The mats are not self healing. It will wear out much more quickly with repetative cuts in the same spot. Try and flip the mat end for end and use both sides. If possible, move the mat a bit each time you cut. Sometimes you can't avoid cutting in the same spot over & over so your are kind of stuck. When I was doing wedding invitations, I would wear out a mat for each project. It's a good idea to have a spare mat around.