Does having scars on show make it uncomfortable for people who do not self harm?

Self-harm has been a struggle through my life since I was younger, but it has gotten much, much better with the help and support of my friends. Self-harm scars do make people you are not close to uncomfortable at times because often times those people don't understand what one who does self-harm is going through.

It appears to be. But most of the time, people honestly just don't care as they're not compassionate.

Not exactly uncomfortable - people just feel concerned. I remember feeling a pang of sadness and feeling upset for the person.

It, depends. Everyone is different and may act in there own ways. I'm not sure that people would really mind but you may get a few looks from people.

Sometimes, but it seems to mostly concern them about your well-being, not make them judgemental or scared. If it does make them critical, then it's their problem and not yours.

No I do not think so for most people. They might feel sympathy but not uncomfortable. Having scars is not a bad thing and you should be able to not have to hide them.

It's more of an understanding thing. Humans have natural instincts to protect ourselves, so self-harm is difficult to understand for healthy people. It may be uncomfortable for some, cause it's kind of like they just learned something "odd" about you.

Depending on how much is visible, it is similarly uncomfortable for people who do not self harm as when they see a disabled or autistic person at the grocery. At first, it's unfamiliar and for a child, possibly scary but immediately it goes unnoticed and they move on with their day.

Just one aspect I wanna add: in my experience, most people don't even notice (given that your scars are not very, very remarkable). Surely you are aware of your scars, anxious about what people might think or if they will confront you... it's absolutely normal, I think every self-harmer knows these thoughts. Besides, when you self-harm, other people's scars are much more likely to occur to you. 'Normal' people who don't pay special attention to it might not even become aware. Nonetheless, I think it's a good idea to work out what you're gonna answer in case someone asks about your scars - made me feel much more secure.

It could. But everybody is different. I've had people stare and not know how to react when they clearly know what it is. A therapist of mine told me when I was younger that I need to learn to just own it. And that has alway stuck with me.