Reappearing scars

tips on how to cope: dealing with your feelings, dealing with the consequences of self-harm in your life. share your ideas and maybe pick up some new skills, too. you don't have to want to stop to learn something new here.

Moderators: Spidey, noldo

Post Reply
Invisible_tears
settling in
settling in
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2005 10:05 pm
Location: Birmingham. West Midlands, not Alabama ;-)

Reappearing scars

Post by Invisible_tears » Fri Apr 15, 2005 12:53 am

I've noticed that my oldest scars, on my forearms, are sometimes hardly noticeable, but sometimes they're really red and obvious and scary-looking. Why is this? I always notice they're obvious when I have my skating lesson, so I was wondering if it was something to do with exercise - are scars more visible when blood is pumping faster? Does the blood show them up more or something? If anyone knows or has noticed the same sort of thing, please let me know...I'm all curious now ;-)
Thanx :)

narcoleptic
meeting the neighbors
meeting the neighbors
Posts: 369
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2005 5:57 am
Location: The city that never sleeps

Post by narcoleptic » Fri Apr 15, 2005 4:13 am

I didn't shave for a while (yea...gross) and thought my ankle was healed, and then after shaving realized scars were quite visible. I have no medical knowlegde on it, but I think blood pumps more when you excciersize so maybe youor scars were near the veins? ...strange though, am really curious now.

User avatar
shadow of a smile
building community
building community
Posts: 707
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2005 6:33 am
Location: texas
Contact:

Post by shadow of a smile » Fri Apr 15, 2005 4:30 am

my scars show more when i exercise too. and especially when i take hot shower. i'm not really sure why it is tho. there's got to be some sort of explanation. something to do with blood supply, like ya'll said. sorry i couldn't be more helpful.
i accept hugs!!!

my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness
1 Corinthians 12:9

my place

User avatar
mallie
board admin emeritus
board admin emeritus
Posts: 10443
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2003 12:38 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Sydney, Australia

Post by mallie » Fri Apr 15, 2005 5:32 pm

I have some scars show up a lot more when I'm really cold. Never noticed anything with exercise or heart rate or anything though.

User avatar
save_me_from_myself
meeting the neighbors
meeting the neighbors
Posts: 331
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:04 pm

Post by save_me_from_myself » Fri Apr 15, 2005 9:34 pm

yeah im the same as mallie, either when im really hot or really cold. havent noticed it when im ecersising but i suppose ud be really hot then? im not too sure

User avatar
WhoAmI_NoOne
unpacking boxes
unpacking boxes
Posts: 45
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2005 12:20 am
Location: USA
Contact:

Post by WhoAmI_NoOne » Fri Apr 15, 2005 11:08 pm

I notice that about mine too. When I am cold, hot, and when I excercise. I think it is also when they are wet they seem more visable, but then again, I am a swimmer, so, I am wet when I excercise *shrugs* I hope someone knows the answer. Good luck finding one
No one can see the pain that we hide, They're happy for us to keep it inside, Our fear is our own; they don't want to know, Why should we involve them; why should it show.

I know what it is like to live inside of yourself, and you can't escape.
~ someone

User avatar
pretty
board admin emeritus
board admin emeritus
Posts: 8689
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2003 7:43 pm
Location: middle of england

Post by pretty » Sat Apr 16, 2005 11:10 am

Sometimes when I'm hot (from exercise or whatever) they go much redder, sometimes when I'm cold they go purpley, in some light they really stand out, but in natural daylight on a warm but not too hot day they're virtually invisible. Scars are weird.
'this is what she says gets her through it,
"if I don't let myself be happy now, then when?"' - jimmy eat world

place

User avatar
*Stella*
orange smartie
orange smartie
Posts: 1769
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2005 2:39 am
Location: New England, USA

Post by *Stella* » Sat Apr 16, 2005 4:35 pm

Hi. I also notice that my scars are very visible when I get out of the shower. Warmth dilates blood vessels and cold constricts them. When the vessels are dilated, more blood is flowing through, thus making your skin look pinker, etc. (sorry, I'm a nurse and I'm getting all nursey on you folks! :wink: ) The only thing is that scar tissue isn't very vascular at all, but you may be seeing redness from blood vessels underneath the scars?

Invisible_tears
settling in
settling in
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2005 10:05 pm
Location: Birmingham. West Midlands, not Alabama ;-)

Post by Invisible_tears » Sat Apr 16, 2005 11:26 pm

Thanks for all the feedback! It's good to know others have magical disappearing/reappearing scars as well ;-) Plus you all have made me think it's perhaps more to do with heat than exercise itself...I'm quite a warm person anyway, so I'm *always* hot when I exercise (even when I ice skate, hehe ;-)). I haven't noticed the shower thing, but that's most likely because I don't have my glasses on/lenses in while in and getting out of the shower...and therefore cannot see a darn thing ;-) but I'll look specially next time I'm in the shower...to test the heat theory!
Thanks again everyone for replying to me :-)

User avatar
_MessedUp_
meeting the neighbors
meeting the neighbors
Posts: 410
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 3:20 pm

Post by _MessedUp_ » Mon Apr 18, 2005 1:59 pm

mine show more in extreme hot or cold. otherwise they are really quite faded
:star: "Life is like a beautiful melody only the lyrics are messed up" :star:
:blkstar: My Place:blkstar:
:redstar: <a href='http://www.livejournal.com/users/_messedup_/'>My LiveJournal</a>:redstar:
Image
my cow :moo:
:redstar: days SI free

User avatar
theatregeek
quintessential regular
quintessential regular
Posts: 2127
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2003 4:36 pm
Location: Nowhere of Importance
Contact:

Post by theatregeek » Wed Apr 27, 2005 2:53 am

mine turn like purple when im cold, people think i have some weird skin disease lol
<3>Heidi<---<3
-------------------------------------------------------
Lie To me
Convince Me That I've Been Sick Forever
And All Of This
Will Make Sense When I Get Better
-------------------------------------------------------
http://buslist.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php? ... t=#2889033 (my poem gallery)


*Hopeless*

User avatar
Copasetic
creating your space
creating your space
Posts: 227
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 12:26 am
Location: Ontario

Post by Copasetic » Wed Apr 27, 2005 7:08 am

Yea, I think it has to do with blood flow or something.

In extreme hot or cold, or after exercise, mine (especially on the forearms) are MUCH more visible.
So this is the new year - and I don't feel any different...

User avatar
ComfortablyNumb
part of the fixtures
part of the fixtures
Posts: 2571
Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2003 1:16 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Post by ComfortablyNumb » Thu Apr 28, 2005 5:29 pm

If I take a hot shower mine turn very red. I haven't noticed the same thing when I'm excercising so I don't know what to tell you about that. Also the lighting really does effect the look of my scars. If it's a really bright light, then they stand out bad. They also get really itchy when they get cold. Scars are like the weirdest thing, and really tricky to figure out.

:bluestar:
<center> "You said I remind you of yourself tomorrow."
- Kurt Cobain

"Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."
-Catcher in the Rye

Image

my place </center>

User avatar
lauryn
unpacking boxes
unpacking boxes
Posts: 44
Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 8:09 pm

Post by lauryn » Thu Apr 28, 2005 11:13 pm

circulation of blood during exercise is improved
i love babies

Image

User avatar
Wandering
town councillor
town councillor
Posts: 1373
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2003 9:08 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Highlands of Scotland Age: 35
Contact:

Post by Wandering » Fri Apr 29, 2005 3:12 pm

Mine are also more obvious when I'm hot or cold. Don't have any theories for the hot times, but when I'm cold I reckon they show up more because the skin becomes paler as the blood goes away from the surface.

Andi
Perhaps one day this too will be pleasant to remember
Visitors welcome!!! : My Place

User avatar
Ananya
part of the fixtures
part of the fixtures
Posts: 2633
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2004 3:23 pm
Gender: Female

Post by Ananya » Fri Apr 29, 2005 8:21 pm

The cold is always the worst thing for enabling my scars show up.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 49 guests