Editing Scarification (section)

==Methods==
Scarification is not a precise practice; variables, such as skin type, cut depth, and how the wound is treated while healing, can make the outcome unpredictable compared to other forms of body modification. A method that works on one person may not work on another. The scars tend to spread as they heal, so final designs are usually simple, the details being lost during healing.[[File:Scarification.jpg|thumb|Scarification being created]]Some common scarification techniques include:

;Ink rubbing: [[Tattoo]] ink (or similar agent) is rubbed into a fresh cut to add color or extra visibility to the scar. Most of the ink remains in the skin as the cut heals. This was how tattoos were initially done before the use of needles to inject ink.<ref>{{Cite book |last=DeMello |first=Margo |title=The Tattoo Project: Commemorative Tattoos, Visual Culture, and the Digital Archive |publisher=Canadian Scholars |year=2016 |isbn=9781551309453 |editor-last=Davidson |editor-first=Deborah |pages=27 |language=en |chapter=Memories on the skin: A brief cultural history of tattooing}}</ref>
;Skin removal/skinning: Skin removal allows for larger markings than simple cutting. The skin is raised with a hook or edged thorn and removed with a razor blade. This process can take many hours, and often requires repeated removal of scabs for best visibility of the scars.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="m303">{{cite journal | last=Garve | first=Roland | last2=Garve | first2=Miriam | last3=Türp | first3=Jens C. | last4=Fobil | first4=Julius N. | last5=Meyer | first5=Christian G. | title=Scarification in sub‐Saharan Africa: social skin, remedy and medical import | journal=Tropical Medicine & International Health | volume=22 | issue=6 | date=2017 | issn=1360-2276 | doi=10.1111/tmi.12878 | doi-access=free | pages=708–715 | url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/tmi.12878 | access-date=2025-05-21}}</ref> 
;Packing: An inert material such as clay or ash is packed into the wound; massive [[hypertrophic scar]]s are formed during healing as the wound pushes out the substance that had been inserted into the wound.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Inkle |first=Kay |title=Commemorative Tattoos, Visual Culture, and the Digital Archive |publisher=Canadian Scholars |year=2016 |isbn=9781551309453 |editor-last=Davidson |editor-first=Deborah |pages=118 |language=en |chapter="Physical Words": Scars, tattoos, and embodied mourning}}</ref> Inflammatory substances can be used to improve [[keloid]] formation.<ref name=":0" />