# Could this be heroin track marks on this model? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 27, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864 "2009-05-27T23:28:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/1 "2009-05-27T23:28:45Z")
[http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/Apparel/Tops/Corsets/Tripp-Black-Grommet-Chain-Corset-Vest-239256.jsp](http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/Apparel/Tops/Corsets/Tripp-Black-Grommet-Chain-Corset-Vest-239256.jsp) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/2 "2009-05-27T23:38:42Z")
I saw that at Photoshop Disasters, too. Could be anything, I suppose. My girlfriend gets [keloids](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keloids), and that sort of looks like what she’s got there. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/3 "2009-05-28T00:16:01Z")
They don’t look like tracks to me. And yes, I’m something of an expert, having had a LOT of addict patients. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/4 "2009-05-28T00:18:25Z")
Wouldn’t needle tracks be higher up the arm, like right at the inside of the elbow? That’s where they always stick me to draw blood, so I would assume it’s the easiest place to hit a vein. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/5 "2009-05-28T00:44:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wouldn’t needle tracks be higher up the arm, like right at the inside of the elbow? That’s where they always stick me to draw blood, so I would assume it’s the easiest place to hit a vein. Tracks can generally run from the back of the hand (backs of the fingers, even) all the way up the forearms, to above the elbows. The antecubital area is the easiest place to hit in most folks, but after those access points get trashed, addicts look elsewhere. Leg veins, veins under the tongue, and even the dorsal vein of the penis has been used to obtain IV access. As already noted, that gal’s lesion looks a bit like a keloid. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/6 "2009-05-28T15:53:00Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > even the dorsal vein of the penis has been used to obtain IV access. :eek: Could it be a birthmark? the reddishness of it could be a classic port wine stain … ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/7 "2009-05-28T17:27:48Z")
I’m with **Qadgop**. Not tracks. Cool corset, though. Would you be wondering the same thing if she were modelling for Abercrombie & Fitch? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/8 "2009-05-28T17:42:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Tracks can generally run from the back of the hand (backs of the fingers, even) all the way up the forearms, to above the elbows. The antecubital area is the easiest place to hit in most folks, but after those access points get trashed, addicts look elsewhere. Leg veins, veins under the tongue, and even the dorsal vein of the penis has been used to obtain IV access. Sure, but the inside of the elbow looks a lot less trashed than that spot. I would expect that anyone who had tracks on other parts of the arm would also have tracks on the inside of the elbow. ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/9 "2009-05-28T17:49:16Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > Would you be wondering the same thing if she were modelling for Abercrombie & Fitch? You do understand that both are lifestyle brands for teens in American malls, right? Shopping at Hot Pockets (or A&F) is not a revolutionary act and could not be more mainstream. Poor Thomas Frank must be rolling over in his grave. ---
**Author:** ![PetW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@PetW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PetW)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/10 "2009-05-28T18:32:42Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#): > > Shopping at Hot Pockets “Yes, our corsets come two different ways: frozen in the middle, or boiling lava hot.” ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/11 "2009-05-28T18:53:54Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#): > > You do understand that both are lifestyle brands for teens in American malls, right? Shopping at Hot Pockets (or A&F) is not a revolutionary act and could not be more mainstream. Poor Thomas Frank must be rolling over in his grave. Well, yeah, I know that. What I meant, though I chose my example poorly, is that people do tend to expect the worst from/ make value judgements about “punk” looking people versus “straight” looking people. I don’t really know much about A&F except that I’ve seen their ads in frou-frou high fashion magazines. Maybe I should have said, “if she was a Sears model.” (actually, my punk friends would die of embarrassment if ever caught shopping at Hot Topic. There’s even a song, “Hot Topic Get out Of Punk,” done by [skater] Ben Raybourne’s band. And apparently others, google informs me.) ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/12 "2009-05-28T18:58:55Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > Well, yeah, I know that. What I meant, though I chose my example poorly, is that people do tend to expect the worst from/ make value judgements about “punk” looking people versus “straight” looking people. I don’t really know much about A&F except that I’ve seen their ads in frou-frou high fashion magazines. > > Maybe I should have said, “if she was a Sears model.” > > (actually, my punk friends would die of embarrassment if ever caught shopping at Hot Topic. There’s even a song, “Hot Topic Get out Of Punk,” done by [skater] Ben Raybourne’s band. And apparently others, google informs me.) Heavens! You are giving poor late Thomas Frank vertigo!! ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/13 "2009-05-29T00:04:50Z")
Doubt it, but that chick is cute as all hell 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/14 "2009-05-29T00:35:08Z")
How well do needle tracks heal? What do they look like several years after there has been no active use of the site? ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/15 "2009-05-29T00:54:27Z")
Not tracks. And there are some great veins in the hip area if you don’t want to leave visible marks. Just sayin’… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/16 "2009-05-29T00:58:23Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > Not tracks. > > And there are some great veins in the hip area if you don’t want to leave visible marks. Just sayin’… 😉 Yeah, I’ve seen folks who use their femoral veins. Gets to be more of a problem when they hit the femoral artery instead, especially if their smack is still particulate and they embolize some small vessels. Good way to lose a leg. Or blow the plunger out of the syringe due to arterial pressure. I also love stories about going for a vein and sticking the needle into a nerve instead… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/17 "2009-05-29T01:14:39Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#): > > Heavens! You are giving poor late Thomas Frank vertigo!! Who is the poor late Thomas Frank? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Philosopher)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/18 "2009-05-29T02:01:41Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Yeah, I’ve seen folks who use their femoral veins. Gets to be more of a problem when they hit the femoral artery instead, especially if their smack is still particulate and they embolize some small vessels. Good way to lose a leg. Or blow the plunger out of the syringe due to arterial pressure. > > I also love stories about going for a vein and sticking the needle into a nerve instead… You make being a heroin addict sound so unappealing… ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/19 "2009-05-29T02:18:02Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Or blow the plunger out of the syringe due to arterial pressure. That sounds both awesome and horrifying. Also, re: the OP, aren’t corsets supposed to enhance the bust? That model looks completely flat. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864/20 "2009-05-29T02:45:39Z")
I have a friend who is a nurse, so she couldn’t shoot up any place where the tracks might be seen, so she went for her trunk and thighs, mostly. She laughs now that her husband thought she was painfully shy- he hadn’t seen her naked in years… :eek: She’s better now. 🆒 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-be-heroin-track-marks-on-this-model/497864.md?page=2)