Learn / What Are Track Marks And How To Spot Them
What Are Track Marks And How To Spot Them
September 13th, 2024| Clinically Reviewed by
Key Points
- Track marks can happen after injecting substances like heroin.
- They're wounds caused by needles and often heal poorly.
- They often show on forearms as a cluster of scabby pink or red wounds.
Track marks are wounds formed after injecting something into the skin, a common sign of intravenous drug use. They often appear down the forearms and look like small circular wounds with bruising, bleeding, and festering. With the effects of addiction and repeated injections, it often takes track marks longer to heal. Track marks can also get contaminated by unclean needles and dirt, leading to conditions like HIV, syphilis, AIDS, infections, and more.
What Is The Medical Term for Track Marks?
Medically, track marks are known as venipuncture marks1 since they occur after a needle is stuck into a vein. You may also hear them called needle marks, puncture marks, or injection marks.
Substances can be injected into the veins or the top layers of skin, called skin popping. Injecting directly into the veins takes effect almost immediately, while skin popping takes effect more gradually.
What Causes Track Marks?
Repeated injections that don’t heal cause track marks. Unclean needles, infection, and a compromised ability to heal wounds (from addictive substances) lead to track marks.
Which Drugs Are Known to Cause Track Marks?
Any injectable drug can cause track marks, but they’re most often associated with heroin. Other drugs include cocaine, meth, prescription opioids, and prescription stimulants, along with designer drugs and psychedelics. If it can be injected, it can leave track marks.
What Do Track Marks Look Like?
Characteristics of New Track Marks
Track marks look like circular wounds, ranging from a pinhead to dime-sized. They often itch and look red and irritated. Bruises and redness often accompany track marks. So, you may see purplish or yellowish discoloration, plus red scabby wounds. If infected, you’ll likely see pus and a streak of redness moving away from the wound.
Characteristics of Old Track Marks
Healed track marks look like a small, puckered white or light pink scar tissue circle. The scars can look darker, smoother, or more textured depending on skin tones and healing.
Common Places Track Marks Appear
Track marks often appear near the crook of the arm and the forearm, like where you get your blood drawn. This area is easily accessible, though more visible. Because of the visibility, and running out of space, track marks can appear on other areas of the body.
Track Marks on Arms
On arms, track marks can look like small circular wounds. The edges may look pink and scabby. Redness and bruising around the site is also common. The wounds often follow a line down the forearm (‘tracking’ a vein).
Track Marks on Feet
Track marks on the feet look similar, like red splotchy wounds with discoloration and potentially signs of infection or festering. Someone may inject drugs into their feet to hide track marks (with their shoes). Sweat and friction can make track marks on feet more likely to not heal, become infected, and hurt.
Track Marks on Legs
Leg track marks look the same, like red, irritated wounds in a cluster or line down the leg. The track marks will likely follow a line down the femur or calf. The upper thigh may be a preferred injection site since there’s more muscle, and it can be easier to hide with clothes.
Track Marks on Hands
Track marks on hands can be the easiest to spot and the hardest to heal without infection. Hands come into contact with all types of germs and move almost constantly, making healing more difficult. Track marks on hands can look more ‘angry’ and inflamed with bruising and redness around the small circular wound.
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How Long Do Track Marks Last?
Track marks can take a long time to heal as the body tries to adapt to addiction and its common effects, like malnourishment, dehydration, and other dysfunctions. Reinjecting into the injection site also makes it harder for track marks to heal since the needle and general activity in that area reopens wounds. Infections can slow down healing, too.
It can take a few days to weeks for track mark wounds to completely close. Then, they might leave needle scars. Scars can fade over time, especially when you keep them protected from the sun and friction. They won’t go away completely but can become less noticeable.
Do Track Marks Go Away?
Some needle marks may go away completely if they’re well taken care of during healing and if no more injections open up the wounds. A body free from addictive substances is more likely to heal track marks.
As is more often the case, people with substance use disorders inject repeatedly. They may frequent a certain body part, like their forearm, and develop a cluster of track marks. Reinjecting opens healing wounds and starts the process over. Reinjecting also makes scarring more likely.
The more healing measures taken right away, the more likely track marks will close up and heal with minimal scarring or none at all.
What Are The Risks of IV Drug Use and Track Marks?
The risks of IV drug use broadly include:
- Infection
- Abscesses
- Blood-borne diseases like HIV, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, syphilis, and malaria
- Scarring
- Blood clots due to collapsed veins
- Itching
- Pain and tenderness in the area
- Overdose
- Death
Unclean/shared needles can pass blood-borne pathogens and cause infection. Some harm-reduction programs supply IV drug users with clean needles2 and education on addiction to lower these risks. But the best way to mitigate risk completely is to stop substance use, which addiction treatment centers can help with.
How Do People Hide Track Marks?
People often hide track marks with clothing, bandages, or even tattoos (over scars, not fresh). Someone hiding track marks may wear unseasonable clothes, like long sleeves in the summer. Avoiding social interactions and becoming reclusive is another common way to hide track marks.
What to Do if Someone You Love Has Track Marks?
If you notice your loved one has track marks, you can first assess if they need immediate medical treatment. Check if the wounds look infected: red, radiating heat, leaking pus, or a trail of red leading from the wound. It may also have abscesses that need draining. If they need medical attention, you can take them to urgent care or the emergency room.
Depending on their needs, the staff at the urgent care center or emergency room will bandage and clean their wounds, then begin the detox process or refer the patient to detox.
If they don’t need medical attention, you can have an honest and compassionate conversation with your loved one. Here’s a few things you can ask to gauge how they’re doing and their willingness to attend treatment:
- “How long have you been injecting drugs?”
- “What drug have you been using?”
- “Have you ever tried to stop? How did that go?”
- “I can help you find a treatment center. Are you ready to start treatment?”
If they are ready and willing for treatment, you can use Recovery.com to find a range of recovery services, including detox and inpatient, to fit their needs. A clinical assessment from your loved one’s primary doctor or a medical professional at the treatment center determines if they’ll need to detox, or if they can start therapeutic work right away.
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