Often, this is considered an unfortunate disfigurement, while other times, deliberate scarification has been used in both traditional and modern cultures, to mark a rite of passage or simply for aesthetic decoration.

这经常被认为不幸的“毁容”，但有些伤疤故意为之的，在传统和现中都有这种现象，有时纪念仪式，其它则简单的装饰。