# Do you actually worry about scars?



## Hello Kitty (Sep 3, 2004)

Seriously? I couldn't care less. In fact, I think scars on either sex are about the coolest thing going. I can't be the only one.


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## formica (Jul 4, 2004)

Don't worry about scars, tan lines, or which way my hair is sticking up. 
I don't really worry too much about what my butt looks like either, and I try not to worry about the wrinkles and stray grey hair.  

formica


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

I'm all about scars.  Like part of your riding history right there to look at...

(not to mention, with the collection I have, I'd better not mind them...)

I did have a BF WAY back when who freaked out if I got a scrape because he was so worried I'd scar and it bothered him. Needless to say he got dumped a long time ago. My husband and I were at a wedding a couple of weeks ago and he called me over across the room because he had been bragging about my scars and wanted me to show off my calves to the people he was talking to (some of whom also happened to be MTBers). Too funny.


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 3, 2004)

connie said:


> I did have a BF WAY back when who freaked out if I got a scrape because he was so worried I'd scar and it bothered him.


That's just whacked. Good thing you left him. People that weird end up explaining bodies in their freezers.


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## AZtortoise (Jan 12, 2004)

Hello Kitty said:


> That's just whacked. Good thing you left him. People that weird end up explaining bodies in their freezers.


What? You mean you do not have a body in a freezer?  
j/k
Scars are cool, I have quite a few. Bruises are cool, too, especially the really huge ones, but they do not last long enough (Love the crazy colors).

Rita


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

AZtortoise said:


> What? You mean you do not have a body in a freezer?
> j/k
> Scars are cool, I have quite a few. Bruises are cool, too, especially the really huge ones, but they do not last long enough (Love the crazy colors).
> 
> Rita


Yeah, my left hand/thumb is currently a lovely rainbow of purples, reds and greens. Very sexy. 

Apparently I should stick to downhilling because my only wrecks this year have been going uphill. (Ya know where you give it 100% trying to make it up over an obstacle and then have nothing left to get out of the pedals and recover when it doesn't work as planned...) At least my climbing has been improving drastically.


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 3, 2004)

AZtortoise said:


> What? You mean you do not have a body in a freezer?
> j/k
> Scars are cool, I have quite a few. Bruises are cool, too, especially the really huge ones, but they do not last long enough (Love the crazy colors).
> 
> Rita


Rita, I once had a hip pointer that lasted three months. It was insane. The frickin' thing was so huge that it looked like a God damn rat bulging out of the side of my skirt for the first week. That thing went from black, to black, to black, to black, to blue, to a weird trailing blue streak that ran down my leg, to a nice grey yellow before it finally faded away. Musta been because I didn't have enough momentum when I fell.

But truthfully, I'll take a nice scrape or scar over a bruise any day. I just think that in the right pair of heels, they have a way of looking particularly good.


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

Hello Kitty said:


> But truthfully, I'll take a nice scrape or scar over a bruise any day. I just think that in the right pair of heels, they have a way of looking particularly good.


Last year I ended up getting 20 some stitches in the back of my ankle/calf. That night we went out to dinner/movies and I accessorized my new stitches with sexy strappy heels and a mini-skirt. I should have taken a picture of the whole outfit, but all I have is this one...


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 3, 2004)

connie said:


> Last year I ended up getting 20 some stitches in the back of my ankle/calf. That night we went out to dinner/movies and I accessorized my new stitches with sexy strappy heels and a mini-skirt. I should have taken a picture, but all I have is this one...


Bravo!! You have me beat. I've only made it up to 9.


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## screampint (Dec 10, 2001)

The only scars that I'm uncomfortable with are the ones from abdominal surgery (2 c-sections and two more surgeries). More because the skin is so sensitive than anything else. For a long time I couldn't even wear bikini underwear (the waistband hit at the scar). However, I am self-concious about the stretch marks (which are also sensitive to sun). 

The rest of the scars are no big deal, I just don't want scrapes and cuts to get in the way of work.


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## screampint (Dec 10, 2001)

Yummy! I would have liked to see the reaction to those warwounds during the date.


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## Nik (Apr 16, 2004)

Scars are like tattoos but scars have a waaaaaay more interesting story about how or why you got them.


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## brg (Sep 7, 2004)

I have enough scars and stories - I don't particularly "want" more scars - but I know I'll probably accumulate a few more. I do LOVE that Tegaderm tho... 

here's a pic of 23 stitches I got while doing the 24 hours of Moab 3 years ago. Did a nice endo @ 3am and didn't realize I was hurt until I looked down and saw the skin peeled back and my kneecap looking back at me. <yuck!>

if I had been thinking clearly at the time - I would've had the Doctor put in an extra one for symmetry


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

Hello Kitty said:


> Seriously? I couldn't care less. In fact, I think scars on either sex are about the coolest thing going. I can't be the only one.


I don't worry about scars, they are neat in a way. I'd prefer them not on my face however.


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## Shannon-UT (Mar 26, 2004)

Gah-ROSS people! Yet, I cannot look away from these photos....

Scars have stories, like battle wounds, which is cool. I don't think they are sexy though.

H and I have matching scars on our inner thighs (trying to hop the same barbed wire fence, different times) that we both recieved within days of meeting each other. How romantic.


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 3, 2004)

Impy said:


> I don't worry about scars, they are neat in a way. I'd prefer them not on my face however.


I know what you mean, but the most handsome man I have ever met in my whole entire life is a pretty boy type who has a 3" scar on the bridge and left side of his nose that extends onto his cheek. The combination? Wildly good. OMG ... better yet, the thing got there from a bar fight when some freak broke a Jack Daniels bottle on his face. No kidding.

G'night everbody ... hk.


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## deanna (Jan 15, 2004)

Hello Kitty said:


> a pretty boy type who has a 3" scar on the bridge and left side of his nose that extends onto his cheek.


sound similar to a waiter i knew a few years back... his was bike related though. happened to look up at the wrong time (should have been ducking), tree branch caught the rim of his helmet and WHACK into the bridge of his nose. peeled him right off the bike. said he had to lay flat on his back for quite some time as all the little birdies swirled around before he could go back to his vehicle and drive to the hospital.

as for scars on me... like 'em if they have a good story, wish they'd go away if it was b/c i was doing something stupid.


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

deanna said:


> as for scars on me... like 'em if they have a good story, wish they'd go away if it was b/c i was doing something stupid.


Yeah - my first ACL tear was nothing but stupidity. I think that just means we need to use a little more creative license in telling the story.


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## Christine (Feb 11, 2004)

_but the most handsome man I have ever met in my whole entire life is a pretty boy type who has a 3" scar on the bridge and left side of his nose that extends onto his cheek._

mmmm......don't know who this is, but I can somehow picture kissing him.....! 

Wish I could post photos here, the wound on my left knee from two weeks ago is just healing up finally. Doesn't help that I fell on it *again* a few days after the initial tumble. 

Has been itching like crazy. Now that it's almost healed, it kinda matches the scar on my right knee from a few months ago.

_as for scars on me... like 'em if they have a good story, wish they'd go away if it was b/c i was doing something stupid_

That sums it up pretty well, I think!


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## mahgnillig (Mar 12, 2004)

It's not the scars I mind... but the getting of them. They are way cooler when they have a good story attached though.

The thing I hate is when you do something stupid that leads to an injury rather than a scar. I could put up with gouging my knee open, but when I fell on my elbow by forgetting to clip out at traffic lights and ended up with a niggling nerve pain that is just about clearing up after 4 months... well, I'd rather have had a scar 

- Jen.


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## Mary Ann (Jan 13, 2004)

I bruise and scar so easily when I fall that it would be silly for me to worry about them. 

But I have to agree with Impy--just not the face. I already have one from a stupid softball incident (luckily right along my eyebrow line so it's not very visible). 
Mary Ann


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## *rt* (Jan 15, 2004)

depends on where they are.

don't really think that scars on my face would be all that cool but pretty much anywhere else is ok with me. especially if they have a good story to go along with them.

now, if you're going to ask why if i think scars are cool did i spend my first season wearing long sleeve/tights to protect myself the answer is i got tired of bleeding all the time. scars are cool but constant raw skin and scabs are painful.

rt


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 3, 2004)

*rt* said:


> depends on where they are.
> 
> don't really think that scars on my face would be all that cool but pretty much anywhere else is ok with me. especially if they have a good story to go along with them.
> 
> ...


Who the hell are you?


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## *rt* (Jan 15, 2004)

*luke, i am your father...*



Hello Kitty said:


> Who the hell are you?


huh? 

rt


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## VA2SLOride (Feb 17, 2005)

*dude*



Hello Kitty said:


> Seriously? I couldn't care less. In fact, I think scars on either sex are about the coolest thing going. I can't be the only one.


Women with bike-related scars kick arse. And it's a hell of a conversation starter.

Hello Kitty.....I believe we've talked about this before......lol


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## amg (Nov 8, 2004)

Hello Kitty said:


> Musta been because I didn't have enough momentum when I fell.


Of course. If you had enough momentum it would have been on your elbow. 

Don't take it so much to heart, it was a joke about how _I_ crash, it had nothing to do with you  although I did find it surprising that someone could ride and never beat up body parts other than legs.

Oh well, I'm going back to the gear forums.


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 3, 2004)

amg said:


> Of course. If you had enough momentum it would have been on your elbow.
> 
> Don't take it so much to heart, it was a joke about how _I_ crash, it had nothing to do with you  although I did find it surprising that someone could ride and never beat up body parts other than legs.
> 
> Oh well, I'm going back to the gear forums.


I don't "never" beat up other body parts. It's just rare. And like a dumb ass, try as I might to _keep _ from doing it, when I fall I usually end up landing on my palms and ripping my thumb tendons or tearing out my rotator cuff. And, after seeing a guy rip his index nail off (yes, off) I always, always, always ride in full fingered gloves. I just don't see much/any protection gained from polyester sleeves.

And didn't take your post to heart. I promise. This is just my way.


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## bad_lil_kitty (Mar 23, 2005)

Scars are cool; however, the terms in which I got my scars....er... not soo cool...

right knee cap - was jogging on a track in highschool and tripped over my own two feet

left shoulder blade - (more of a 'blemish' that will go away) slipped at the crags (also a climber) while resting against a boulder relieving myself

left knee, below knee cap - kneeled on some kid's ciggie

and lastly, right area (near miniscus points) two scars - impaled myself on a pair of siscors when i was in kindergarten - noticed it when my white tights turned red...

such is life...

blk


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## amg (Nov 8, 2004)

Hello Kitty said:


> I don't "never" beat up other body parts. It's just rare. And like a dumb ass, try as I might to _keep _ from doing it, when I fall I usually end up landing on my palms and ripping my thumb tendons or tearing out my rotator cuff. And, after seeing a guy rip his index nail off (yes, off) I always, always, always ride in full fingered gloves. I just don't see much/any protection gained from polyester sleeves.
> 
> And didn't take your post to heart. I promise. This is just my way.


A fingernail...ew. A friend of mine ripped the bottom of her toe almost all the way off when she hit a root at a dh race with clipless pedals.

The goriest I've ever done was commuting to work on a gravel road, believe it or not. I was just learning how to mtn bike at the time, and was practicing some "rock avoidance" techniques from the rec centre class. Got a little cocky, went a little faster, and lost control, WHAM down sideways, wearing shorts and a tank top. I broke my helmet and was raw from my shoulder to my ankle wherever I didn't have fabric covering me. I couldn't see my back, but the people at work were really impressed, as were the guys at the bike shop. I particularly liked the little bit of gravel that worked it's way out after I was all healed up.


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## Trevor! (Dec 23, 2003)

I hate scars. I contemplated having some plastic surgery done on my knee but then I though, they are like a memory. In years to come I can point to it and say what happened so I figure its best it stays... 

The one on my knee has always annoyed me but its not all that big. Some of the pictures here would have produced bigger scars.


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## FreeRangeChicken (Jan 13, 2004)

bad_lil_kitty said:


> ...
> and lastly, right area (near miniscus points) two scars - impaled myself on a pair of siscors when i was in kindergarten - noticed it when my white tights turned red...
> ...


Tisk, tisk...

Was somone running with scissors? ....you could have put your eye out!


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## kept man (Jan 13, 2004)

Trev, plastic surgery is sooo not worth it. Why subject your body to more trauma, just for cosmetic reasons? 

Like Screampint, I have some nasty surgery scars that I was encouraged to have cosmetic work done on ... and sure, there were/are people who respond in disgust if I wear sleeveless shirts and the scars are visible ... but frankly, I find that kinda shallow, and none of their business.

What was laid out as the option for me were skin grafts (thanks, butt) followed by the wearing of a special constrictive upper-body vest that would moisturize my shoulders with silicon. I'd only have to wear the vest virtually any time other than showering, every day, for a year. Or maybe 18 months.

All this just for looks - or to avoid them? Admittedly, the scars remain very sensitive to touch/sun burn/etc - but the surgery + treatment would have been purely cosmetic. NO thanks! Don't put your body through more grief than you need to ...


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## bad_lil_kitty (Mar 23, 2005)

FreeRangeChicken said:


> Tisk, tisk...
> 
> Was somone running with scissors? ....you could have put your eye out!


Nope  Actually, there were a pair of scissors that laid on the floor next to me (6" stainless steel, not safety scissors at all --- incidently the same pair of scissors my brother used to give me a 'haircut') and I had rolled into them... I couldn't feel anything at the time until I got up and sat down --- again, noticing the redness oozing from my white tights...


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## FreeRangeChicken (Jan 13, 2004)

bad_lil_kitty said:


> Nope  Actually, there were a pair of scissors that laid on the floor next to me (6" stainless steel, not safety scissors at all --- incidently the same pair of scissors my brother used to give me a 'haircut') and I had rolled into them... I couldn't feel anything at the time until I got up and sat down --- again, noticing the redness oozing from my white tights...


Sorry, couldnt' resist the urge to throw out the cliche' 

I'm the second youngest of seven and the only boy. I'm sure I got my fair share of sibling haircuts too from aspiring young hair stylists.


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## bad_lil_kitty (Mar 23, 2005)

FreeRangeChicken said:


> I'm the second youngest of seven and the only boy.


Were your parents Catholic 

I sought my revenge; I used to cut his hair in college....it's been years since I last trimmed his hair...


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

FreeRangeChicken said:


> Sorry, couldnt' resist the urge to throw out the cliche'
> 
> I'm the second youngest of seven and the only boy. I'm sure I got my fair share of sibling haircuts too from aspiring young hair stylists.


My sister decided to be a hairstylist with her best friend when they were about 5 or 6 - she cut off this girl's gorgeous butt-length hair at the top of her scalp. Mothers were impressed, let me tell ya....


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## mariomega (May 6, 2005)

Some scars are cool I guess. Then there's others that make you cringe. I guess chicks don't like the ones that make you cringe.

(one that makes you cringe)


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

mariomega said:


> Some scars are cool I guess. Then there's others that make you cringe. I guess chicks don't like the ones that make you cringe.
> 
> (one that makes you cringe)


Even that won't be that bad once the staples are out. Plus it's in the hairline so it'll probably not be all that visible anyway.


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## chuky (Apr 3, 2005)

*For some reason all my stitches have been facial...*



Mary Ann said:


> But I have to agree with Impy--just not the face. I already have one from a stupid softball incident (luckily right along my eyebrow line so it's not very visible).
> Mary Ann


...5 stitches from running in the house when I was four years old, and 9 from trying to do something cool on my FS in January (top teeth through bottom lip, from the inside). I have scars from both but they aren't too bad, honestly.

Worse are the huge scars on both hips from 13 combined years of road race crashes and MTB wrecks. Those are never going away. Always fun to explain during swimsuit season. Those wrecks hurt more than the face ones, too.


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## SpiderTaxi (Jan 20, 2004)

I have a long gash on my thigh from falling off a cliff which gave me 32 stitches, but since then nothing more serious then bloody knees and elbows. Last year I started out the season with my usual log crash to add to my collection of tanless skin patches. The only time I'm self-conscious about my scars is when my mom comes to visit, they drive her crazy...And when I trying to forget the comment made by a 'friend' that crashing is a sign of poor technical skills.


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## MidAtlanticXCer (May 21, 2004)

*I'm about to go add to the scar collection*

Gotta get some cancery bits cut out. To whomever mentioned TegaDerm - Word!


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## FreeRangeChicken (Jan 13, 2004)

MidAtlanticXCer said:


> Gotta get some cancery bits cut out. To whomever mentioned TegaDerm - Word!


A guy I played hockey with had something like 39 cancerous nodes cut out. When he took off his jersey in the locker room he looked like he had been a practice target for a machinegun.

Good luck with that.


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## Cdalecat (Apr 22, 2004)

*just call me frankenstein...*

Scars are one of those things ....... I've gained most of my scars from some *very* serious injuries, so at the time I have to focus on healing. After the fact, the scar has already become a fact of life and not even worth thinking about. I'd much rather have the scars then some of the other potential health consequences of injuries.

Honestly though, the facial scars did take some mental adjustment, but they are almost invisible at this point in time.

(hint: never, ever, let sun touch new scars for the first year)

To connect this thread with the wedding thread, I do have a scar/wedding/mother-in-law story, but that's getting WAY off topic.


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 3, 2004)

Cdalecat said:


> To connect this thread with the wedding thread, I do have a scar/wedding/mother-in-law story, but that's getting WAY off topic.


Oh do, share! Until then, here's my contribution for facial scar photos. Actually this is a friend of mine who got all ballsy on an area of Deer Creek Trail. There's three jumps. The first one goes whoop-dee-doo. The second one goes WHOOP-dee-doo. The third and fatal one goes WHOOP-DEE-OH-MY-F*CKING-GOD!!! as the bottom unexpectedly falls out below ... Let this be a lesson to us all, never ever ever take a jump without knowing for sure what's on the other side ...


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## kept man (Jan 13, 2004)

Holy god that looks vicious ... her neck ...


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 3, 2004)

kept man said:


> Holy god that looks vicious ... her neck ...


I know. The lil' trooper's sipping _Wild Turkey _ in that water bottle. The best pain med that could be found on the drive home ...


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## bulletbob (Apr 5, 2004)

*O my GAWD!!!!!*




Hello Kitty said:


> I know. The lil' trooper's sipping _Wild Turkey _ in that water bottle. The best pain med that could be found on the drive home ...


Look at her eyes!!!! Is she wearing new contacts or on meth?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?


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## SpiderTaxi (Jan 20, 2004)

Holy cow...that picture made my pulse slow down to nil... She's okay right?


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## zenmonkey (Nov 21, 2004)

ladies, thought about full face helmets, if doing any jumping at all? Never mind the scrapes, face bones often do not heal well - won't tell horror stories but this is not a bad investment - and if you think scars are sexy, well a woman that owns full body armor ...


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 3, 2004)

SpiderTaxi said:


> Holy cow...that picture made my pulse slow down to nil... She's okay right?


Yes, she was fine, in fact she rides all the time and even started racing xc mtb after this little event. It's unbelievable she wasn't hurt worse. She fell on her _face_. Smashed her sunglasses. Split her helmet. With the force that she fell, and where she impacted, it's amazing to me that her jugular didn't burst. Or that her neck didn't snap.



> Look at her eyes!!!! Is she wearing new contacts or on meth?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?.


Neither. I think that's just the way you look after staring death in the face.


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

zenmonkey said:


> ladies, thought about full face helmets, if doing any jumping at all? Never mind the scrapes, face bones often do not heal well - won't tell horror stories but this is not a bad investment - and if you think scars are sexy, well a woman that owns full body armor ...


Oh I've got a whole collection of full face helmets and body armor that gets used depending on the trail. (Including one that I cracked in front when I landed on my face). But I still manage to get cuts and scars on the spots that aren't covered by armor. For example I have a nice scar on the inside of my elbow (flipped and one of the pins on my pedal went through the mesh of my body armor jacket)


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## MightySchmoePong (Jan 12, 2004)

*Turns out to be not too bad*

I had to do it without lidocaine shots, as I am allergic. But the only part that bugged me was the cautery -didn't like smelling my flesh burning, go figure!


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## MightySchmoePong (Jan 12, 2004)

*I've got wide, staring eyes*



Hello Kitty said:


> I think that's just the way you look after staring death in the face.


(and gratuitous Pink Floyd references)
Yes, I'd agree. Those are shocky eyes.


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## Cdalecat (Apr 22, 2004)

Cdalecat said:


> To connect this thread with the wedding thread, I do have a scar/wedding/mother-in-law story, but that's getting WAY off topic.





Hello Kitty said:


> Oh do, share!


I was always under the impression that a nurse would be capable of recognizing a scar, but apparently this isn't true when the nurse in question is a mother-in-law. It's especially not true when said mother-in-law is trying to embarrass her new daughter-in-law, the bride, in the middle of the wedding reception.

The scar is huge (it runs the length of my collar bone), and I was wearing a spagetti strap dress. Still, it's no excuse for the following conversation:

MIL: "There is something on your shoulder."
me: "No, it's just the scar."
MIL: "No, there is something on your shoulder."
me: "No REALLY, it's just the scar." 
(repeat ad nauseum until my husband stepped in and told her to knock it off)

Moral of the story? Other than the fact that my mother-in-law sucks?  
Everyone will have their own opinion about scars, but what matters is how you deal with your own. Mother-in-law couldn't ruin my wedding because I had already come to terms with the scar (including wearing it "on display" at my wedding).


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## bad_lil_kitty (Mar 23, 2005)

Holy ****! I hope she's okay HK. Wow!

blk


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## sandan (Feb 17, 2004)

Hello Kitty said:


> I know. The lil' trooper's sipping _Wild Turkey _ in that water bottle. The best pain med that could be found on the drive home ...


 Hmmmm, Wild Turkey after Deer Creek, sounds good.


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## wildman (Aug 21, 2004)

*OK, so in my monthly browsings of the womens lounge....*

i come across this SCAR thread

you guys (girls) are fun to read thru from time to time ,but this time i just have to contribute:

"DONT YALL WEAR ANY ARMOR"?!?!?!

surely they make it in small or female sizes. good greif that one chick on the "WHOOP DE OH @#$%@$ NOW WHAT jump section is motive enough.

scars are cool here and there but not your whole body!!

MAN!

anyways, just my thoughts, keep the enjoyable posts coming and ill revisit next month

mike, fully armored, wildman


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

wildman said:


> i come across this SCAR thread
> 
> you guys (girls) are fun to read thru from time to time ,but this time i just have to contribute:
> 
> ...


My scars pictured occured while wearing head to toe body armor riding DH. Shin guards tend not to cover the backs of your legs too well. You can't cover every inch of skin or you couldn't move...


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## s.c.rides (May 21, 2005)

if i worried about scars, i would cover my body from head to toe lol

worst visible scar is the supposed thyroidectomy for cancer, they messed up, had to reopen my neck to put a trach in after i bled out from their mistake.. they revived me, but the tubes during the coma, really messed up the scar... wouldn't mind a jagged line but there are holes where artery lines went in... lol ppl no longer look at my boobs when they talk to me  



now the scars on my knee from that nice crash .... they took on a strawberry shape!


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## konahottie_311 (May 26, 2005)

Well I am all for the scars...I have no problem with them. I think it just comes with the sport but for sure if you are going to be doing any jumps you need a full face. It has save my jaw a few times so far....and dont forget your arm amour....and I agree that my boyfriend likes the scared girlfriend for sure..it's cute. But I must say that the scars have as much as of a story to them as all of my tattoos..and those were planed....i love this forum ladies.


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