How long do scars last?

How long do scars last on your arm from cutting?

Depends on lots of things:

How deep is it?
How wide is it?
Was there an attempt to make it bigger/deeper/wider?
Did it get infected?
How quickly do you heal?
Do scars discolor your skin (more common with black African heritage. My skin gets discolored)?
Are you prone to cheloid scarring (more common with African and Mediterranean)?

Topical vitamin E can reduce the appearance of the scars. Personally, I like mine. Not sure why.

Let me put it to you this way. When I was in 7th grade, some kid accidentally clawed my hand with a fingernail while we were playing basketball and made a very superficial cut about an inch long. It's been over 10 years, and the scar is still mildly visible.

If you've made serious cuts on your arms, the scars will be there forever without some kind of treatment (topical vitamin E cream works well), although they will start becoming less visible after a year or two.

I have only cut myself a few times but I also liked to and still like to rough house with cats. I love the claws digging into my skin. Most of the cuts on my arms weren't deep at all have been there for upwards of 6-7 years. Normally you can't see them but if my arms are cold enough to get goosebumps then every scar shows up purple on my arms. I like my battle scars though :p I don't know if fat takes an account on this. I have almost no fat and it's easy for shallow cuts/scratches to draw my blood.

Most of mine faded away, those from cutting and burning. It took about 4-5 years. It also depends on how tan you are. I myself am very pale, and my scars tend to be pink or white, so they blend in. Many people's scars look worse if their skin gets darker...eventually most can at least fade or go down a bit, but others may never change. Go to the store and buy that cream that makes them go away...I don't think it's 100% but it's worth a shot if you're desperate.

my first cut was when I was 7 I'm now 29 and its still there as a constant reminder. My upper arm is now literally striped like a tigers. The cuts I have had stiched are far less visible.