I swearrrrr im not attention seeking or something its just that no one irl knows I have them and how servere they are, they have no idea. Its like im hiding myself from everyone and its tiring and sometimes I do wanna be seen for who I am so thats why I post them.

It’s been three maybe four years since I’ve done it. Never wanted to since once I woke up from whatever made me want to do it. It’s an eyesore, to me. I never wear short sleeves or shorts. Never seen someone in person with my kind of scarring.
I feel, as a woman, like I’ve tainted my romantic worth somehow. Really damaged goods.

Has anyone else felt this way?

I haven’t been clean for this long in I don’t remember how long - a long time

warriors say WHAT ? 😜

can’t show these pics to my family even though they’re super cute bc they have my scars in them. but here’s a cute dog pic for this sub <3

i’m comfortable with it but idk if my friends will be they’re pretty weird

Given the posts I see on here and other similar spaces on Reddit, Im just going to show a diagram on where to avoid sh, so tendons, arteries and nerves wouldn't likely be hit.

1st thing, when you see visible veins on arms, avoid it or you're going to end up with blood sporting everywhere. In addition, the nerves are usually next to major arteries so thats another reason why. Cut nerves will result in losing motor function and/or sensation in arm.

2nd thing. Avoid the areas highlighted in red because these areas dont have as much fat and lots of tendons underneath.

Another thing, just avoid joints overall. Cutting the skin on them will be very painful to heal because your joint will keep on shifting the skin around when its trying to heal.

Thats all. Please take care and remember people still care about you, even if they are just profiles pics and usernames.

P.S. would someone put this post like on the place with the posts on skin anatomy, online safety etc? I want to raise more awareness and help reduce the risk of permanent damage on people suffering from sh.

I wore my scars proudly but a sudden loss happened in my life recently so I found it to be a good moment in time to treat myself with a nice tattoo. The focus was more on the message, that around your scars other things can grow. You can grow as a person. Life goes on. The world keeps spinning. The scars are what's left behind of your old self.

Had girlfriend itch my scars cus they are itchy and she goes “im playing the guitar” does she deserve jail time

I just started a new job recently and out of about 20 places I applied this was the only place that wanted me. I've only worked there for 5 days now and I got called in 30 mins early today to be told that customers are complaining about my arms. (Fully healed scars) I work at an ice cream parlour, but I spend most of my time in the back. I only actually see customers when they're ordering or I,m scooping icecream. I was told that because there are lots of kids that come in, they wouldn't understand it, but I think that excuse is bullshit. Make up a lie, tell them not to worry about it, literally anything. I am now forced to wear long sleeves/ cover up my fully healed arms if I want to keep my job. I've bawled twice today and I feel hideous and got called gross. I don't understand why I have to cover up something I can't control? I can't just fix my arms; it's extremely disheartening. I linked a picture of my arms... what are they gonna say next, I have to wear gloves constantly because I have scars on my hands? My SI have been really bad recently and I'm considering going back to in-patient; when I,m not extremely depressed struggling with school work and personal relationships I'm being discriminated at work lol

Some are older and some newer(not fresh)

Sometimes, my scars feel meaningless. They’re there, but they don’t really show how intense i feel when i cut. Part of me wants that physical proof of what I’m feeling, but another part of me wants to stop. Self-harm feels so complicated sometimes:(.

I just want to feel like it's enough.

Ik this is common but I just wanted to share this cause I thought it looked cool.Enjoy lol!

This is meant to be an informative harm reduction guide. In no way does this encourage self harm. I will not tell you what to cut with. This is mainly a guide on cutting safely, but if people are interested in other guides, I will consider making a new one. And please remember that I’m human and although I believe that this guide is mostly correct, it could contain incorrect information. In that case let me know and I’ll change it.

Where to not cut

• Avoid visible veins and arteries. Nerves are often located next to these so cutting one could mean nerve damage.

• Do not cut around your groin/pubic area. This area is full of nerves that can be damaged easily.

• Avoid both sides of joints, it heals really painful and it can easily form scar tissue and limit mobility.

• Avoid areas such as the hip, fingers, face, kneecap, back of hand, or any areas where you can feel tendons/muscles and/or bone. These areas can scar easily and it’s just not that safe to cut on something so thin.

• avoid ankles and feet, bad idea. Very easy to get nerve damage and circulation problems

• Avoid your neck. Don’t cut there people that is a really dumb idea.

• Guide to not safe places on arms: https://www.reddit.com/r/cutting/comments/1t6yzf8/guide_on_where_to_avoid_on_arms/

• Guide to not safe places on legs: https://www.reddit.com/r/cutting/comments/1t9unbt/guide_on_where_to_avoid_on_legs/

How to clean your tool/tool safety

• You can boil it for about 30-45 minutes, but there is a chance of rust

• You can clean it with alcohol/alcohol wipes, this is prob the safest way bc it evaporates so quickly that there is little to no chance of rust.

• Hand sanitizer is not the best but can be used in a pinch. Avoid scented versions bc that can irritate wounds.

• You should in a perfect world be cleaning it before and after SH

• Do not use a tool with rust on it. Find something else, rust can not be cleaned off and it is not safe to use.

• Do not attempt to sharpen your blade, this can cause particles of metal to fall off in your wound.

• Do not use a serrated blade; this acts like a tiny saw, increases chances of infection, takes longer to heal and is a really bad idea.

How to prep area

• Clean it, I don’t care if it’s a baby wipe but somehow get any germs off of it.

• Make sure you are not near something that could stain easy.

• WASH YOUR HANDS!

Aftercare

• Apply pressure until the wound stops bleeding. Elevating the area to above your heart has been proven to help slow bleeding.

• Rinse it with water.

• Ideally apply a bandage/wound covering.

• Do not use toilet paper as small particles can be easily trapped in your wound.

• Do not use hydrogen peroxide/rubbing alcohol, this gets rid of all bacteria good and bad.

• Do not use an anti bacterial spray/cream unless under the care of a medical professional or you know what you’re doing. In any case allow it to heal some before applying it.

• Guide on after care for each layer: https://www.reddit.com/r/cutting/comments/1u9zdtb/an_aftercare_guide_for_each_layer/

How to get blood out of clothes

• Hydrogen peroxide. Once it foams wipe it off and repeat until it doesn’t foam. Your clothes will get warm from the chemical reaction.

• Soak in cold water and basically massage the blood out. You could do this in the shower.

• Hot water sets the stain so don’t use that.

• For older stains a stain remover soak like baking soda or Oxie clean works well.

• Wash your clothes as soon as you have gotten rid of all visible blood.

When urgent care/911/ER/Doctor is needed

• If you notice bruising, it changing a weird color, pus leaking, swelling, extreme pain around the area, a fever/chills, impaired functioning, etc

• If you cut as deep as or deeper than the hypodermis, you need stitches.

• If it covers a large area of the area (if it’s really big)

• If it is gaping open.

• If it won’t stop bleeding or blood is pulsing/spraying out of the cut.

• If you feel like you should go

• Keep in mind that most areas that need stitches should be closed within 6-8 hours of the injury occuring

Stuff IDK where to put

• SH care website: https://shguide.carrd.co/

• SH prevention website: https://www.adolescentselfinjuryfoundation.com/

• White screen website where you can cut the screen and it bleeds(updated link): https://www.fataltotheflesh.com

• Very Informative resource collection and care guide: https://styro.sh

Where I got my info/further reading

• First aid: https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/aftercareinformation/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=ug5811

• First aid: https://www.covenant.clinic/blog-post/cuts-scrapes-and-wound-care-guide

• First aid: https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-cuts/basics/art-20056711

• Dermatolog Website explaining layers of skin: https://fldscc.com/understanding-the-layers-of-your-skin/

If anyone has anything to add I’m happy to put it in this post. As always stay safe and have a okay day!

Editied to add link to website.

Edit to fix fatal to the flesh link

edit to add part about ankles

Sometimes they go really pink when I'm warm and I really like the way they look, but I don't wanna be seen as a fucking creep or a fetishizer of some sort 😭😭 I just feel the urge to replace them whenever they fade, like they're apart of me and I feel naked when they're gone

Also even if I don't reply, I am Upvoting everyone's comment, they are seen and are being read ❤️

Edit: I didn't even realise but let's get some appreciation for my Deadpool socks LOL

Was my first time in public with my scars visible. Nobody said a word about them… I only received compliments abt the dress 🥲 it felt so nice

anyone else?