Cutting advice

[CTB_random]

Ok so pretty much i just wanna ask a couple questions about cutting. First im guessing I should go get a brand new knife/razorblade for this right? Mine our already a little dull. Second how deep do i cut? Third how do i effectively hide it? (Also should i get bandaids for them?)
Also dont tell me not to donot I've already heard that

 

[wtg]

Use razorblade
Do it on thigh to easily hide it

 

[CTB_random]

Use razorblade
Do it on thigh to easily hide it

I was actually already planning on doing it there :) any advice on how far i should cut tho?

 

[idonothing]

There's no one correct way to cut yourself haha, it's entirely up to preference. Yeah, I'd recommend a new razor for the sake of a cleaner cut doing less damage by being jagged or dull and also for cleanliness so that you don't run as much of a chance of it getting infected. Cut as deep as you feel is necessary for emotional relief. If you haven't done it before I would recommend starting small and light so that you can get some experience with it. But really, be smart about it. Cutting deep can give you some very disasterous results and you'll need to have the proper wound care items (i.e. something to sanitize and something to properly bandage with) to deal with that should you get to that point, or even professional medical attention if its too bad. For me personally I have been cutting for self harm for around 12 years and it's never been a complicated process, even as a kid. You kind of just do it to the extent that you're feeling desperate! These days I tend to not cut super deep but quite numerously, just enough to watch the blood flow down a bit, and I find myself hitting the spots where I cut with a fist in the days after that it's tender and actively healing to extend and control my pain without having to cut too much. Be safe with how you treat yourself doing this, as paradoxical as that sounds. Do your best to take care of your wounds and be certain about your want for this kind of self harm. Scars last for many years and carry a big social stigma.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

Use razor blades.

Always make sure to clean the cuts afterwards. To do this, you can use soap and water. For deeper cuts you can use saline or distilled water (you can also use them on superficial cuts). You should also make sure to use an antibiotic cream and antiseptic. Do not use rubbing alcohol on your cuts since it will kill off your healthy tissue and make the healing process longer. If your cut is gaping then you can use skin closures to close it and reduce scarring (steri-strips, butterfly bandages, etc). If you think you need stitches then try getting to the hospital sometime within 24 hours (around 6 to 8 hours is best) since they likely won't be able to give you stitches after a certain amount of time.

Always keep your cuts covered using bandages. It's important you do this since this helps to speed up the healing process, decreases the chances of infection, and decreases the chances of bad scarring. You should try and change your bandages everyday unless you are using certain types of bandages that are specifically designed to stay on for long periods of time.

Also, try not to cut deep (to the fat or below). The deeper you cut the higher the chances of ending up getting an infection or permenant damage to your body are. There are a lot of toxic communities online that may try to get you to feel like shit for not cutting super deep and you shouldn't listen to them. The damage isn't worth it.

A lot of people cut around their thighs since it's easy to hide them. I personally don't but that's more so because I want to be able to wear shorts and skirts and my lower legs are already scarred thanks to my habit of pulling out hairs around my body and I don't want my thighs to be scarred too.

You can also try using bio oil or silicone scar gel/sheets to help with reducing scarring.