Editing Scarification (section)

{{Short description|Cutting designs into the skin as a form of body modification}}
{{other uses}}
{{Geographical imbalance|[[Indigenous peoples]]|date=October 2023}}
[[File:African scarification in the early 1940s (detailed).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Detailed facial scarification]]

'''Scarification''' involves scratching, [[etching]], burning/[[Human branding|branding]], or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent [[body modification]] or [[body art]]. The body modification can take roughly 6–12 months to heal. In the process of body scarification, [[scar]]s are purposely formed by cutting or branding the skin by various methods (sometimes using further sequential aggravating wound-healing methods at timed intervals, like irritation). Scarification is sometimes called ''[[Wound healing|cicatrization]]''.<ref name=randart>{{cite web|title=Scarification and Cicatrisation Among African Cultures|url=http://www.randafricanart.com/Scarification_and_Cicatrisation_among_African_cultures.html|publisher=Rand African Art|access-date=2012-10-17}}</ref>