Facial Scar Compensation Claims
Free advice on where you stand, whatever caused it
A facial scar is harder to put behind you than most injuries, because you meet it in the mirror every day. If yours came from an accident that was not your fault, you may be able to claim facial scar compensation from whoever was responsible. If it came from an assault, there is a separate government scheme that pays even when the attacker is never caught, and the published amounts for facial injuries are set out further down this page. We handle scarring and every other kind of facial injury claim on a No Win No Fee basis.
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Can you claim facial scar compensation?
Usually, yes, if someone else was responsible. Most facial injury claims are brought against whoever was at fault: a driver, an employer, an occupier of a shop or public space, or the owner of a dog that was not kept under control. You need to show they owed you a duty of care, failed to meet it, and that your injury followed. The same test applies whether you were left with a scar, a fracture or damaged teeth.
If your face was injured in an assault there is usually no insurer to claim against, but the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority can still make you a government award, and you do not need a conviction or even a named attacker. Where somebody else was also at fault, such as an employer or a venue whose security failed, both routes can be open at once, though the scheme reduces its award by any compensation you recover elsewhere for the same injury. Which order you pursue them in changes what you end up with, so tell us at the first call.
If your facial injury was caused by an assault
Violence is one of the most common causes of facial injury and the situation where people most often assume nothing can be done. The attacker usually has no insurance, and frequently nothing to pay with.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is a government scheme that makes awards to victims of violent crime in England, Wales and Scotland, funded by the state. Awards run from £1,000 to £250,000, with a cap of £500,000 once loss of earnings and care costs are added.
Three rules decide most applications, and all three catch people out:
The crime must have been reported to the police. Not to your employer, not to a doorman. If you have a crime reference number, that is usually enough for us to start.
The deadline is two years, a year shorter than the ordinary injury claim deadline. If you were injured as a child, the deadline runs to your twentieth birthday where the crime was reported before you turned 18, or two years from the first police report where it was reported later.
Unspent convictions can bar an award outright. A conviction that resulted in a custodial sentence or a community order means refusal, not reduction. Tell us about it at the start rather than after the application goes in.
If more than one injury was caused, CICA pays 100% of the highest tariff figure, 30% of the second and 15% of the third, and pays nothing for a fourth. A broken jaw with facial scarring and lost teeth is therefore assessed as a package, not as three separate awards.
the usual deadline to apply after a violent crime
Applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority must normally be made as soon as reasonably practicable and within two years of the crime, and the crime must have been reported to the police. Limited extensions exist, for example where someone was unable to apply sooner because of their physical or mental health, and different rules apply to childhood abuse. An award may also be reduced in some circumstances, including where someone did not co-operate with the police.
Source: GOV.UK guidance on claiming compensation for a criminal injury. Check your own position with a solicitor.
Common causes of facial scarring and injury claims
Facial injuries reach us from a wider range of accidents than almost any other injury we handle.
Road traffic collisions
Impacts with the steering wheel, windscreen or airbag, and injuries to cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. Laceration patterns from glass are distinctive and a medical expert can usually link them to the mechanism of the crash.
Assaults and violent crime
Injuries caused deliberately, including attacks at work and in licensed premises. These go through the scheme set out above, and sometimes through a civil claim as well.
Accidents at work
Flying debris, chemical splashes, falls from height and machinery injuries where face protection was missing or inadequate. Whether the risk assessment identified a face hazard is usually the whole liability argument.
Slips, trips and falls
Falls onto steps, kerbs or glass that break teeth and cheekbones. Link to the slips, trips and falls claims page for how occupier liability is established.
Dog bites and animal attacks
Bites to the face are most common in children, and frequently need specialist plastic surgery rather than ordinary wound closure. The owner may be liable under the Animals Act 1971, and household insurance often responds.
Faulty products and treatments
Defective equipment, exploding glass, and burns or scarring from cosmetic and beauty treatments. A product claim has a ten year backstop from when the product was first supplied, separate from the ordinary three years.
Facial injuries we handle compensation claims for
You do not need to know the medical name for what happened. Describe the accident and the symptoms, and the medical evidence will do the rest.You do not need to know the medical name for what happened. Describe the accident and the symptoms, and the medical evidence will do the rest.
CICA payouts for facial scarring and facial injuries
These are the fixed amounts published by the government. They apply only to injuries caused by violent crime, and only where the conditions above are met.
| Injury | Tariff level | Payment |
|---|---|---|
| Scarring to the face, significant disfigurement | A4 | £2,400 |
| Scarring to the face, serious disfigurement | A8 | £11,000 |
| Scarring to the head, significant disfigurement | A2 | £1,500 |
| Scarring to the head, serious disfigurement | A5 | £3,500 |
| Burns to the face, moderate | A5 | £3,500 |
| Burns to the face, severe | A13 | £27,000 |
| Multiple fractures to the face | A8 | £11,000 |
| Fractured jaw, operation required, continuing significant disability | A7 | £6,200 |
| Fractured cheekbone, operation required, continuing significant disability | A5 | £3,500 |
| Loss of four or more front teeth | A5 | £3,500 |
| Permanent severe numbness, for example to the lip, interfering with function | A4 | £2,400 |
A tariff award covers the injury alone. Loss of earnings and care costs are assessed separately and are not included in the figures above. Where somebody else was also legally at fault, a civil claim will usually produce more than the tariff, which is the first thing we check.
Compensation for facial scarring: how claims are valued
Facial scar compensation is not assessed on measurements. A three centimetre scar along a jawline and a three centimetre scar inside a hairline are not the same claim, and the medical evidence has to say why.
Five things move the figure:
- Visibility. Where the scar sits and whether hair, glasses or normal expression conceal it.
- How it has settled. Scars change for months and sometimes years. A settled scar is assessed on what it is; an unsettled one is assessed on what it is likely to become, which needs an expert opinion rather than a photograph.
- Whether treatment can improve it. If revision surgery would help, the cost of that surgery belongs in the claim. If nothing will help, that pushes the injury valuation upward.
- The psychological effect. Avoiding photographs, mirrors or social situations is a recognised part of a scarring claim and is assessed on psychological evidence in the same way the scar is assessed on medical evidence. It is not assumed. Say it out loud at the first appointment.
- Your age at the time of injury. A scar that will be carried for sixty years is valued differently from the same scar acquired at seventy.
Alongside the injury itself, a claim covers lost earnings, travel, care, future treatment and replacement dental work. On a facial injury the future treatment figure is often larger than the injury figure, and it is the part most often missing from an insurer’s first offer.
- The injury, the treatment you have been through, and any lasting scarring
- Psychological harm, including anxiety and distress about your appearance
- Future treatment, including revision surgery and replacement dental work
- Lost earnings, travel, care and any effect on the work you can do
Evidence that supports a facial scar claim
One piece of evidence matters more here than in almost any other claim, and it is the one people wish they had: photographs taken as the scar changed.
No photographs? Still call. Hospital records usually document the injury, and a medical expert can give an opinion on how a scar is likely to have looked.
No Win No Fee facial injury claims
A No Win No Fee agreement, properly called a Conditional Fee Agreement, means there is nothing to pay upfront. If the claim does not succeed, you do not pay us for our work, subject to the terms of your agreement.
If it succeeds, a success fee agreed with you in advance is deducted from your compensation. Insurance is usually arranged to protect you against the other side’s costs. All of it is set out in writing and explained before you sign anything, and you are free to ask as many questions as you need to first.
No pressure and no obligation. Asking whether you have a claim commits you to nothing.
Facial scar compensation:
your questions answered
The questions we are asked most, answered plainly.
Can you claim compensation for a facial scar?
Usually, if someone else was responsible. Most claims are brought against the person or organisation at fault, such as a driver, an employer, an occupier or a dog’s owner. If your injury was caused by an assault, you may instead be able to apply to the government’s criminal injuries scheme. A free assessment will tell you which route fits your situation, whether you were left with scarring or another facial injury.
How is compensation for facial scarring worked out?
There is no set amount, and any site quoting one has not seen your medical evidence. Scarring is assessed on how visible it is, how it settles over time, whether further treatment can improve it, and the psychological effect it has had, alongside your financial losses. Once an independent specialist has reported, your solicitor will explain what your claim should include.
Can I claim if I was attacked and nobody was ever charged?
Possibly, yes. An award through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority does not depend on anyone being convicted, and you do not have to wait for a trial to conclude. What matters is that the crime was reported to the police and that you apply in time, normally within two years. Some circumstances can reduce an award, so it is worth getting advice on your particular case.
Can I claim for damage to my teeth?
Yes, dental damage is part of a facial injury claim. It is worth claiming properly rather than settling on the cost of the first repair, because crowns, implants and bridges generally need replacing over a lifetime. A dental expert can set out what your treatment is likely to involve in future so the claim reflects it.
Does a claim cover the psychological effect of a facial injury?
Yes. Anxiety, low mood, avoidance of social situations and distress about your appearance are recognised parts of a facial injury claim, and so is the cost of counselling or therapy. They are assessed on evidence, usually a report from a psychologist or psychiatrist, in the same way the physical injury is. Tell us about this side of it even if it feels harder to describe than the injury.
How long do I have to claim facial scar compensation?
For a claim against someone at fault, usually three years from the injury. For an application to the criminal injuries scheme after an assault, normally two years, which catches people out. For children the three years runs from their eighteenth birthday, and where an injured person lacks the mental capacity to claim, the time limit generally does not run. Check your dates with us rather than assuming you are too late.
Find out where you stand
Tell us what happened and how you have been since. We will explain which route applies to you, what it would involve, and whether it is worth pursuing. If it is not, we will say so.
- Free, confidential and without obligation
- No Win No Fee available
- SRA-regulated solicitors
Check if you can make a claim
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Other claims we handle
Find out whether you have a claim
If your injury came from an assault, the deadline is shorter than most people expect, so it is worth asking sooner. Whatever caused yours, the conversation is free, private and puts you under no obligation.
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