How Much Compensation For A Permanent Scar Injury?

By Danielle Jordan. Last Updated 25th April 2023. In this guide, we will explore the process of seeking facial scar compensation.

When seeking permanent scar injury compensation, you’ll want to know what legislation is in place that makes it possible for you to start a claim. Additionally, you might benefit from using a scarring compensation calculator to work out how much permanent scar compensation you might be entitled to. If so, this guide could help.

Facial Scar Compensation

If you are someone who has a facial scar injury caused by someone else’s negligence, we could help you get permanent scar compensation. You might use our scar compensation calculator to get an idea of the settlement you could receive, or you could speak to an advisor to find out a more accurate compensation amount.

They could also discuss how much compensation you get per stitch in the UK and why you might benefit from working with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel.

You can contact us at any time by doing the following:

• Calling 0800 073 8804
• Using our live chat function
• Requesting a call back by filling out our contact form

Select a Section:

1. What Is A Permanent Scar Injury?
2. Potential Causes Of A Permanent Scar
3. Evidence For Permanent Scar Compensation Claims
4. What Can Be Claimed For After A Permanent Scar Injury
5. How Much Is A Scar Worth In The UK?
6. Permanent Scar Compensation – How Long Do I Have To Claim?
7. No Win No Fee Permanent Scar Injury Claims

What Is A Permanent Scar Injury?

Scars are a common injury which can occur to any person for any number of different reasons. They exist as a result of the body’s healing process; tissue damage resulting from an injury causes scar tissue to form in place of the original tissue. These can potentially be dangerous (especially if internal scars form on your vital organs) but most scars simply create emotional or mental stress and damage.

Types of Scars that Could Lead To Compensation

However, there are a number of different types of scars, which do vary in both aesthetic effect and damage to your body. These include:

• Flat pale scars – these tend to be small in the area of effect and lack any pronounced nature. They create little permanent damage to your body but often have a permanent aesthetic effect, which can impact on your emotional state or self-confidence.
• Keloid scars – these are much more pronounced than flat pale scars and often painful and raised from the skin. They can easily cause damage to your body if formed on a joint or sensitive area of your body and can be a cause of long-term pain problems.
• Scar contractures – these have a heavy aesthetic effect on the body. These scars are created through a contraction of the skin and can have a negative effect on your mobility and quality of life as well as pain problems.

If you’d like to discuss bodily or facial scar compensation claims at greater length or start your own claim, please get in touch with our team today;

Potential Causes Of A Permanent Scar

There are several different incidents that could cause a scarring injury. These include accidents at work, accidents in a public place, road traffic accidents and medical negligence. However, to be eligible for compensation for a permanent scar, you must be able to prove that you were owed a duty of care and a breach in this caused your injury. We examine evidence later in this guide. In the sections that follow, we look at different situations where you are owed a duty of care.

Workplace Injuries

The key piece of legislation that governs workplace health and safety is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). It sets the duty of care as employers must take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees.

For example, you may suffer lacerations due to faulty machinery or a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE). Lacerations can result in permanent scarring. Additionally, if you break a bone, such as in a slip trip or fall at work, the injury may leave a scar. This could be included in your compensation payout.

Road Traffic Accidents

The Road Traffic Act 1988 sets the duty of care that road users owe to each other. This means that they must do everything they reasonably can to prevent each other from experiencing harm. For example, by following the Highway Code, which sets additional rules for navigating the roads. Some of these rules are found as law in other pieces of legislation.

A road traffic accident may result in a burn injury. These can occur if the car ignites or the airbag deploys. A burn could cause a permanent scar. If you suffered due to another driver’s breach in the duty of care, you might be eligible to claim.

Accidents In A Public Place

The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 governs the duty of care for those in control of public places. It states that those in control of the space must ensure reasonably safety of those using it.

For example, a pavement accident may cause cuts that result in permanent scars. Additionally, a tripping on the pavement may result in gravel becoming trapped under the skin. This could cause further scarring if it needs to be surgically removed.

Medical Negligence

Medical procedures, whether necessary or elective, can cause scarring. However, if you are left with unnecessary scarring due to a medical professional’s breach in the duty of care, you might be eligible to claim. Medical professionals owe you a duty of care to provide a minimum standard of care to their patients.

For example, if have a delayed diagnosis of a fracture, it may require surgical intervention for setting, whereas it wouldn’t if diagnosed in a timely manner. Surgical fracture setting can leave scars.

Before you access our scarring compensation calculator, you might like to speak to our advisors. They can explain how much compensation for a scar you could get, along with the injuries that caused it. Get in touch with the details at the top of the page.

Evidence For Permanent Scar Compensation Claims

To be able to make a personal injury claim for a permanent scar injury, you will need to prove that negligence occurred. Collecting sufficient evidence could help prove the type of injury you suffered and who was liable.

Some examples of evidence that could help support a claim for permanent scar injury compensation include:

• Photographs of the scar. These could be compared to photographs taken prior to the injury if you have any.
• Accident footage, such as CCTV footage.
• Contact information from anyone who witnessed the incident so they can provide a statement later on.
• A copy of your medical records stating the injury you suffered and the treatment you required.

Call our advisors to see whether you could pursue a claim for permanent scar compensation. Additionally, they may also put you in contact with one of our solicitors, who could help you with gathering evidence.

What Can Be Claimed For After A Permanent Scar Injury

When claiming for facial scar compensation, or for any other kind of scarring, many individuals vastly underestimate the number of different costs and damages that they are legally entitled to claim. It is by no means limited to direct financial damages. Instead, a settlement claim can cover a vast array of different costs that could result from a scar injury. These could include:

Scar Injury

• General damages – these damages are important for scar injury claims as they cover damages difficult to quantify – such as emotional damage and damage to professional reputation – that are particularly relevant to compensation claims related to scarring.
• Special damages – includes damages such as loss of earnings or damage to property stemming from the injury. While this is less relevant to permanent scar injuries, the loss of earnings is particularly relevant to all compensation claims.
• Medical costs – includes costs such as private medical costs, particularly if plastic surgery is used to attempt to minimise the scar or foreign medical care if treatment is sought overseas.

Clearly, you can claim for many different costs and damages resulting from your permanent scar. Determining the exact damages in your claim can be made much easier with professional assistance.

How Much Is A Scar Worth In The UK?

The amount of compensation you could receive depends on aspects such as:

• Where the scar is located
• The extent of your scar
• How negatively it has impacted your life

Furthermore, it’s important to note that you can also claim for multiple injuries if they were caused by the same act of negligence. As such, if you’ve suffered a laceration that has led to a scar as well as a broken arm because of a workplace accident, for instance, you may be able to receive compensation for both injuries as part of the same claim.

Body And Facial Scar Compensation Guidelines

The table below is based on the Judicial College Guidelines, a document used by lawyers to value injuries. This was last updated in 2022.

Unfortunately, we cannot really explain how much compensation per stitch in the UK you could receive, as compensation is not calculated per stitch.

You could potentially use an online compensation calculator for an estimate of your claim. However, a compensation calculator can only be so accurate in terms of your potential compensation. This is because your compensation can also be made up of special damages. A calculator cannot always accurately assess what you could receive for this.

If you prefer, you can contact us for free using the details above. We can provide you with a compensation estimate that relates specifically to your injury.

Permanent Scar Compensation – How Long Do I Have To Claim?

For personal injury claims, you generally have 3 years to begin a claim. This time limit begins from the date you sustained the injury that caused your permanent scar. The compensation claim time limit can be found in the Limitation Act 1980.

However, there are some scenarios where this time limit may not apply. For instance, if the injured person is under 18, then the 3-year time-limit only begins from the day they become an adult. Until then, a litigation friend can make a claim on their behalf without the typical time constraints. A litigation must be used in this case, as a child cannot pursue their own claim until they reach adulthood.

Similarly, a litigation friend must also be appointed if a claim is to be made for a claimant whose mental capacity is reduced. Their time limit is also suspended, with it only beginning should the injured person recover.

If you have any questions regarding factors such as how much compensation for a scar you could receive, please get in touch. Whether you’ve sustained a scar on your arm, leg, or even a facial scar, our compensation calculator could also give you a rough valuation of your claim.

No Win No Fee Permanent Scar Injury Claims

Another aspect of your claim of which you should be aware before making any decision is the potential legal fees that you could incur.

When using the services provided by a Claims Service, legal fees could be charged before the end of your claim and regardless of whether your claim is actually successful in receiving compensation. These fees can be extremely damaging to you, especially at a time when you may be dealing with the trauma associated with any kind of injury.

This is why, if you choose our company as your Claims Service, we will not charge you legal fees unless your permanent scar compensation claim successfully results in compensation being awarded to you.

Our ‘No Win No Fee’ policy (known in legal parlance as a Conditional Fee Agreement) ensures that we will not charge you any legal fees prior to the end of your facial scar compensation claims process and, even then, only on the condition that your claim is successful. This highlights our care towards you as our client and our commitment to ensuring individuals receive the compensation that they deserve after an accident or injury.

Call For Free Advice And To Start a Claim

Contact us now by calling 0800 073 8804 or by filling out the contact form below. Whatever the circumstances of your permanent scar injury compensation claim, getting advice from an expert Claims Service can only help you with your understanding of the process. Let us help you get the compensation that you deserve.

Feel free to contact our advisors today if you still have any questions about permanent scar compensation claims.