Painful scars from self injury... normal?

I self-injure, and lately I have two scars that have keloid, or something. They are small, 2-3 inch long scars which are slightly purple-y, raised and a bit red. Lately, they are tender to touch despite being a few months old. Is it normal for scars that look like that, to be sore to the touch?

Yes, I am aware of the dangers of self-harm, and am in therapy. Just wanted to make that clear, before I got a few answers telling me so :)

I do use Vitamin E capsules and Polysporin to minimize them, but thanks!

keloids are raised, reddish nodules that develop at the site of an injury. After a wound has occurred to the skin both skin cells and connective tissue cells (fibroblasts) begin multiplying to repair the damage.

Keloids may be often be prevented by using a pressure dressing, silicone gel pad or paper tape over the injury site. These are left on for 23 of 24 hours each day. This treatment is after healing of the wound or injury, usually within a month. Once they have formed, there is no completely satisfactory treatment for keloids. Treatments include cryosurgery (freezing), excision, laser, x-rays, and steroid injections.

The best initial treatment is to inject long-acting cortisone (steroid) into the keloid once a month. After several injections with cortisone, the keloid usually becomes less noticeable and flattens in three to six month's time. Cryosurgery is an excellent treatment for keloids that are small and occur on lightly pigmented skin.

I wish you the best, and I hope this helps!

o really r u ok

They sound like they are infected. Go to a doc, please.

I'm glad you are in therapy.

Infection. See a doctor.

Yes they can do, I am glad you are seeking help, good luck, I have a few scars that are raised and noticeable and they were sore, so you are not alone.

A way to heal better, is to rub the oil from a vitamin E on the scar for a few weeks.
Good luck with your therapy!

egh, don't wait any longer. Get some help on those scars!

Scars are tricky... I have several. although mine are from surgeries. but the answer to your question is yes they are probably normal. Scar tissue goes through various stages of healing. Try putting some vitamin e gel on it. There is even something in the store you can buy over the counter called Mederma ( I think) Being sore, I think is normal if you cut too deep. remember you are cutting nerve endings as well. As these heal, they sometimes can have a tender, tingling sensation. Please stop hurting yourself. I am the parent of a cutter that has had treatment. I assure you that your family and friends are very worried and concerned. Please continue getting treatment. Good luck

Not sure if that is normal, but it is safe for you to apply vitamin E to scars (not open cuts, that makes the healing process longer and causes greater scarring!). You should do this 3x per day massaging the scar and the skin surrounding to stimulate bloodflow.

There are other ways to cope with pain and stress, honestly, self-harm is the easiest route, but it is not the right way.

no, they are not infected, trust me, if they were they'd be oozing puss. i just so happen to have a burn scar from self-injury from a few months ago and it's about 3 inches long. it's purple, it's keloided, it hurts still to the touch and it itches really really bad. thats normal. it takes scars a loooong time to heal, and for burn scars can take years to heal. but i got a remedy for ya. go to wal mart and get Mederma for scars, it's a tube of medicine (that smells like roses, no joke) that you can rub on the scar like ten times a day (well, i do) and in a few months the scar will fade and become more smooth. time is the best treatment. :-) my new form of masachism is tattoos now, they look much better. professional ones ofcourse. :-)

I'd say it's fairly normal. I have a few that took over a year to fade to my normal skin color and they'd be itchy occasionally throughout that time. Everybody's body heals at a different rate. I wouldn't be too concerned, unless they look infected, but if it's been a few months I doubt that's the problem.