Scars make better stories than tatoos

I've had a few crashes, but no permanent scars. I might have a very faint outline of a bruise/slightly discolred skin from my recent crash in January, but nothing else. My first scar is on my right knee. I got it when I was 2 and a half, running up the street and tripping and falling on the unpaved road. Got some gravel in there. My first bike crash caused a huge hematoma on the same spot, but all signs of that receded. I have 3 scars on my face, from a car accident when I was 15. One across my eye, one on my forehead, and one on my nose. They aren't too visible and that crash transformed me into an instant seatbelt wearer in 1969, long before it was common practice. I also have a tiny scar on the inside of my left wrist that occured when the knife slipped as i was cutting a too frozen bagel when I was in college. I remember being asked at school if I tried to kill myself :eek:. Other than that, I have a c section scar from the baby I lost in 1981. It is barely visible and I was happily able to have my 2 boys vaginally after that.
That's it.

Well, let's see. I have some scars above my temple from my road bike crash due to a dog. My glasses broke; I felt lucky that my eye wasn't cut. Then I have road rash scars on one knee when I went down on a railroad track crossing. But I think my favorite is a long straight line on my shin. I was out XC skiing with some friends. We have this one wonderful man who is orginally from Bangladesh who skis with us. He'd fallen and to avoid him I skied into a bush. Didn't even phase my pants, but left me with a nasty skin removal up my shin.

i don't have any cool scar stories. though my tattoo has an interesting story.

the scar that i still have, is from my appendix rupturing. i had a really bad scar from that, and got a scar revision done on it, hey they included a tummy tuck in there, so i wasn't complaining! that and now my scar looks so much better.

the times that i have gone over on my bike, haven't left any major scars. i say this now, the next time i get on my bike i probably will have a major story.

oh wait! i'm working on two other scars on my feet as we speak. one is already healing on my right foot, and next week will be my left foot. so i guess i'll have 3 major scars, two due to needing to get them.

Good Lord, ladies. We already have a 'scars' thread, titled "Show us your scars!"
I'll take some pics. Nothing too exciting. A nice one above my knee from a scalpel incident *cough*
some streaks and discoloration left from the gravel patch-out (nice holes etc...)
some brands etc, self done,
tattoos,
etc
yay. :rolleyes:

Holy mackerel, this place is scar city!

I have no cycling scars, sadly ;) , but I have an obvious calcium deposit at the top of my left shoulder from a motorcycle accident when I was 23, a "bikini" scar from surgery to remove a tumor from my uterus when I was 28, and a scar from a dog bite when I was 5 (that one's almost indiscernible now). I actually kind of like that last one because regardless of that traumatic event, I somehow didn't grow up to be afraid of dogs--guess my folks did something right.:)

Another fun scar story...

When I was seven I was walking to school and decided to cut through a construction site as a short-cut, my brother said "you'll get in trouble, you better not". So off I waltzed into the construction site...and out I waltzed moments later with a plank stuck to the bottom of my foot with a nail protruding all the way through my foot and sticking out the top. My response, "well crap", my brothers response (heavy sigh) "I'll go get mom". It was a repeating pattern in my childhood. :D

Yikes, Queen! That makes me hurt.

Queen, we obviously grew up in different families. Our response in that sort of situation generally was: GASP!! "Don't Tell Mother!!"

Guilty parties in the above to include my father.

... and your story reminded me of the time my sister & I were jumping back and forth between our twin beds. After a while, to make the activity more chalenging, we turned out the lights. I, uh, jumped a wee tiny bit too far and landed on Sister's record player, right on the sharp, pointy, metal part that held the play arm. I haven't checked the bottom of my foot recently to see if that scar is still there, though.

Big crashes and shrieks bring Mothers running, whether or not you want them...

Yeeeahhh reminds me of a metalworking project I was dinking on involving a tin can. You can pry the suckers a little ways but don't be surprised when they spring shut again and catch your knuckle :eek:. My first experience 'seeing inside myself'. What joy.
I run upstairs, wash it, wrap it, unwrap it, think "Oh boy, that's not gonna stay shut" wrap it again, and go about my business.
We get together for dinner, I have a hand under the table. Mom is suspicious. naturally She asks. I talk around it. Eventually she gets it out of me. :rolleyes: we make a looooong family trip down to the ER so I can get stitched up.

Hmmm...I didn't think I had any interesting scar stories until I started to think about it. I have a divot in the outside of my left foot from getting a big hunk of glass in it when I broke a glass bottle of soap bubbles as a kid (back before everything came in plastic bottles.) I had to have a mustard plaster or something like that on my foot every night until the glass was somehow magically drawn out. It was probably a half inch square piece of glass in a very small foot, if I remember right.

Then when I was about four I decided that I would stop the blades of a fan with my hand. Again, this was back in the olden days when there were large gaps between the wires on the fan cover. I stuck my hand in the fan, it didn't stop, and I bled quite a lot. We put a rag over my hand and walked the block across the railroad tracks to the hospital. Don't remember any details but we went out to dinner afterwards (we called it supper, and it was a very rare and special treat) and I've got some faint scars on my fingers.

My knees are always pink because they are one big mass of scar tissue from falling down on my bike on gravel roads repeatedly. I have a couple of new scars on my knees from more recent bike crashes.

When I was in college, I worked in a hardware store and was opening boxes with a utility knife. I somehow managed to slice open the meaty part of my hand between my thumb and index finger, all the way to the bone. They weren't too happy with me ruining their string of x days without a workplace accident, but I ended up with a few stitches and a nice scar.

And then of course I have a bellyful of scars from the laparoscopic hysterectomy that went bad and ended up being the old fashioned kind, with a big bikini line scar, catheter scars etc. Lovely.

Wow, this turned out to be long.

I like my tats MUCH better than my scars altho my scars makes much better stories......

Not to mention my 8mo old hematoma that won't go away...........

have you tried a daily gentle massage with vitamin E oil? vit. e oil and massage will fix *so* much, you end up realizing in body mod.

Each (tats and scars) has their place... then you get to the places where the line is blurred.

Branding and scarification are still a long way from being mainstream, though. Just an interesting thought. Still- there's an effect there you can't get with ink- the smooth silvery lines of scarification (by cutting or branding) are unobtainable any other way.

All depends on how you want to paint your canvas.

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Originally Posted by Kitsune06

Branding and scarification are still a long way from being mainstream, though. Just an interesting thought. Still- there's an effect there you can't get with ink- the smooth silvery lines of scarification (by cutting or branding) are unobtainable any other way.

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Unless you're one of the lucky folks who make thick ropy keloid scars instead! :D

Once I was wearing a tank-top (which I hardly EVER do). This guy sitting next to me (waiting for our haircuts) got all excited when he saw my cancer scar, he thought it was a scarification and very cool!

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

Unless you're one of the lucky folks who make thick ropy keloid scars instead! :D

Once I was wearing a tank-top (which I hardly EVER do). This guy sitting next to me (waiting for our haircuts) got all excited when he saw my cancer scar, he thought it was a scarification and very cool!

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All my scars go hypertrophic (similar to keloid), I never knew I was cool! :p

I think I am too much of a pansy for scarification :eek: ............... I'll stick with the needle and ink for the time being. Altho I must confess when I was little I would pick any and all scabs just so they WOULD scar cuz I thought scars were sooooooooooo cool. Needless to say, I have a LOT of scars.....

That scarification link made my stomach turn. I'm not putting it down. I just got a little grossed out by the mental image of the process of skin removal or branding. Ick.

I had a client once from central africa that had traditional scarification done to his entire face. it was in an amazing whorling pattern. It was far more beautiful than any other body art I have ever seen.

I have a couple of brands of my own, but I must admit, they're not quite to the quality I would want them. I want to have a real artist do that for me at some point- once I figure out what I want. I think scars have definite appeal to them over ink. It's a pattern in the layout of your skin and body... what is more unique than that? take a wound and let your body do with it what it will- beautiful. and if it's still tight, take some vitamin e and do some gentle massaging of the area. helps a lot. my brands are 5 or 6 years old now... the 'best' of my scars is closer to 10-12. we shall see.

I've read some articles on scarification but it really never interested me and I've always associated branding to 2 things: cows and fraternities. I know there's more to it than that, but I just can't get over that. I'll just stick to the needles and ink, thank you:D

No interest in tatoos, intentional scars, or piercings other than one hole in each ear (I'm a complete pain wimp!), but I have a very nice 6" scar on my right ilium from my pelvic fracture and subsequent surgery in 2005. When I first saw the frightening incision, angry and red, with stitches, I never believed it would turn into this tiny, white, nearly invisible hairline scar over time. My surgeon did good! I could even wear a bikini if I didn't have middle age spread around my hips! :D

Emily

I just saw this thread. You guys have some impressive ones. I'm probably middle of the pack :p

Starting from the top:

top lip - vertical scar - fell on step at age two and got stitches and then feel the next day and ripped the stitches out

Left shoulder blade - silver dollar sized white spot - road rash from Bike wreck in 10/06

both breasts underneath - one inch scars from implants in 05

right side next to breast 1.5 inch scar from chest tube placement - bike wreck 10/06

both elbows red road rash scars - bike wreck 10/06

both wrists - red road rash scars - bike wreck 10/06

right hip large dark patch about 6 inches by 4 inches from hematoma with a 2 inch scar from the open wound (seems like the hip bone cut the skin open from the inside) bike wreck 10/06

half inch scar on my right thigh - needed 3 stitches - accidently cut by knife by a friend. She had it in her hand and I was sitting next to her. she moved her hand down to move the chair back so she could stand and cut me. It was the strangest thing to look inside before it started to bleed.

both knees - red road rash - bike wreck 10/06

right knee - chain ring scar - no motion fall over

left calf - three cogs of the chainring form triathlon - 8/06 - I was running the run part and a friend said what happened to your leg? I didn't want to slow down so I asked the next person that I passed if my leg was bleeding and which one. Blood was dripping down my leg to my sock, still not sure what I did.

bottom on right foot, 2 inch surgical scar from removal of bone chip (probably due to running)

Mr. did I miss anything?

Yikes, Silver! I think you win........

I... uh... don't think we're having any kinda competition...

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Originally Posted by missymaya

I've read some articles on scarification but it really never interested me and I've always associated branding to 2 things: cows and fraternities. I know there's more to it than that, but I just can't get over that. I'll just stick to the needles and ink, thank you:D

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Cows, fraternities and BDSM'ers!
Scarification. This can be the most dangerous of all the body arts. Not to be tried at home.

Branding causes a 3rd degree burn which is highly susceptible to infection. The artist cannot create the scar; the body does, as each body is different, each scar will be different!

Hmmmm, think I will just stick to my one tattoo.

Goodness, I am lucky after reading the scars that many of you have, I have an appendicitis scar, nothing else worth mentioning.

Yes, Silver...........think you deserve an award.

(Off thread...........Silver, congrats on becoming a Spin Instructor) :D

Sally

Mine are pretty tame.
Right ear- (now) mild ridging from a dog attack when I was 2 or 3. Don't remember much of it anymore.
2" scar runs from between my index and middle finger knuckles to mid-way down on the back of my left hand,
an ink spot on my thumb knuckle, left hand, (don't ask)
pencil 'tattoo' on left palm, 'catching' the pencil my darling little sis lunged at me with
a multitude of much smaller scars up my arms from soldering, dropping things in pickle, injuries, etc (I'm serious, I do not look good under blacklight as far as my arms are concerned)
1/2" roundish scar from a 'brand' that didn't turn out on l bicep
1" dia pentangular scar from a brand that turned out a little better on my shoulder (both were more for myself than anything else)
two tolkein runes beneath the pentangle that turned out very well and are now mostly invisible aside from the obvious discontinuity with the rest of the surrounding skin
Crossing over...
The bridge of my nose has a permanent bump from breaking it as a kid (and probably a re-break later moshing)
a smaller scar on the top of my shoulder from a playground incident (ok, I got run over...)
middle finger, last knuckle is a little 'bigger' and 'crunchier' than the rest, from an old football injury
index finger, 2nd knuckle has a scar from when I got two stitches
round scar on top and bottom of wrist from cat bite abt 5 years ago
Moving on...
some decent scar tissue on my chest (only visible via blacklight) from sliding down a tree having tried my dad's climbing tree stand. Bad times.
Left leg, just above my knee I have a 1.5" long, 1/4" wide scar from attempting to carve with a scalpel. I ended up slipping and carving my leg. oops.
Left knee- still some pink divots and streaks from high velocity gravel implantation. =P
Right calf, very faint now, was much more prominent, 5" long narrow scar from a logging incident
I think that's it for me. I do appreciate brandings. the design has to be fairly open, fairly simple, because it *is* your body making the design, not you. You have to work *with* nature instead of against it. Therein lies the art.

I'm hoping I'm not the only one with this particular kind of scar but in my younger more *stoooooopid* days, we did this thing (when we drinking of course) where two people would place their arm side by side and lay a lit cigarette at the junction of the two and the person who pulled their arm away first lost. Not that there was a prize or anything but it was *cool* to end up with the resulting scar.

Yes I have that scar. Yes, I am a loser.....................

I did mention it was my MUCH younger days, right?:o

Oh and of course there is the way cool scar on the inside of my right calf where I dismounted on the wrong side of my DH's Kawi and the pipes left a lovely burn.........

I have a similar scar in that it is kinda stupid. Mines a perfect cresent shaped scar on the flesh between my thumb and index finger from a mercy fight I had with a girl with long nails. Her nail litteraly dug into the flesh of my hand, DEEP. But there was no way I was giving up.

So I've told my funny stories. Here's my list:

- 2 scars on head, from 2 different injuries, one bike related, one from a game of duck duck goose.
- 3 long skinny scars on torso from bra chafing during a race
- 1 long skinny scar on flank from cat
- 1 oblong scar on flank from chicken pox
- multiple elbow scars from road rash and fry basket burn when I was a teen working at MacD's. That one's kinda cool because it's basket weaved.
- One very large scar on wrist/forearm from carwash incident (see above)
- 1 pin point tatt from art class (see above)
- Cresent scar left hand (see above)
- 6 or 7 knuckle scars from my climbing days
- Scar on the tip of my outie belly button from chafing while running
- Huge scar on my azz (see above)
- Multitude of tiny to medium scars on my legs from knees down from either bike crashes, platform pedal wounds, fin wounds (surfing or windsurfing) and one nasty one from cutting my knee open on lava rock while body surfing. Oh... and that nasty coral incident that took a layer off the top of my foot.

I'm lucky, my scars fade away until they are almost not noticeable. Except the one on my butt and the burn from MacD's. Unfortunately the burn has faded enough that you can only easily see the worst part of it now and you can barely see the basket weave.

I have not surgery scars *knocks on wood*, tatts or brandings.

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Originally Posted by Kitsune06

a multitude of much smaller scars up my arms from soldering, dropping things in pickle, injuries, etc (I'm serious, I do not look good under blacklight as far as my arms are concerned)

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What kind of metal work do you do? I'm a silversmith.

This reminded me, I do have silver embedded in my left middle finger in a spot that I stupidly and repeatedly saw the same place open again and again.

What's this about the black light?

oh, I just dink around, really. have the little swedish needle files, the jewelers' saw, some soldering gear and now and then little sheets of metal to work with. I do lost wax rings where I can find places to do the investments (no kiln of my own)

black lights pick up incongruities in the skin- not sure how/why. scars appear either lighter or darker- probably same or similar reason why bodily fluids are picked up via blacklight, too. :eek:

These are kinda silly to all the other major scrapes you ladies have(love the stories though). The main ones I have are when I was in 8th grade, I ran my 3 wheeler into barbed wire and had to have stitches in my neck(missed my carotid artery by mere millimeters-got it stitched up and off I go. I was going slow btw. And yesterday 2/17 I went on a club ride and was unclipping to stop, I had my left undone and was working on my right and down I went LOL. I hit my knee and scraped it( my knee still hurts b/c I landed on it but the scrape now matches my left where I fell riding clipless last summer. Bike wasn't hurt either.:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by silver

I just saw this thread. You guys have some impressive ones. I'm probably middle of the pack :p

Starting from the top:

top lip - vertical scar - fell on step at age two and got stitches and then feel the next day and ripped the stitches out

Left shoulder blade - silver dollar sized white spot - road rash from Bike wreck in 10/06

both breasts underneath - one inch scars from implants in 05

right side next to breast 1.5 inch scar from chest tube placement - bike wreck 10/06

both elbows red road rash scars - bike wreck 10/06

both wrists - red road rash scars - bike wreck 10/06

right hip large dark patch about 6 inches by 4 inches from hematoma with a 2 inch scar from the open wound (seems like the hip bone cut the skin open from the inside) bike wreck 10/06

half inch scar on my right thigh - needed 3 stitches - accidently cut by knife by a friend. She had it in her hand and I was sitting next to her. she moved her hand down to move the chair back so she could stand and cut me. It was the strangest thing to look inside before it started to bleed.

both knees - red road rash - bike wreck 10/06

right knee - chain ring scar - no motion fall over

left calf - three cogs of the chainring form triathlon - 8/06 - I was running the run part and a friend said what happened to your leg? I didn't want to slow down so I asked the next person that I passed if my leg was bleeding and which one. Blood was dripping down my leg to my sock, still not sure what I did.

bottom on right foot, 2 inch surgical scar from removal of bone chip (probably due to running)

Mr. did I miss anything?

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Yes, from head to toe - one beautiful woman!

:) :D :)
The things some people overlook! :rolleyes: ;)