Skin Deep

The first incision was painful, though of course I knew that going in. Although I had chewed on some bittergreen petals beforehand to dull the senses, they were not so potent as to completely desensitize myself to the sensation of a sharpened chitin knife scraping away the uppermost layers of flesh. The pain I bore as the artist made incision after incision into my belly, all the while she dabbed the blood with a wet cloth, which was a deep sanguine by the end of the procedure. In order for the scar to be clearly visible, I was told to ensure that the wound was kept open in the following days, which I did through the regular application of a caustic gel derived from a scrib and of course I regularly cleaned out the wound to ensure that it would not fester.  For my pain I was rewarded with an indelible mark on my body demonstrating my dedication to the Three.

Traditionally, scarification was performed by girls' mothers or other close female family members. Nowadays however most scarifying is done by specialized women who are highly skilled artists and who can be counted on to ensure that the scars develop in the desired manner, as improperly healed wounds are always ugly and potentially fatal. Due to the inherently religious nature of scarification, the Temple invariably watches these women with a close eye, and it is a foolish artist who does not study the symbology associated with the holy saints.

Males undergo scarification as well, although more rarely, and the markings are almost always confined to the upper body and face, whereas women have no such restriction. For men scars most often suggest prowess in battle, and it is very common to have battle-scars worked into a larger design; for example, a diagonal slash made across the chest may become Saint Nerevar's sword or, if the wound was earned fighting Nordic barbarians, Saint Felms' cleaver. This practice is especially common among the Redoran who frequently fight back the enemies who threaten Morrowind. 
Most Velothi will get simple yet beautiful scars in honor of the Three or a favorite saint, and for most these designs are small and relatively unassuming symbols or pictures.  Of course some prefer, often out of aesthetic preference, to have larger and more dominant scars.  In the past it was not uncommon, especially among the Great House Redoran, to honor one's ancestors by packing their ashes into a scar, which formed massive (and to some, ugly) scars. For the most part, this practice has fallen out of favor since the Triunes ordered the dead interred at Necrom.

Interestingly, the history of scarification is unknown, but it is certain that scarification is a Dunmeri practice, not a merely religious one, as the Ashlander tribes practice ritual scarification as well, meaning that scarification goes back to at least before the founding of the Temple. Having made a trip to one of their camps, I can attest to the fact that Ashlander scarification is much more highly regimented.  While uncommon, seeing a woman with scars suggestive of battle or a man covered in ritualistic prayer-scars among House Dunmer is not exceedingly rare.  Amongst the Ashlanders, however, such a thing is unheard of.  Only the Wise Woman of a tribe bears ritual-scars, and any person bearing a scar purely for aesthetics would only cause disbelief and derision.

The Great Houses all have slight variations in their practice of scarification.  Some Indoril lords, especially older ones, make extensive use of scarification as part of their religious rituals, and so some are positively covered in symbols relating to ALSMIVI and their Saints. The Ordinators also bear an unusually high number of scars when compared with the rest of the Dunmeri population, which some attribute to the order's close relationship with the Indoril.

Dres scarification has preserved the gender distinctions like the Ashlanders, and they etch scars honoring the both the Good Daedra and the Tribunal into their flesh.  Although it is by no means common, some Hlaalu ladies insert small studs of polished colored glass into their designs, which can make the scars glitter in an array of beautiful colors. However, this procedure is expensive, very difficult, and potentially dangerous as a special, secret agent must be applied to the skin so that the glass remains in place during the healing process.  As a result, most shy away from it.

One of the strangest, rarest, and most dangerous variations of the practice can be found in the lands of the Telvanni.  Using magical salts sold by the Dres, Telvanni artists create an ink which is rubbed into the open wound, and as the wound heals the ink remains visible at a distance.  While inked scars are not especially uncommon, the Telvanni ink has the side effect of being highly toxic when prepared or administered incorrectly, and only through the use of magic can a Telvanni lady ensure her survival.  It is this condition which confines the practice to the mages of Telvannis.  However, the visual effect is quite remarkable; the salt-ink glows due to its innately magical nature, and the color, which is determined by the ingredients added to the salt-ink mixture, is always extraordinarily bright and fluorescent.  The Dres, lacking the magical aptitude of the Telvanni, avoid these kinds of scars as death is a near certainty.