Permanent Scar Injury Compensation Claims – How Much Can I Claim?

By Stephen Burke. Last Updated 13th February 2024.  Within this guide, we will discuss when you may be eligible to make a personal injury claim for permanent scar compensation. 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:

A permanent scar on the belly of a victim

Select a Section:

  1. Permanent Scar Compensation Calculator
  2. When Could I Make Permanent Scar Injury Compensation Claims?
  3. How Could Permanent Scarring Occur?
  4. What Evidence Can Support Claims For Permanent Scars?
  5. No Win No Fee Permanent Scar Injury Compensation Claims
  6. Useful Links Relating To Scar Settlements

Permanent Scar Compensation Calculator

Permanent scar compensation can vary widely between claims. This is because the factors of each individual claim will impact how much is awarded.

Successful claims for permanent scars could result in general and special damages. General damages compensate you for the pain and suffering your injuries have caused you to experience.

Those calculating general damages in personal injury claims could refer to a document known as the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). It provides compensation guideline brackets for various different injuries at different levels of severity.

Some figures from the 2022 edition of the guidelines have been used in the table below. However, this should only be used for guidance.

The top entry in this table does not feature in the JCG, however.

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Scar Compensation Notes
Multiple serious injuries with financial costs. Up to £100,000 + Multiple serious injuries leading to significant costs such as medical expenses and loss of earnings, and pain and suffering.
Very Severe Scarring – Facial Disfigurement £29,780 to £97,330 A severe mental reaction to very disfiguring facial scars in a relatively young person.
Less Severe Scarring – Facial Disfigurement £17,960 to £48,420 There has been a significant mental reaction to facial scars that are substantial in their disfigurement.
Significant Scarring – Facial Disfigurement £9,110 to £30,090 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 £3,950 to £13,740 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 £1,710 to £3,530 A minor impact.
Scarring to Other Parts of the Body £7,830 to £22,730 A singular disfiguring or multiple noticeable laceration scars to the arms, hands, legs, back or chest.
Scarring to Other Parts of the Body £2,370 to £7,830 Several superficial or a singular noticeable scar to the hands, legs or arms with a minor cosmetic deficit.

Special damages are awarded to compensate you for the expenses and financial losses you have incurred due to your injuries and could include:

  • Medical expenses, such as prescription costs.
  • Loss of income if you needed to take time off work to recover from your injuries and lost earnings as a result.
  • Travel expenses, such as train tickets or bus fares, to take you to medical appointments or to visit your lawyer’s office.

You will need to be able to provide evidence that the cost and losses were sustained as a direct result of your injuries. Examples could include payslips and bank statements.

Please contact an advisor to learn more about how compensation is calculated in personal injury claims.

When Could I Make Permanent Scar Injury 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 limitation period is frozen indefinitely. If they were to regain this mental capacity, the three-year time limit to begin a claim will reinstate on 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:

A claimant filling in a permanent scar injury compensation claim form

Useful Links Relating To Scar Settlements

Below, you can find more useful information on claiming permanent scar compensation:

We hope this guide about how much compensation per stitch in the UK has been useful. For any further questions, get in touch at any time.