By Stephen Burke. Last Updated 10th January 2025. This guide examines the eligibility criteria to begin permanent scar injury compensation claims. We will discuss the various scenarios you could be owed a duty of care, and how a breach of this duty could lead to you pursuing a personal injury claim.
Additionally, we will provide examples of different types of accidents that could lead you to suffer a permanent scar injury. We will also set out the various steps you could take after suffering such an injury and the evidence you could collect that could help support your personal injury claim.
Furthermore, we will discuss how compensation for permanent scarring is calculated in personal injury claims and the different heads of loss you could be awarded for a successful case. Finally, this guide ends by taking a look at how one of our experienced No Win No Fee solicitors could help you with your case.
If you have any questions, such as ‘How much compensation per stitch in the UK could be awarded for permanent scarring claims?’, or if you would like free advice for your own case, you can contact our advisors. They are available 24/7, and can be reached via the following methods:
- Call 0800 073 8801
- Use the live chat pop-up.
- Contact Us online for a callback.
Select a Section:
- Permanent Scar Compensation Calculator
- Could I Make Permanent Scar Injury Compensation Claims?
- How Could Permanent Scarring Occur?
- What Evidence Can Support Claims For Permanent Scars?
- No Win No Fee Permanent Scar Injury Compensation Claims
- Useful Links Relating To Scar Settlements
Permanent Scar Compensation Calculator
While we don’t have a specific scar compensation calculator, we can tell you how permanent scar compensation is calculated.
There are two heads of claim that could potentially make up compensation in successful permanent scar injury compensation claims. These are known as general damages (awarded in every successful case), and special damages (awarded in some successful cases).
General damages compensate you for the physical and psychological effects of your scar injury. Under this head of claim, some factors that will be looked at include:
- Loss of amenity.
- How painful the injury is.
- The prognosis of any mental health conditions you have developed due to the injury.
The legal professionals calculating your potential permanent scar compensation figure can refer to your medical documents alongside the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This publication outlines guideline award brackets for various injuries.
Compensation Table
We have used the scarring brackets from the JCG, aside from the top entry, in our table here. Please note that this information has been provided for guidance purposes only.
| Scar | Compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious injuries with financial costs. | Up to £250,000 + | Multiple serious injuries leading to significant costs such as medical expenses and loss of earnings, and pain and suffering. |
| Scarring to Other Parts of The Body - Burns covering 40% + of the body | Likely to exceed £127,930 | Awards for burns are affected by the percentage of body coverage, the thickness, cosmetic impact and any psychological distress. |
| Scarring to Other Parts of the Body | £9,560 to £27,740 | A singular disfiguring or multiple noticeable laceration scars to the arms, hands, legs, back or chest. |
| Scarring to Other Parts of The Body - No Significant Internal Injury | In the region of £10,550 | Cases where a laparotomy has been performed but no significant injury has been incurred. |
| Scarring to Other Parts of the Body | £2,890 to £9,560 | Several superficial or a singular noticeable scar to the hands, legs or arms with a minor cosmetic deficit. |
| Very Severe Scarring - Facial Disfigurement | £36,340 to £118,790 | A severe mental reaction to very disfiguring facial scars in a relatively young person. |
| Less Severe Scarring - Facial Disfigurement | £21,920 to £59,090 | There has been a significant mental reaction to facial scars that are substantial in their disfigurement. |
| Significant Scarring - Facial Disfigurement | £11,120 to £36,720 | The mental reaction may have gone done to minor or was not great to begin with. This was due to scarring that have been or is due to be reduced by plastic surgery. |
| Less Significant Scarring - Facial Disfigurement | £4,820 to £16,770 | There's a marred appearance from one scar or many tiny scars with a mental reaction that is no greater than that of an ordinarily sensitive person. |
| Trivial Scarring -Facial Disfigurement | £2,080 to £4,310 | A minor impact. |
Special Damages
Special damages compensate you for the financial effects of your scar injury. As this includes both current and future losses, it is very possible that special damages payments will be much higher than general damages.
Examples of costs you could claim can include:
- Loss of earnings.
- Travel costs.
- Medical expenses.
- Care costs.
- Home adaptations.
Remember to hold onto your payslips, travel tickets, receipts and other paperwork that shows what losses you incurred.
If you have any further questions, such as “How much compensation per stitch in the UK can you get?”, please contact us today.
Could I Make Permanent Scar Injury Compensation Claims?
There are many different types of incidents that could lead to a permanent scar compensation claim. To be eligible to claim, someone must have breached a duty of care towards you, and this led to you suffering such an injury.
Some examples include:
- An accident at work – Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers have a duty of care to take reasonably practicable steps to protect you from suffering harm at work.
- A road traffic accident – Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, motorists have a duty of care to operate their vehicles in a way that doesn’t cause avoidable harm to themselves or others.
- An accident in a public place – Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, those in control of public spaces must take steps to make those places safe to use by those using the premises for their intended purpose.
This is not an exhaustive list, however. If a third party breaches a duty of care they have to you, and you suffer injuries as a result, you could claim compensation for permanent scarring in other types of accidents.
To learn more about making such claims or to find out about tools such as a scar compensation calculator for UK claims, read on. Alternatively, you could call an advisor to check your eligibility to claim.
How Could Permanent Scarring Occur?
There are numerous types of accidents that you may claim for that could cause you to suffer with permanent scarring. Examples include:
- Accidents at work, such as being cut by machinery that’s faulty or you haven’t been trained to used. Or they could be caused by a chemical burn while working, due to not being provided with personal protective equipment.
- If you are in a car crash, then certain damage, such as broken glass, could cause cuts and lacerations that lead to permanent scarring.
- You may cut yourself and suffer a scar injury on ill-fitted or loose barbed wire in a public place. Additionally, broken glass that has not been cleared away or signposted in a supermarket could lead you to suffer a cut and scar on your foot if you were wearing sandals, for example.
These are only a few examples. Contact our advisors for free today for more info on permanent scar injury compensation claims and your eligibility to start your own case with a personal injury solicitor.
What Evidence Can Support Claims For Permanent Scars?
If you decide to claim for your permanent scars, you will need to submit evidence that proves negligence led to your injuries.
Examples of evidence that could support a personal injury claim include:
- Photographs of the scars. For example, if you are left with a stitch scar following a laceration injury, you can photograph the scar. You may also have images of the initial injury, which can also be submitted.
- Accident footage. For example, you can request CCTV footage of yourself, or submit mobile phone or dashcam footage.
- Medical records. As we mentioned earlier, there is a limitation period when making a personal injury claim. These will show what date you sought treatment. In addition to your medical records, you might be invited to attend an independent medical exam as part of the legal process. This will help with understanding the severity of the injury along with what impact it could have on your life.
- Witness contact details. Anyone who saw the accident that caused your injuries can provide a statement later on.
Our advisors can discuss what evidence you could submit if you’ve suffered stitching scars. Call them for free legal advice using the number at the top of the screen.
How Long Do I Have To Claim For A Permanent Scar?
When claiming compensation for permanent scarring, you’ll need to take action within the correct limitation period. As outlined in the Limitation Act 1980, generally, you have three years from the date you were injured to start your claim.
However, if a child was scarred, the three-year time limit is frozen until their 18th birthday. From this date, they will have until their 21st birthday to begin a claim.
In instances where the claimant lacks the mental capacity to make their own claim, the 3-year limit is halted altogether. If they were to regain this mental capacity, the three-year time limit to begin a claim will be counted from the date of recovery.
In both instances where the time limit is frozen, a court-appointed litigation friend could make a claim on the injured party’s behalf. This should be someone who will act in the claimant’s best interest, such as a solicitor or parent, for example.
If you have any questions about the time limits involved when making a claim for permanent scar compensation, our advisors will be happy to help. Get in touch at whatever time is most convenient for you using our free 24/7 online chat service.
No Win No Fee Permanent Scar Injury Compensation Claims
Accident Claims UK offers a risk-free way for our customers to make personal injury compensation claims. Our No Win No Fee personal injury claims service is simple and effective to use.
Under a type of No Win No Fee agreement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), you pay nothing at all at the start of your claim, and there is nothing to pay as your claim is being made. If your claim fails, then you don’t need to pay your solicitor a success fee. You will pay a success fee to your solicitor if your case succeeds which your solicitor will take from your award as a legally capped percentage.
Our advisors can discuss your potential permanent facial scar compensation claim if you get in touch. If they believe your claim for permanent scar injury compensation seems like it has a good chance of success, you could be connected with our solicitors.
To get in touch:
- Call us on 0800 073 8801
- Contact us online
- Use the live chat feature
Useful Links Relating To Scar Settlements
Below, you can find more useful information on claiming permanent scar compensation:
- General information on scars from the NHS
- Assaulted at work claim guide
- Burn injury Guide
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Compensation Claims
- Laser Hair Removal Claims
We hope this guide about permanent scar injury compensation claims has been useful. For any further questions, get in touch at any time.
