Help identifying scar pattern? Surgery?

So earlier today I noticed some scars on a young lady's calves (wearing those capris pants/shorts?).

Of course I'm not going to ask her about them, but the pattern seemed oddly familiar and I'm having a hard time placing it. For all I know she may have a problem with cutting, but these seemed too uniform and precise.

So on the back of each calf, in the same spot, with the same thickness of scar tissue and length there was a scar that bisected the calf from the knee to the ankle (couldn't tell how far up or down).

On the front of each shin there were scars the same thickness, but horizontal and much shorter (like 3-4 inches) that looked like ladder rungs. Again incredibly uniform, looked like mirror image of the other leg.

On the left in this terrible picture you'll see the back of a calf, on the right the front. Pretend I wasn't super hasty and those lines were perfectly straight and uniform in length and distance.



Again, it just seemed WAY too precise to have been from cutting. She would have had to measure and use a straight edge.

Any ideas?

a reply to: Domo1

My only problem with the surgery theory is that, having just had surgery on my ankle this past year, I have a single scar. I don't know why they'd need those multiple horizontal lines in addition to the vertical one. It just seems like overkill. Then again, I'm not a doctor nor am I a surgeon. I do understand anatomy and I have seen videos of surgery, but that doesn't make me an expert by any means.

Could it be scarification? Like body modification? I know some people are into that kind of thing.

Other than that--how thick were the lines? Were they very thick or like, thin? If they're thinner, I'm going to say that it's from cutting because that sounds like a razorblade or glass or something. Also, what color were the scars? Were they dark? White?

a reply to: Domo1

compartment syndrome,..

a reply to: rukia

I mean MAYBE scarification?

This is a weirdly good picture (Googled surgical scars)



So that thick (or slightly thicker), and oddly enough we have the up and down (back) and side to side) front. Much more uniform line and far straighter on the young lady. I don't want to get too specific here, but this was in a first aid class and we were "examining" so I actually had to go from toes up for this exercise and was about two feet away eyeball-wise.

They were straighter though. Also color was uniform which I would think suggest they were done at the same time.

I had to have a plate put over my ribcage and have a 4-5 inch scar there. It's far fainter (girl is darker complexion, not Black) but her scars were still straighter/more uniform than my surgeon made and thicker and also very flat. No idea how old she is, but I'm betting under 22.

Also no tats or piercings that I've seen so I'm sort of doubting scarification. Not the same look to the scars, and don't get the impression she would be into it that.

originally posted by: PanPiper
a reply to: Domo1

compartment syndrome,..

Can you expand on that a little bit? I'm reading up on it, but would it explain the scarring?

I think you're right. Googled compartment syndrome calves scars.

Looks like a runner. Still confused about the scarring on the front though. Good call.





ETA again: Don't Google that if you're squeamish.

a reply to: Domo1

Its a procedure that is slice and dice..

Viewer discretion is advised..

a reply to: Domo1

It sounds a bit like she had pins or plates removed for broken bones at some time in her life. They can leave marks like that.

a reply to: PanPiper

Viewer discretion is advised..

You're talking to a guy that got a picture of an amputation during test and laughed.

Oh other people.

Don't date a Vet.