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track marks, scars hinder anyone from employment

itsok

itsok

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 9, 2010
Messages
396
Location
nyc suburbs - ugh!!
hey,
i have really awful track marks some are so bad that it looks like a different kind of injury. my hands are awful looking.
i have put make up on and long sleeves, but i hate sweating and it looks suspicious when its hot.

anyone do plastic surgery?
am i over sensitive?
do you think ppl notice scarred lines of veins on one's hands and arms?
 
i've done this before.. hit up walmart or a pharmacy and obtain a diabetic, or some kind of bracelet that tells other that you have some health problems. make it clear that you have to get your blood checked periodically, hell say you got an infection from a pic-line, or come up with something crafty.

sucks man, i wish the best, and if all else fails try looking for work in an environment that requires long sleeves/coats.
 
D's said:
i've done this before.. hit up walmart or a pharmacy and obtain a diabetic, or some kind of bracelet that tells other that you have some health problems. make it clear that you have to get your blood checked periodically, hell say you got an infection from a pic-line, or come up with something crafty.

sucks man, i wish the best, and if all else fails try looking for work in an environment that requires long sleeves/coats.
Click to expand...

While the bracelet thing is a good idea, i would suggest being careful. What if you get in a car wreck or something? If youre unconscious an ems worker might accidently treat you for what the bracelet says. Just sayin.
 
Hey, man! ;)
I have permanent scarring on my arms. I sometimes notice that when I'm talking to someone and I'm nervous, I'll cross my arms behind my back or bend them to hide the crook. I can empathize.
Is there a plastic surgery that could cover them? Wouldn't it have to be a skin graft type thing?

I don't know. If you like tattoos that might be a option. I'd probably do it if I had the $.
I've definitely noticed that some of mine have faded but they're still there. Maybe time will heal them to a degree?
One of my ex-girlfriends would slather concealer on me. I'd forget and end up with it smudged everywhere. Christ.
 
I tried the concealer and powder charade and it was such a chore. I suck at putting on make up and my skin was too dry and it looked even worse after an hour and yes, everything i touched turned flesh colored, and all of my sleeves had flesh color. I messed up my hands and arms even more and left prints for everyone to question.

I don't like tattoos for myself. it isnt my style. however, i need to do something to cover the tracks, I hope that a skin graft would be covered by insurance (medicaid) bc i dont got the funds to out of pocket. and like if insurance doesnt cover because it is cosmetic, its like shit, it is keeping me from being employed (and has led to unnecessary arrests when cops saw track marks at the scene of a fender bender).
 
I can sympathize with this. I'm an IDU so I have some noticeable tracks, but I'm also a former self-injurer so I have a ton of scars all over my arms. I wish I could offer advice, vitamin E is really good for scars but it takes time and persistance. You can buy the little gel caps and cut them open and rub it on your scars.

I will say that most people probably don't even notice. And if they do I really doubt they know what the scars are from unless they're an IDU too.
 
Think you can get lazer scar revision on track scars, I don't know about if its that whole lumpy vein kinda thing going on tho, *shrug*
 
Mederma is a good product or the generic version. It helps better if the scars are fairly recent and you apply it several times a day.
I'm very fair skinned and have to wear sunblock, the sun makes the scars turn darker purplish I noticed.
 
Not an IDU but I do have a scar on my head from a severe injury in February that needed to be addressed through plastic surgery. It was a month before I could be seen in public without scaring people.

I've found that the true explanation (that I was assaulted with an improvised weapon) has been the best in my professional dealings. The most common reaction I've gotten is "I hope they got the guy" and they did. At this point, you'd have to know me very well to see that a scar exists at all thanks to my brilliant surgeon. <3 But it was not that way at first. I was pretty scary looking until the two black eyes and nose faded. My surgeon knew that my insurance wouldn't cover anything cosmetic, so she utilized cosmetic techniques on me at the time. The last will be an elective procedure with lasers in September. I have to pay for that myself. It should be undetectable at that point.

(The scar is about 3/4 inches long and is vertical, near my left eyebrow into my forehead. The stitch marks are the last to heal but that's what has saved me from permanent disfigurement.)

I use this twice daily and have since the stitches were dissolved: http://scarguard.com/

Basically it looks and smells like nail polish and is applied the same way, twice per day. It works on both old and new scars.

For a few small scars on my legs and hips, I use BioOil. You can get it at any drugstore and it seems like it would be good on arms. For sure, stay out of the sun - I can't go out in direct sun for more than 10 minutes without a wide-brimmed hat, which since I also have very fair pink skin, is a good idea anyways.

Mederma has done absolutely nothing. YMMV.
 
I've been using a tube of ScarZone (doubt it works but why the hell not just add it?) but the main item of benefit are Vitamin E gel caps that I break open and spread the viscous oil over the scars. Scars, pimples, cuts, abrasions, burns, vitamin E is a miracle. I won't go so far as to say that it makes them disappear. But you won't be disappointed at having given it a try!

ALSO keep scars out of direct sunlight exposure for 6 months to a year after obtaining them. This is so important but not mentioned enough. If you can't keep it out of sunlight, use like SPF 50 or something ridiculous, because you don't want the sun to make the pigment change in your skin more permanent than it needs to be.
 
I found Mederma scar cream helps with the scars on hands.

I had such nasty scars I ended up getting tattoos over them on my arms. It worked just fine. Its a good thing I was already into tattoos and would have gotten the tattoos anyways.

Tattooing your hands would be counter-productive to employment.

Also I use make up on my hands as well. I get some really good stuff from Belks and its like 40 bucks a tube. That being said the same tube has lasted me 3 years or so. Its waterproof and sweat does not mess it up. The sales girl was actually pretty chill and put makeup on my hands till we found something that worked well. She even flirted with me. I thought those people would find me rather repulsive, but they say they get a lot of cutters wanting scar cream.
 
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