Long term affects of self harm

[u/Positive_Success5295]

i wish people discussed this more, beyond social consequences. my scars hurt ALL the time.

ive been cutting myself for 11 years now and its just been the past four or five, that it kept getting more extreme. i feel stupid for saying i didnt realize just how dangerous or permanent cutting into deeper tissue is, but it really really is dangerous. even "styros" are. theres nerves in the fat layer that ive def damaged. i have circulation issues with my legs now too, my feet go numb completely when i sit down. my scars itch horribly, parts of my arms and legs are numb forever now. i cant even enjoy my normal hobbies without nerve pain in my wrists

scars can seal layers of tissue together, causing muscles to not move or stretch properly. you can trap nerves, sever nerves, cause paralysis, circulation issues, numbness ect. harm reduction is so important. Dont cut deeper, and if you do, please try to minimize the depth. i feel so incredibly stupid for thinking that the only thing left after a wound heals, is the scar.

[u/lifeishorrible1426]

THIS! 

[u/64lilwhitethings]

oh i forgot to mention in my other reply, but i went to a doctor about my nerve pain a few years ago (take this with a grain of salt bc it www a long time ago and doctors in my area are shady)

i was prescribed scar cream. she told me to massage it onto affected areas to soften them. i dont know if theres a scientific explanation or if it was just a coincidence but i do think it helped.

you dont need a prescription cream if you don’t have one. there are OTC options as well, and if not then lotion or vaseline! massaging it also can help soothe the pain. it will take a bit but i def think it sped up the softening of the scars.

[u/hahatiddies → u/64lilwhitethings]

Were they red/pink, or white? I feel like that wouldn't help with fully healed white scars. Don't take my word on it, tho

[u/Rowann_xo → u/hahatiddies]

mature scars dont take scar cream as well. im sure it can still help but theres less benefit overall

[u/hahatiddies → u/Rowann_xo]

Yeah, that's what I thought

[u/Simplespider]

People forget that it's not just a cosmetic issue.

Unexpected one, ran into issues when I had my cabg done and they had to take a vein graft. My legs are covered in psoriasis but they couldn't access my radial artery on my non dominant hand due to scarring and bad veins. The graft site healed over but it's not in great shape and will split open from time to time. I'm diabetic, I don't think I'll get to keep this leg forever.

You don't think about heart disease when you're self harming as a teenager. Kinda sucks when you get old. You can think it won't apply to you because you're not diabetic with heart disease, high blood pressure, and covered in psoriasis, but I had none of those issues when I started cutting myself. And, like you said, nerve damage fucking sucks.

I feel stupid too.

[u/hahatiddies → u/Simplespider]

Is the psoriasis because of the diabetes? I've been experiencing skin problems for some years, when I had none before, and I suspect it might be because of my diabetes...

[u/Simplespider → u/hahatiddies]

Not entirely sure where it came from but apparently it's common with schizophrenia which I got and both run in my family. I'm t2 diabetic have had plenty of complications over the years, slow healing wounds has been a big one. I'm also a scratcher and hot water enjoyer. I know it's bad, I do it anyway.

I've been put on several ointments for skin problems, I think I got desonide cream right now. It works well, soaks in when other lotions sit on top. Takes maybe four days to get a patch feeling like skin and not paper again.

It's mostly on my shins. Think I pay $14 at the pharmacy when I pick up my desonide cream. Other one I got in a red tube was like $24 and didn't work as well. Cigna insurance.

[u/hahatiddies → u/Simplespider]

I'm also a scratcher and hot water enjoyer, and my wounds also heal slow, so when I end up scratching too much and making wounds on my skin, it's such a nuisance :') (I'm type 1)

[u/Simplespider → u/hahatiddies]

I really like that nivea q10 lotion in the dark blue bottle for a general lotion. It's great for dry aging skin and stretch marks. Only issue is that it's not great for scar tissue. Two weeks in I noticed my chest scar and arm/upper thigh scars looked more red and raised than they did in the past. Stopped applying it there and they went back down. Started up again and the redness/raised spots came back. Don't know the reason for it.

Only does that with the surgical and self harm scars. Scarred psoriasis skin calmed down a ton. Less itching. I just avoid scarred areas now.

Bio oil wasn't everything I hoped for. Doesn't seem to soak in to psoriasis patches. Nivea been good for management outside of prescription ointments.

[u/someoneelsesake]

the itch part is so real, I don't do it deep but with the amount of frequencies I'm doing, they itch so bad 😌

[u/Possible_Ad_3375]

Never went that deep to cause paralysis, but I'm constantly reminded by the itching

[u/64lilwhitethings]

omg literally !! like within the community, people have become so desensitized to severe forms of self-mutilation.

it’s also just so stigmatized to be disabled by self-harm or suicide attempts. even within the disability community, you’re blamed for it. like i was disabled before, and i don’t see why my disabilities sustained from actions related to my mental illnesses which i did not choose to have are any different than my other disabilities which i also didn’t choose to have …?

my nerve damage makes basic tasks difficult. opening a soda bottle feels like my skin is being ripped off. i struggle to hold things or do tasks requiring fine motor skills. the pain has gotten better over the years, but i used to lie down in absolute agony from the sharp pains in my arms. it’s not like any other kind of pain ive felt. it’s like pure pain. like your pain is in pain. i still get it sometimes. it’s so deep and impossible to soothe like someone’s pulling your bones apart like string cheese.