How to Take Care of & Embrace Your Scars, From Pregnancy, Acne, & Life As a Whole

**I am not a therapist or medical professional of any kind. The views expressed in this article are from my own opinions, experience, and research.**


Wounds both physical, mental, or emotional are unfortunately inevitable in our mortal existence and over time such wounds leave a scar. Scars are a natural part of the healing process. Most will fade and become paler over time, although they never completely disappear.

However, as they heal and later on fade, we as human beings have a hard time seeing past the pain, discomfort, and sometimes ugly mark our wounds leave.

Living in a society that views beauty and unattainable, unnatural perfection in such high regard can make any hurt we obtain leaving us with feelings of shame, guilt, and disgust when in reality acknowledging, taking care of, and even embracing our scars can bring us greater purpose, peace, and love towards ourselves and others.

In this article, I’ll be going over the steps advised to take care of physical scars and how they apply to not only the physical but the often unseen wounds that life, others, and even ourselves cause that can be resolved and embraced with sincerity. 

1) Get medical help if required.

When we break a bone, get a cut or a scratch, or are in a serious accident, we immediately either tend to our wounds ourselves with ointments and bandages or seek out medical assistance to give us aid.

We don’t let our broken arm dangle aimlessly to the side or allow ourselves to bleed out.

Just as we would immediately tend to obvious physical wounds, tending to ‘everyday’ hurt like acne or our emotional and mental wounds are just as important. It is ok not to be ok, but it’s not ok to stay there.

As we accept the fact that we need help and then ask for help is a huge key in proper healing taking place.

From having a trusted confidant found in a family member, friend, teacher, co-worker, spouse, or significant other to confide in or utilizing support resource services is a healthy acknowledgment and the best first step to caring for ourselves. 

2) Keep the wound moist

To help the injured skin heal, using petroleum jelly to keep the wound moist can be helpful. Petroleum jelly prevents the wound from drying out and forming a scab; wounds with scabs take longer to heal. This will also help prevent a scar from getting too large, deep, or itchy.

Not sweeping an unattended wound under the carpet hoping it’ll pass or go away on its own will not allow that wound to heal but get worse, get out of control, and even deepen.

As we first acknowledge the wound’s existence and get help as needed, we need to then be mindful of the wound and its effect on us.

Being mindful means being aware of your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Better said than done but even choosing to be mindful can make a world of difference, improves your well-being, and creates a greater capacity to deal with unfortunate events. 

3) Massage the wound

Massaging a wound can lessen any tension build-up and ease the pain.

I have dealt with acne for most of my adult years which have gone down since being pregnant and breast-feeding but have left scars. Also in my adult years, I have been faced with certain happenstances that have left me feeling depressed and have caused anxiety attacks. It also doesn’t help that I have high expectations for myself with what I can or should achieve which can lead to me feeling drained, beaten down, and cause burnout.

One of my dearest friends advised me recently of the need to be gentle with myself. Yes, I need to acknowledge where my scars have come from and what caused them, but I must also allow them to teach and heal which can only happen as I treat and massage them with gentleness.

To truly live, we must embrace what has brought us where we are and resolve those scars not hide them. We must soak them with kindness, humility, and compassion for them to be resolved, understood, and seen for what they truly are, sources of refinement, and marks of bravery despite what has happened to us.

Without such wounds, I wouldn’t have the drive, strength, empathy, and brightness of hope in my life that I have now that I in turn strive to share with others.

4) Avoid the sun or harsh over-exposure to heat

To protect your wound and to prevent it from darkening and becoming more noticeable, it is advised to avoid the sun and over-exposure to heat, but if you must be out in the sun to put on sunscreen and give it proper protection.

Self-compassion helps far more than criticism and beating yourself down for being wounded and having scars that show it ever will.

It can be hard to talk or even think about your past without feelings of shame or regret. But just as you would a loved one, talk about your past self with much kindness and introspection. Doing this can be truly inspiring and bring a greater understanding and drive to your life and to how you view yourself and the world around you.

Don’t compare yourself to others’ outer beauty or obvious, posted highlight reels but focus on where you are and who you’ve become now. Appreciate your progress, your strengths, and how your current weaknesses can be used to your advantage, to serve not just you by bringing you higher but also serving others by expressing greater compassion and empathy for those around you who are also striving to come to terms with their scars.

We all have flaws and have made mistakes which is all the more reason to treat ourselves and others with gentleness, patience, and compassion.

5) Let it heal naturally

Be mindful of your wounds and acknowledge them for what they are, a hurt that needs to be treated as well as healed and this requires time.

As we heal, it can leave us feeling uncomfortable and itchy at times, which is a sign of regrowth.

Don’t try to rush the process or feel that you need to set a deadline for the wound to be healed and taken care of by. Doing this will only increase stress, leave you feeling defeated, and at war with yourself.

Allow yourself grace, giving yourself the learning, freedom, and kindness you deserve.

6) Be patient

Struggling is part of the process, it won’t come naturally and effortlessly. You won’t just magically wake up one morning and love those stretch marks, those acne scars or the latest break-out on your chin, or past heartache and hurt brought on by others, life happenings, or your own choices.

Coming to embrace your scars and seeing their value with renewed, kinder eyes is a shift in your behavior mindset. It takes great effort and even some setbacks. It is a process, not a sudden destination.

You do however have the choice of whether life will make you bitter or better. Life won’t always be sunshine and roses nor will it always be dark and depleting.

Now obviously being in the heat of the moment it can be hard to automatically choose compassion and be an overcomer.

But you can choose what you do after that moment, either by feeding the part that is destroying your soul and making those wounds deeper, or looking at yourself as you would a loved one and expressing love and acknowledging what you can control to move forward well.

Be patient with yourself and don’t ask what is unreasonable. Patience is more than waiting, it is the combining of all that has been discussed: asking and receiving help, keeping the wound moist by acknowledging it, massaging it with gentleness, having self-compassion and avoiding unkind heat, allowing it to heal naturally, and repeating the process as needed, thus creating a scar you can look on with purpose, value, and tenderness. 

All Will Be Well

Our wounds and scars aren’t always beautiful and something we want to show off. But most times they are for our own personal benefit to learn from, grow, and better appreciate who we are, giving us added strength, and even increasing our self-worth if we let them.

Some scars fade and some stay with us, but just as stars have a purpose and guide us, so do our scars both seen and unseen.

Take care of them and embrace them so that you can move forward step by step, here a little and there a little, in a healthy, positive manner, with grace, drive, and compassion. It’ll do you and the world around you such good, and in the end my friend, all will be well!



Now I’d love to hear from you: What is an effective way you take care of yourself to help you feel at peace and renewed?
Please comment below and share this post if it has been of value to you or could be of value to someone else.


**If you enjoyed this article, feel free to check out these other great & insightful posts:

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About the Author 

Hi there! I’m Stephanie Tracy, a freelance writer and blogger for hire. I specialize in physical and mental health, parenting, and self-development. I create engaging, inspiring and useful content to help businesses progress in making their viewers into customers. When I’m not writing, you can find me on the floor happily playing with my baby boy, walking in the park with my family, or indulging in a movie marathon with my husband.