28 Tattoos That Cover Self-Harm Scars

“I didn’t want to cover up my scars completely because I wanted it to be a reminder that I was strong enough to overcome it and that I still had a life to live… My life wasn’t ready to be over. My husband is the person who helped me overcome self-harming myself though and I’m truly thankful for him.” —  Kimberly

3.

“When my granddad passed away everything got worse and I couldn’t handle him not being around. Having depression is hard enough for me, then losing someone so close to me made everything worse. So I decided to get this amazing tattoo over my scars to remind me that he will always be there.” — Gina S.

4.

“Self-harm was a way I coped with my depressive and suicidal episodes. I would feel all this anger built up inside of me and I wanted to find some kind of release. But with depression, I wanted to hurt myself because I felt like I deserved it. So, my arms would almost be covered daily. It all started small as a cry for help, but very quickly turned into an addiction. When I had motivation to get better, I wanted something beautiful on my arm to cover these scars up. Now, I have a tattoo that says ‘This too shall pass’ with a peony that symbolizes healing. Whenever I have urges to self-harm, I instantly look to my arm to where I usually self-harm and I see this beautiful tattoo with a meaningful message and I just cry it out until the feeling has passed. It has helped me, and has also sparked up the conversation of mental health with others! It’s more than just a tattoo, it’s my journey to recovery.” — Reshmi C.

5.

“When I began working as a professional in the mental health field, I felt as if people didn’t have a right to know so much about me at first glance. I tattooed cherry blossoms over my self-harm scars after working closely with an artist to provide the coverage I needed with a more natural look I wanted.” — Ashley C.

“I once put the word ‘ugly’ on my leg, but recently got a tattoo that says beautiful to remind myself how beautiful I am.” — Brianna N.

7.

“My tattoo covers my self-harm scars dating back 12 years. Some older, some newer. I was tired of seeing my legs covered in scars, never wearing shorts or swimming in long basketball shorts. Not only did I cover a spot I hurt myself on for years, I prevented anymore harm to that area. I have not self-harmed since. The Dia De Los Muertos skull as with the celebration is not only to celebrate death, but life. I felt it appropriate to celebrate life, death and my Mexican heritage.” — Alex B.

8.

“I’ve always wanted to go into something related to astronomy. Now I’m a double major in mathematics and physics on track to go to graduate school for astrophysics.” — Samantha

9.

“I’m so glad I covered my scars with something pretty. It was like making a commitment to myself to heal and grow.  Ever since I got the tattoo, I haven’t turned back. It’s a reminder of how far I’ve come.” — Haley W.

10.

“My grandfather used to always call me ‘Pretty Girl’ so I knew I always wanted a tattoo of that somewhere. It wasn’t until I was in the midst of a depressive episode that I needed it on my wrist — not only would I always see it and remind me that my grandfather is watching over me, but every time I wanted to self-harm, I would see this and remember that I’m worth it.” — Meredith H.

“What inspired me to get tattoos to cover my scars was so whenever I was down or having a bad day, I could look down at my newly painted arm and remember that overcoming something can lead to beautiful things. My next step is to cover the scars of my other arm and my leg. It’s never easy, but by getting them covered up, it’s a little bit like closure.” — Lauren S.

“I don’t generally tell people my story. I stopped self-harming around four years ago, I’ve never known why I self-harmed, it’s just something I felt I had to do. I had a therapy sessions which were great and eventually realized I had depression and I needed to take a step towards being the happy me again, so while my legs where recovering from the self-harm I got a tattoo under neath my scars saying “OKAY.” When I got that tattoo, it made me feel powerful and that I had control of my body. When most of my scars had healed and I was only left with a few big scars, I got them covered with a lion, not to hide what I did — but because lions are strong and powerful and so am I.”  — Abi W:

13.

“I got this tattoo on my 18th birthday, in part, as a memorial tattoo for Robin Williams. When I was very young, I loved to perform and make people laugh. I loved doing voices and improvising dialogue, as Robin Williams did. He has been my biggest inspiration in life and someone I relate to very much. As I grew older, I sunk further into my depression and became too self-conscious to pursue my childhood dream of performing. I now have extreme social anxiety and struggle with chronic depression. For a long time, I was angry with myself for no longer being the friendly, funny person I used to be. The version people seemed to like better… I realized all I can do now is put effort into improving myself moving forward. This leg piece symbolizes me ‘setting myself free’ of the judgment and ridicule I had placed on myself for so many years, the same way the genie gets set free by the master he was slaved to.” — Ysabel V:

14.

“After years of struggling with bulimia and self-harm, I decided to get the infinity sign with the NEDA symbol beneath. Just as a daily reminded to stay strong. I added the sunflowers just recently. I have dealt with depression and anxiety for about five years now. Anytime an anxiety attack occurs, I try to focus on one thing, and that is a field of sunflowers I had visited before. I had never felt so calm and at peace when I was standing in that field. Now that I have this tattoo it is a reminder that even though I may struggle with the things I do, that inner peace is not impossible. The tattoos themselves cover up old self-harm scars.” — Kyra B.

15.

“I saw this quote back when I was in seventh grade. I knew one day that I will have this tatted on me. I didn’t start self-harming until sophomore year in high school. As a freshmen in college last year, I finally got this quote on my body.” — Zari S.

24.

“I got these watercolor roses to symbolize my two years clean anniversary last year. Now I am three years clean. Roses are one of my favorite flowers, and they are beautiful, just like recovery.” — Michelle M:

“I went through four years of depression, then an abusive relationship. I got a tattoo to cover the pain and scars of this bird cage saying I’ve been set free from life and the abuse.” —  Cassie S.

26.

“This reminds me every day to continue to fight for myself and that giving up is no longer an option.” – Aiyana R.

27.

“This is the tattoo I got to remind myself not to self-harm. It covers the worst scar I had gotten from self-harm during a panic attack. The words say, “it’s come our time.” They’re from a Johnny Cash song, but I like it as a statement saying that it’s come our time to no longer be victims of ourselves, but rather be our own heroes.” — Elizabeth C.

28.

“Although its purpose is not to cover up the scars I have, this is a message to myself to remind me to ‘stay strong.’  It’s in a place I see often on purpose. I also waited to get it until I hadn’t self-harmed for a long while. It was like something to aim for, a reward for myself. Now it’s there to stay and hopefully I’ll not be in a place where I need to self-harm again, certainly not over my tattoo.” — Amy S.