Kindly Submitted by a former self harmer:

Red Cross Skin Camouflage Clinic

Last summer I had a dreadful time coping with the hot weather and the embarrassment of trying to wear appropriate clothing to cope with the heat. I have layers of SH scars on the underside of both forearms. They are highly discoloured being a vivid purple or red depending on the temperature. Therefore they are easily visible and have drawn many hurtful comments. I remembered having read on the internet about a Mental Health conference in Scotland where the Red Cross had been raising awareness of their skin camouflage service. I thought it worth investigating as I knew this summer I could not repeat the difficulties I encountered last year when wearing short sleeves.

The Red Cross website www.redcross.org.uk  is where I found out all the information I needed to know.

Click on the link and then follow these instructions:

Another way to access this information would be to type in www.redcross.org.uk/skin camouflage.

The site gives a comprehensive history of this free service which is run by trained volunteers. It explains how you can be referred and that the products used are available on prescription from your GP. (If you are unable to access the internet then look up your local branch of the Red Cross in the phonebook.)

My experience of visiting the Skin Camouflage Clinic was a very positive one. The volunteer was friendly, empathetic and non judgemental - all personality traits essential to putting me at my ease. I am very anxious in public places but because the clinic is held on a Saturday the hospital was very quiet making access much easier.

The volunteer matched my skin tone to the products and then taught me how to apply them. This will take practise and quite a bit of time but I feel it has to be worth the effort if I can wear appropriate clothing for the weather. My scars are not completely obliterated but they are definitely less obvious. It also did not matter that I still self harm although the products cannot be applied to broken skin. It took a lot of courage to talk about being referred to my GP and Psychiatrist and then subsequently attending the appointment. I was very apprehensive but it was such a helpful experience that I now want to share it with others in the hope that it plants a seed of thought into your minds. Self harm by its nature is very secretive but if sharing those experiences helps someone else then that has to be a good thing.

SH is “talked” about more openly now than ever before but there is little support for coping with SH on an individual basis and it is a myth that it is something that only affects the young. There are helpful sites on the internet and in a few areas of Scotland there are Community Mental Health Projects giving individual and group support. Hopefully this article will also raise the awareness of this gap in Mental Health Services in order that the need for support services for those trying to cope with self harm is addressed.

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