Cut Away

How to cover up/fade away cut marks?

I cut myself last night, but now regret it as my arms bruised and i have red lines all over my wrist. Any solutions to covering it up, or getting rid of it before anyone notices?

Psych Major/cutter 14 years
The Key is cleaning the wound right after you are finished. Cleaning will keep some of the redness away. You will still have marks, and scars that will last for decades. A rule of thumb: the deeper the cut, the deeper the scar, the longer it takes to heal. Keep your implements clean! Rubbing alcohol works well. You should also clean the spot of skin before you start. I use strong rubbing alcohol, sometimes just rubbing that on my skin helps with the sensation, and then I don’t need to cut.

Covering up…
Clothing is a natural covering, unless you’re wearing long sleeves at the beach. Jewelry works well, try bulky stylish bracelets, or make your own to fit where you need it. Foundation can cover the scab; just blend it in well to match the area. I recommend latex FX skin, Match it as closely to your skin tone as you can. Don’t over do! The key is to not draw attention. Let dry well then use make up to make it look natural to that area of skin.

Long Term treatment of scars…
Scars can be treated with over the counter creams, and vit. E. Let the scared skin get some sunlight. The sun and Vit E helped to heal my physical scars. The emotional scars are another story. You may not realize this in the infancy of the injury, but in years, those scars will remain. Reminding you every day of cutting. Other people who don’t understand will also criticize you, be ready to have a reliable excuse, or a way to hide the scars during interviews etc… “It was my cat” is an inside joke among self injurers. I have herd too many excuses that did not fit either. “My toaster exploded with my toaster strudel “Also did not fit the multiple vertical cuts across my best friends arm when we first meet 10 years ago. But it opened us up to a great friendship and support from one another.

This habit can quickly turn in to a necessity. Self Injury is addictive, bleeding causes chemicals in your brain (opiates) to be released. Those chemicals calm and relax, lift your mood, help you sleep, and can bring on a dissociate state. Quitting for some takes years. Beware of not cutting too deep! Cutting can cause serious injury! And even KILL you, if you’re not careful. Be shore you know basic first aid and where to go to get medical help if you need it.

Alternatives include holding ice, snapping rubber bands on the wrist, exercise, etc… Find what works for you…I run really fast and hard on mountain trails until I am exhausted, lift weights until I tire my self out etc… find alternatives to help you get threw the “needing to cut stages”.
I also recommend giving blood. It’s like cutting but it is for a good cause, and you get that wonderful felling of the opiates racing threw your brain.

Talk to someone, please! You are not alone. There are many of us out there who care, and are willing to talk. Speak with a Dr. or a Therapist; they can help you figure out why you cut. Cutting is a symptom of a deeper problem. There is an underlying cause that needs to be dealt with. Self punishment? Control issues? The calming effect?… And why?
Good luck and take care,

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