hmm well im not sure

id say that if you cut depper your probably gunna hurt and maybe even kill yourself

so i dunno

neither

I would say neither, but I would be hypocrite. I used to be a cutter and still feel the urge to do it sometimes. Obviously, cutting yourself in any way isn't good..But, if you really need to do it I'd say shallow cuts. The scars aren't as bad.

Hey,
I was just wondering. I'm not really trying to get any ideas I just want to know. I just didn't know what the majority did. Anyway, thanks.

if you can not keep yourself from doing it, I'd say shallow and often rather than opposite - less risk of infection...

I would say shallow cuts, cos it leaves less scars.

SHORT ANSWER
- I started shallow and got deeper and deeper and nearly killed myself. It's like a hot bath, you get used to it.

Id say stop cutting, or youll have arms shredded with deep and kinda deep and shallow superficial scars, ALL of which show up when you get a tan or put your arms out under light. 'learning' to cut deeper and doing it less often and cutting deeper you will eventually get out of control and do something irreversible. I have over 50 scars that i can see on my left arm and about 20 on the right, i last self harmed 2 a nd a half years ago and had a relapse episode (no cutting, just panic attack and hysteria) a month ago. The deepest one is not the most noticeable, blunt or sharp they will all show up and they all show that there is something you need to start fixing somehow in your life. It's always interesting how people try to live with their problem, but when you stop doing it for a while youll wonder what was going on inside your ehad that made you do it. Shallow is more scars, deeper means they last longer

Neither is going to do you any good. yes, shallow can be less harmful, but cutting can be addictive and eventually shallow cutting is going to do nothing. you will get scars either way. i always did shallow cutting and ive got embarrassing scars on my arm that show up more in the sun.
i know you dont want to hear this, but im going to say it anyway. id say stop cutting altogether, there are different ways of dealing with your emotions. you need to talk to someone about what you are feeling. it doesnt have to be a health professional, just a friend will help

Shallow cuts are safer.

I cut to deep once and needed stitches, it was just embarassing.

I'd just do more and more shallow cuts at once. My entire forearm was covered at one point, but there is absolutely no scars from it.

i would say neither

I would say neither... But I know it isn't as easy at that.
When I started harming it was very superficial and about 3 times a week. It got worse though and got to the point of me needing medical help (sticthes) 3 - 4 times a week.
My arms are so badly scarred.
The risk of cutting deeply is causing long-term damage. I know how easy it is to get a vein.
Even though I would rather say neither, I know people can't just stop, so please try and cut superficially and maybe seek help/support with it?

Errm it's kinda weird to be giving advice about how to better cut oneself, but I've been doing it for over 5 years and have hundreds of cut/burn scars, not to mention some nerve damage... So my advice would be to stay away from the wrist. Using a serrated knife pulls on the skin but ensures that it doesn't go too deep, so it may be shallow but it's effective... Just be careful not to pull it across too fast cuz that'll tear chunks out... Otherwise, razorblades work but they're trickier to gage with deepness, because they just slide across... Anyways, if you're able to stop that'd be awesome, but if it's not that easy I hope advice helps a little...

hi i also have a problem with self harm. If you can....go with shallow cuts. i wish i could but im scared and im stuck but if you can do what you can to just do shallow cuts do. It will make it easier to try and stop whereas when you cut deeper it becomes addictive and you will want to cut deeper which is a dangerous position to be in (one i am in at thwe moment) so please i hope this helps you and good luck .x.

listen. I'm not a compulsive cutter or anything but the 5 times i've done it, i've used my fingernails or the pocket knife my ex gave me. Here's the thing. I've found that, though it may be even less safe than using a knife, fingernails are you best option. It takes longer to make a deeper cut and and it hurts whilst you try to achieve that deep cut, so maybe you could try slowly pressing harder on the kinfe each time you make a cut. like to begin with, just lightly touch the skin and pull it along, then slowly make it harder. try to do the shallower cuts if that doesn't work out. i hope i've helped you maybe a little. xx

When I was really really bad a few years ago I did shallow ones but it was several times a day. Now that I do it like twice a year, it's still shallow I just make a lot more cuts. I tend to do it on my thigh too so no one sees. Very few people know that I cut myself.

The deeper comes with more risks. I would just go crazy on my leg with a razor blade really quickly, so there were enough marks to satisfy me, yet they weren't super deep.

Hope that answers your question.

understanding that neither isn't exactly an option, I would say shallow; it is safer

The truth is out of my own personal experience, I found that with time it just got worse, I started out doing shallow ones on my legs with scissors, I thought it was gross done on the arms. Now 6 years later I have scars all over my arms, ribs, legs, and hips that I did using so many different things. There's no real safe cutting. I learned that, but it took me a long time, you may start out doing little shallow cuts, but eventually over time they get deeper. And eventually you depend on it so much that when you can't find something sharp to do it, you panic, I can't speak for everyone who cuts, but thats how i was.

I know how hard it is to stop cutting, ii have scars which will never go away and i have had stiches.


Shallow cuts are easier to heal and on your uper arms and legs hide them away from people.

Well, I do shallow, just 'cause I'm afraid of going deeper. But I've grown numb to it. I've been snapping more often, and keeping the rubber band on so tight it cuts off my circulation. The cuts keep me up at night, but they don't hurt badly while I'm doing it or at all afterwards.

I'd like to go deeper - I think that'd work better. To people who are afraid they'll go deeper though, you can try a shaving razor - you can't get too deep with those but they draw a lot of blood and sting. That's what I've been using, but I guess I'm numb to it now...?