Scarring and disfigurement

A visible scar is a permanent reminder of an injury that other people see every day. In a claim it is treated as its own harm — separate from the original wound, separate from the medical bills — because its effect on a person's life continues long after the underlying injury has healed.

It is general information, not legal advice, and it is not medical advice.

What drives the impact

• Location. The face, neck, and hands carry the most weight because they are visible and hard to conceal. Scars normally covered by clothing are still compensable but affect a person differently.
• Size and character. Length, width, color contrast, whether it is flat or raised (hypertrophic or keloid), whether it puckers or pulls the surrounding skin.
• Function. A scar across a joint or the mouth or eye can restrict movement or expression, not only appearance.
• The person. Age, occupation, and how the scar affects daily interaction and self-image.

What revision can and cannot do

Scar revision — surgical repositioning, dermabrasion, laser treatment, steroid injection, pressure therapy — can improve appearance and relieve tightness. It cannot make a scar disappear, it substitutes a new scar for the old one, results vary by person and skin type, and multiple procedures are often needed over years. A realistic surgical opinion about the likely end result, and the cost and number of future procedures, belongs in the record.

How permanence is documented

• A dated photographic series from the acute injury through scar maturity, in consistent lighting.
• The treating surgeon's opinion that the scar is permanent and what revision can and cannot achieve.
• A plan and cost estimate for future revision procedures and scar-management supplies.
• The person's own account of how the scar affects work, relationships, and daily life.

Sources: CACI No. 3905A (physical pain, disfigurement, and mental suffering — items of non-economic damage); CACI No. 3903A (past and future medical expenses). CACI citations are to the Judicial Council of California Civil Jury Instructions (2026 edition).

Which accidents cause disfiguring injuries

Dog attacks (a leading cause of facial scarring, especially in children — see children and facial injuries), car accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, bicycle accidents, and falls and property hazards. Burns are a common cause — see burn injuries.

Common questions

Is scarring a separate injury or part of the main injury?

It is a distinct, permanent consequence. California jury instructions list disfigurement among the harms a jury may consider, separate from pain and from economic loss.

Can surgery remove a scar?

No. Revision surgery can make a scar less noticeable — reposition it, narrow it, release tightness — but it cannot erase it, and it trades one scar for another. A treating surgeon's opinion on what revision can realistically achieve is part of the record.

Why do photographs matter so much?

Because a scar changes over time and a written note does not capture how it looks. A dated series of good photographs — early, during treatment, and at maturity, usually a year or more out — shows both the severity and the permanence.

My child was scarred on the face. Is that handled differently?

The medical and documentation approach is similar, but a child's claim has added steps — court approval of any settlement and consideration of growth and future revision. Dog-attack facial scarring in children is covered on its own page.