Is this a retained shed or a serious issue??

I'm a new beardie owner and recently I've noticed that my baby dragon has discoloration and seemingly cracked skin on his side near his back leg. The discoloration was present when I got him and I thought it was just some sort of scar or something to that extent. But lately I've noticed a bizarre crack in it and I'm really worried if I should take him to the vet. Please help me!

Hi there, pics will be very helpful. Here's how to post :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload

I just posted one is it showing?

That's very odd....How long have you had him ? I see the retained shed but is there a string or something cutting in to his back + his side ?

Soaking him in warm water for 15 minutes and using a soft toothbrush gently might get some of it off. You can put some raw honey on to loosen it as well before bathing. Just be sure there are no loose insects in the tank if you use honey.

I've had him since July 14th, and no nothing I can think of that could have caused the damage. Also I'm using sand as a substrate should I be worried about it getting into the crack and causing infection?

That is a very peculiar line.. I see the shedding as well, but I have no input other than it's very strange.

I did want to comment, however, that the sand should be removed. Not only will that cause issues if it is a wound, but it the sand also absorbs and hold bacteria which could make it worse, get into his eyes, nose, etc, or he could potentially eat some bu accident (or intentionally) and cause a gut blockage that will kill him.

For now, I would swap to paper towel until the "wound" is confirmed, and go to either newspaper, paper towel, non-adhesive shelf liner, ceramic tile, or repticarpet for the long run.

Okay thank you so much for the input!

So a lot of the shed has come off and the crack is basically gone. I'm assuming the skin just got dried out because the temperature I keep the enclosure is higher than the previous owner.

re : "cut mark" / "loop pressure mark" - has he been on a loop type hip leash that was drawn too tight and dug into him ? (like a very tight belt say) .
If someone in the house has very long hair, a strand of a few strands of this can also form a loop and be sufficient to cut into the skin like that , is worth taking a very close look using a magnifying glass and strong spot lamp as it maybe still be there and being so fine , very hard to see unless you really looking for it.
... OK just spotted your response above . So ignore the above.

Re sand used as a substrate : please remove the sand , this stuff is a serous impaction risk , and if it's calcisand or vitasand (same stuff) it's lethal when ingested.

Regarding retained shed on torso : I suggest a soak in a luke warm (33-24 degC) bath for about 15 mins , this will likely be sufficient to loosen the retained shed on his torso.
... next time , if there is a next time , this is a proven means of lifting difficult sheds.

I think it's probably a good time to review your husbandry and setup thoroughly , to help you here's my cheatsheet , if you work through it methodically it's very likely issues / problems will pop right out at you . If you need more advise or clarifications , please don't hesitate to ask. Cheatsheet : viewtopic.php?f=6&t=234738&p=1806050#p1806050