TW scars. Should I cover them

[Kakkilakki]

What would you think if you saw this on the beach? Should I keep covering my scars? I don’t want to upset anyone. I‘ve been wearing board shorts for many years but hate the tan line.

Absolutely nothing. I can barely see them. No need to cover up OP.

I wouldn't think anything. Don't cover up.

I wouldn't think anything of it. I've met quite a few people with similar scars on legs or arms. I don't think people find them upsetting.

I have a large deep operation scar (and a second fainter one) on one of my legs and I don't worry about them in swimwear.

Nobody will be looking close enough to see them (in a public space). They're very faint. I wouldn't cover up.

Oh bless you! Honestly they are fine, you won't upset anyone XX
You need to stop giving a shit about what other folk think

I think yours are fine, I wouldn’t notice them or they wouldn’t bother me.

I did have a midwife once who treated me who had terrible scars on their arms and I did find that difficult to deal with, I found it triggered things from my past and I would come out of each appointment and cry in my car.

ETA: But that was my issue and I don’t think she should have had to cover them up.

It’s fine you look great.

I have got scars on my back that I kept covered all the time. From surgeries. But the mental scars on the inside from past trauma and abuse is far worse than any scar on the outside.

This is interesting to read. The dentist who took out my wisdom teeth had obvious SH scars on his arms. I wanted to talk about it with him but obviously didn’t. He was very gentle and lovely and it stuck with me a long time that he probably didn’t have such a positive view of himself.

And my midwife noticed my scars and treated me like a fragile child. It made me want to cover them more

I‘m sorry for this thread, style and beauty probably wasn’t the right choice

I have scars too on my arms and legs. I have never covered up and honestly I have only ever received negative comments twice, and they were both around 20 years ago by men. Most people really don’t pay attention to these things, and anyone you judges you isn’t worthy of your time. Absolutely no need to cover up on the beach (or anywhere, but hopefully starting small will give you confidence).

Don't apologise.! It is a useful question for a lot of people I think.

And btw your scars seem faint enough that people won't notice them or think about them. xx

Not at all. No problem. Your legs are lovely. Wear what you want x

I don't think they'd actually be very noticible 'out in the wild' to anyone but getting up close & very personal!

if I did notice them I'd think something like 'they seem quite old, I hope she's stopped feeling the need to hurt herself now'

which is a sort of judgement, I suppose, but in reality we all judge everyone, it's how humans survive.

you don't need to cover them up! Even if they weren't so feint 🌷

No I think it’s good. A lot of us have our own problems or scars or disabilities and so on and we still need clothes and want to look nice. We also might have low esteem or confidence with clothes because of this. I think it’s a good thing.

Wear whatever you want. I wouldn't think anything of the scars, I doubt I'd even notice them.

Tbh, I'd probably clock it but wouldn't give it a moments thought. We've all got physical things we don't like about ourselves. Think of it like, you're amongst friends. It's chill.

No need to apologise I suspect 99% of people wouldn't give it a second thought plus they're barely noticeable.
Enjoy being on the beach 🏖️

i just thought what lovely legs you have. I can hardly see the scars, so feint. Wear whatever you want

My daughter has scars from self harming. I encourage her to show her arms and legs. They are a sign of healing. Most folk won’t even notice them x

I wouldn't have noticed and if I got close enough to see them, until a year or so ago, I wouldn't have even realised what they were from.

My DD has scars and it's helpful to me to see how accepting people are being here. Helps me to reassure her that she shouldn't cover up if she doesn't want to.

When I see scars of any kind, I just think “poor them” for a single second and that’s it. No further thought and definitely no judgement.

I can't see anything.

You can’t really see them. I was at a gym class recently next to someone with very visible and raw scars. That was hard and it gave me pause. That said, I wouldn’t have commented or stared, but it did upset me.

I have SH scars all down my arms. Only a couple of people have ever commented on them, and they were young adults who were SHing and were surprised that I had/did too. It resulted in really positive conversations.

Don't cover yourself up.in case of judgement. Your scars are barely visible, but even if they were, they are proof that you are a warrior and have survived. Be proud, not ashamed.

Those scars are very similar to mine! Right down to the colour and placement.

I always cover them up. I wear cycling shorts when swimming, with a tankini top. I don't care about getting a tan (always wear spf50 and a long sleeve top) so for me there's no reason not to cover up.

I think that they might not be seen from a distance or if my legs are under water. But they would get noticed by someone close enough to talk to me and I'm always aware that they have noticed. I'm not ashamed of them exactly, but I like to "pass for normal" as much as I can, especially as I'm usually with my dcs and people might think it could affect my parenting (this is not unfounded anxiety, I have had professionals question my parenting purely on account of my mh history). People do judge, it's disingenuous to say they won't, and some of those people have the ability to make life difficult.