be open to meeting with her and being willing to talk and working on what ever is causing me to feel like I want to cut. I have been self injury free for a real long time now, so much time that its not much of an issue with me any more.

if you really want to stop, I know you can do it, I did and i was a many many cuts a day type person. if I could do it any one can. its hard work but well worth it.

[gon3withth3wend]

Thanks. I'll try things, but I guess I just need to wait it out, and most importantly, really stop cutting. I cut more today than I ever have in one day before. I feel terrible, and all I can do is lay down because I feel mentally/emotionally terrible and I am in physical pain. I understand how getting to the point where you realize what you've been doing can actually make you feel worse. I threw away almost all of my things and didn't cut all week even though I thought about it every day. I didn't have any reason to do what I did today. I guess I'll start *not* cutting tomorrow. :/

[Ticli-Otops]

Originally Posted by gon3withth3wend

Thanks. I'll try things, but I guess I just need to wait it out, and most importantly, really stop cutting. I cut more today than I ever have in one day before. I feel terrible, and all I can do is lay down because I feel mentally/emotionally terrible and I am in physical pain. I understand how getting to the point where you realize what you've been doing can actually make you feel worse. I threw away almost all of my things and didn't cut all week even though I thought about it every day. I didn't have any reason to do what I did today. I guess I'll start *not* cutting tomorrow. :/

Just take it one day at a time. That's really all you can do. Thinking about the days ahead of you will only bring more stress when it comes to cutting. Just take it day by day, and see how things go.

[Ashadeofblue]

It all depends on your skin and how deep you cut and how you treat the wounds immediately after. If you have skin that heals rather quickly, and you don't cut too deep, chances are that within a year, your scars will fade to an unnoticeable amount. I was lucky, personally, I recover extremely fast from injuries, and my scars were almost invisible in as little as half a year. They completely went away. However, one time I did go over board, cutting again and again in spots that have been cut, and after three years, the scars still stand bold. However, they have faded by a large amount and I hope they will go away in a couple more years. So back to you, it seems that though there is a rather large possibility that your scars will NOT go away completely, I reassure you that they will fade, and if you're lucky, they will disappear completely as new layers of skin grow on. Remember, there is always hope.

Originally Posted by gon3withth3wend

I'm feeling extremely terrible about myself right now. Cutting is a relatively new thing for me (Not a whole year where I've actually been deliberately breaking skin with other objects), and I want to stop before it gets really bad. I have a lot of scars on my hip, and then one day I realized that the scars on my hip meant that my body in swimsuits would look terrible, and then doctors would notice, and any of my future partners would notice. So then I moved to my arms, where I could cover it, but I realized covering my arms was harder than I thought. I've spent so many days feeling really self conscious. I want them to go away. I don't think anyone has realized yet. But I want the scars to go away! I keep on reading that they don't, and I really don't want to believe that. I think I might have made it worse by cutting over scars after they already start to heal also. I want to stop and fix it before people find out, before it gets bad. Is there really no way to make them go away, or make them a lot less noticeable? I used to be so happy that unlike other girls, I had no stretch marks or body imperfections. I know it sounds terrible, I always thought, no matter how unhappy I was, "At least I'm still pretty". And I've been taking that away from myself. Sorry. I'm venting now. I really just want to know if there is a way to get the scars to go away, and if there is anything that I may be tempted to do that is unsafe. I have a type of bleach that I used on my face for acne scarring, but I'm not sure if I can start putting it on cuts that are still kind of open.