Body scarring is an unfortunate by-product of many different accidents or injuries, each with their own wide-ranging causes and consequences. Scars form as a result of the body's natural healing process, which involves the release of collagen to strengthen the wound, although scars often do not fully fade over time.

Regardless of how your scarring was caused, if someone else was to blame then we can help you to pursue a compensation claim. Take a look at the information provided above to get an idea of the average amount of compensation you could claim for your injury.

Introduction to Scar Compensation

Scar compensation is a type of personal injury claim that can be made by individuals who have suffered permanent scarring as a result of an accident or injury. These permanent scar compensation claims can be complex and require the expertise of a personal injury solicitor to navigate the claims process effectively. If you have suffered severe facial scarring or other types of scarring, you may be eligible to claim compensation. Our personal injury experts can help you understand the process of claiming compensation for scarring and guide you through each step of the claims process. Whether your scarring resulted from a road traffic accident, workplace incident or criminal injury, we are here to support you in seeking the compensation you deserve.

What Influences How Much Scar Compensation You Will Receive?

You may be curious to know how much a scar is worth if you are making a claim for permanent scar compensation. Each claim for a permanent scar will be evaluated in light of the specific facts.

Your permanent scar compensation will include payment for your pain and suffering in terms of general damages. This might cover both the physical scar and financial recompense for any mental trauma the scarring may have caused.

Special damages may be included in some compensation claims for permanent scars. This is intended to cover any monetary loss, such as necessary cosmetic surgery. A loss of wages payout for any time you were unable to work may also be included. Additionally, severe injuries often necessitate medical treatment, which can result in additional expenses. These expenses, including surgery and other medical attention, can be covered through compensation, easing the financial burden on the victim during their recovery process.

However, you must provide evidence of the expenses you are trying to collect in order to include extra damages as part of your claim for a permanent scar, for instance, pay stubs, invoices or receipts.

Contact us to talk through your experience today.

What Can Be Claimed as Part of Your Scar Compensation Claim?

Many people underestimate how many fees and damages they are legally entitled to claim compensation for facial scars or for any other sort of scarring. It does not only apply to direct financial losses. Instead, a settlement claim might pay for a wide range of expenses that might arise as a result of scar damage:

• General damages are crucial for scar injury claims because they cover difficult-to-quantify costs like mental harm and harm to one’s professional reputation, which are especially pertinent to compensation claims for scarring. The emotional and financial challenges faced by the injured person are also considered.
• Special damages are those brought on by the injury, such as lost wages or property damage. 
• Medical expenses include things like private medical care, especially if plastic surgery is done to try and lessen the scar.

Assessing the Severity of Permanent Scar Injuries

One of the factors that is likely to be most relevant to you when thinking about your permanent scar compensation claim, especially if you are unsure about filing your claim in the first place, is the potential level of compensation. The severity of the injury is the most crucial element in this case. By classifying the injury’s severity as one of the following, settlement sums for face scars and other scar-related injuries can be calculated based on whether they are minor, moderate, or severe.

While these general guidelines are useful, it is still vital that you receive a medical assessment from a medical professional in order to properly evaluate you in order to help your scar compensation claim.

What to Do if You Have Suffered a Permanent Scar Injury

Since scar injuries frequently co-occur with other injuries, you should first prioritise getting a medical evaluation of your wounds to make sure you are not in any immediate danger and, to some extent, gauge the severity of the injury.

After that, you should start collecting evidence to back up any future compensation claims you anticipate making. This is particularly important if you intend to claim permanent scar compensation. Three categories can be used to organise this evidence:

• Witness testimony or an official accident report can be used to prove that the accident for which you are seeking compensation really did take place, and that it did so in the manner you are claiming. 
• Evidence in support of negligence. This evidence is required to demonstrate that someone’s negligence contributed to the disaster. To go back to the first illustration, the operation report might explain how the scarring was brought on by a surgeon making an important error during the process.
• A general medical report or assessment given by a medical expert especially evaluating severity could be used as evidence to support severity. This is necessary to establish the seriousness of your injury because it will have a significant impact on the amount of compensation you might be eligible for.

Making a Claim for Facial Scar Compensation

Suffering a facial injury is extremely painful and particularly distressing for anyone. We are aware of the trauma involved when a single disfiguring scar can alter the course of your entire life. Whether you have a permanent facial scar as a result of criminal activity, a car accident, a botched medical procedure, or cosmetic surgery, it is important to understand that you have the right to pursue maximum facial scar compensation from those accountable for your scar injury if it was preventable. Our expertise in handling facial disfigurement claims ensures that we maximise the chances of a successful claim for individuals who have suffered from facial disfigurements.

Damages for permanent face scars are often higher than those for other scars. This is due to their prominence, and the potential for more severe physical and psychological effects.

It is completely understandable that your confidence and self-esteem may drop if you have sustained a facial injury and are faced with the possibility of having scars that will not go away. You can feel the need to quit your job, look for a new position where you are not required to interact with others, and stop going out and having a social life. Your compensation claim for a face scar should fairly account for the emotional suffering brought on by the disfigurement that results from a facial accident that was not your fault.

Thankfully, the law does acknowledge that lasting scarring can result in serious mental and emotional hardship in these types of circumstances.

Compensation Amounts

The amount of compensation you can claim for a scar injury will depend on the severity of the scarring and the impact it has had on your life. Our scar compensation calculator can provide an estimate of the compensation amount you may be eligible for. For example, severe facial scarring can result in significant psychological trauma and may require plastic surgery to repair. In such cases, the compensation amount can be substantial. Less significant facial scarring, such as fine line scars or superficial scars, may result in lower compensation amounts.

Our personal injury solicitors can help you determine the value of your claim and ensure you receive the maximum amount of compensation to which you are entitled. By understanding the nuances of your case, we can provide tailored advice and support throughout the claims process.

Evidence and Support

To make a successful compensation claim for scarring, you will need to provide evidence to support your claim. This can include medical records, photographs of the scarring, and witness statements. Our personal injury experts can help you gather the necessary evidence and build a strong case for your claim. We work on a no win, no fee basis, which means you won’t have to pay any fees unless your claim is successful.

Our team of personal injury solicitors has extensive experience in handling scar compensation claims and can provide you with the guidance and support you need to navigate the claims process. If you have suffered permanent scarring as a result of an accident or injury, contact us today to discuss your options for claiming compensation. We are committed to helping you achieve a successful compensation claim and alleviating the financial burden caused by your injury.

How Long Do You Have to Make a Scar Compensation Claim?

You typically have three years to file a personal injury claim. This time frame starts on the day you suffered the wound that left a permanent scar. The Limitation Act of 1980 contains the deadline for filing a compensation claim.

There are some circumstances, nevertheless, in which this time limit might not be relevant. For instance, if the victim of the injury is under the age of 18, the three-year time restriction does not apply until that day. A litigation friend may make a claim on their behalf in the interim without the usual time restrictions. A litigation friend must be employed in this situation because a child cannot assert their own rights until they are adults.

In a similar fashion, if a claim is to be made for a claimant whose mental capacity has been lost, a litigation friend must also be appointed. 

The law surrounding limitation is complex and you should seek advice from a solicitor regarding your specific situation, or if you have any questions about how much money you might get for a scar compensation claim. Our compensation calculator may also provide you with a rough estimate of how much compensation you may be able to claim.

How Compensation Could Help You

While no amount of money can fully cover your suffering, a successful compensation claim, including a scarring claim, can go a long way to relieve the stress you feel and the financial difficulties you may encounter as a result of your injury.

Seeking compensation for body scarring could help you to pay for a number of solutions or support, including:

• Loss of past or future earnings
• Rehabilitation
• Plastic surgery

What Can Cause Body Scarring?

Various different events could result in a scarring injury. These include traffic accidents,workplace accidents, and accidents in public spaces. Many individuals who have suffered scarring from such incidents face not only physical but also emotional and psychological trauma. However, you must be able to demonstrate that you were owed a duty of care, and that a breach in this caused your injury, in order to be eligible for compensation for a permanent scar.

Accidents in a public place

The Occupiers’ Liability Act of 1957 oversees those in charge of public spaces’ duty of care. It indicates that whoever is in charge of the area must make reasonable efforts to keep everyone who uses it safe.

For instance, cuts from a pavement accident may leave scars that are lifelong. A trip on the pavement could also cause gravel to get caught beneath the skin. If it needs to be removed medically, this can result in further scarring. In such cases, scarring claims can be pursued to seek compensation for the disfigurement and medical expenses incurred.

Types of Scars

There are many different kinds of scar, which normally differ due to the instrument that caused the initial wound or the manner in which the body attempts to heal the wound.

The NHS provides the following categories of scarring:

• Flat, pale scars - the most common kind of scar, characterised by a thin, pale line on the skin. However, the larger the initial wound, the larger the scar and the longer the time required for it to fully heal.
• Scar contractures - caused when the skin shrinks, often as a result of burns, and leads to a restriction of movement and tightness of the skin once healed.
• Hypertrophic scars - raised, red scars that are thicker than usual and can restrict movement. They are caused by an imbalance in the amount of collagen produced when healing a wound.
• Keloid scars - similar to hypertrophic scars, keloid scars form when too much collagen is produced at the site of a wound. However, unlike hypertrophic scars, they continue to grow even after the wound has healed.
• Atrophic/’ice-pick’ scars - have a sunken appearance and are often caused by skin conditions.

Scarring from Burn Injury

Burns can be caused by scorching water, fire and heat. The skin might also be burned by corrosive chemicals, electricity, radiation, and harsh sunshine. The degree of the burn, as well as the scarring it leaves behind, is determined by the heat or chemical potency, the length of time the skin was exposed, and how promptly the injury was treated.

Three categories are frequently used to classify burn injuries:

• First-degree burns - usually minor, damaging the outer surface layer of skin only, causing pain and redness but rarely leaving a scar.
• Second-degree burns - these burns damage both the outer epidermis of your skin and the dermis layer below it. They are deeper and more painful than first-degree burns, and usually blister before leaving a scar.
• Third-degree burns - these are serious, penetrating the full thickness of the skin and damaging nerve endings. They require skin grafting to repair. Widespread third-degree burns can overwhelm the body, with fatal results.
• Fourth-degree burns reach into the fat layers under your skin, fifth-degree burns into the muscle and sixth-degree burns damage bone. They can result in amputation or even death.

The severity of burn injuries often leads to significant scarring, which can have both physical and psychological impacts. If you suffer from such injuries, you may be entitled to a permanent scar claim to cover the damages. This includes both general and special damages, and having legal support can be crucial in navigating the claims process effectively.

The Mental Effects of Body Scarring

While there are many different types of scars, they can all have a serious mental health impact on those who have to live with a constant reminder of the pain they encountered.

Victims of body scarring typically have to deal with significant psychological damage, often experiencing a loss of confidence - especially if the scarring is visible to others.

Someone with a scar may feel they are unfairly judged by people they encounter as a result of the scarring, whether in their professional or personal lives. Personal injury lawyers can provide crucial support in these situations, helping victims of body scarring to pursue compensation claims and maximise financial settlements for the injuries they have suffered.

Case studies

Q

Can I make a criminal injury claim for laceration or scar compensation?

A

Yes, you can. There is a particular procedure to handle scar settlements and similar sorts of laceration or permanent scar compensation claims if you have been cut, scarred, or otherwise disfigured as a result of a criminal assault.

In England and Wales, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is a government organisation that provides compensation to those who have suffered physical or emotional harm as a result of criminal assault.

After a violent assault, if you qualify for a scar settlement, the lawyer we put you in touch with will file an application for  compensation with CICA.

Q

Could I receive interim compensation payments?

A

It can be stressful to think of having to spend hundreds of pounds, if not more, on urgent care to reduce the severity of your scars.

Fortunately, in severe circumstances, it may be possible to obtain interim compensation to meet your immediate financial needs while waiting for your personal injury compensation claim to be completely resolved (which can take months, if not years, to complete).

However, receiving interim payments requires the opposing party to acknowledge liability for the harm. You may be entitled to a temporary amount of compensation if they do acknowledge responsibility. Your final settlement would be reduced by such payments.

It is important to discuss the possibility of interim payments with your solicitor early on, so that any necessary treatment can be funded as soon as possible.

Q

Could I receive interim compensation payments?

A

It can be stressful to think of having to spend hundreds of pounds, if not more, on urgent care to reduce the severity of your scars.

Fortunately, in severe circumstances it may be possible to obtain interim compensation to meet your immediate financial needs while waiting for your personal injury compensation claim to be completely resolved (which can take months if not years to complete).

However, receiving interim payments requires the opposing party to acknowledge liability for the harm. You may be entitled to a temporary amount of compensation if they do acknowledge responsibility. Your final settlement would be reduced by such payments.

It is important to discuss the possibility of interim payments with your solicitor early on so that any necessary treatment can be funded as soon as possible.

Q

My scarring was caused at work - can I claim against my employer?

A

Yes, all people have the right to make accident claims against their employer if they sustain any kind of harm in a work-related accident through no fault of their own and are left with lifelong scarring. Workplace injuries should be covered by compensation, as well as an additional sum for scarring. Your employer has a strict legal obligation to ensure your safety while working. 

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act of 1974 outlines broad obligations for employers, as well as additional legal requirements based on the industry and type of firm you work for.

Q

What is the CICA?

A

The government-run CICA (Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority) allows victims of violent crimes to file claims for damages for their injuries. Whether or not the assailant has been identified, you can file a permanent scar injury compensation claim through the CICA if you have been hurt and are left with scarring. But keep in mind that you must submit your claim as quickly and without delay as possible. Additionally, you must have immediately reported the occurrence to the police (or very soon after). 

Depending on how the scarring developed, you may be able to submit a claim under the CICA programme for your actual scars alone. This is because CICA compensation awards, which are set tariffs for certain injuries, are different from compensation calculations in typical personal injury claims.

Endorsed by