Scars are the exception to the multiplier method's usual logic: the medical bills can be small while the permanent harm is large and visible. That's why scar claims argue the multiplier — and the future — harder than any other modest-bill injury.
Reviewed August 24, 2026 · bands map to the disclosed methodologyBased on the multiplier method used by insurers and attorneys. This is an educational estimate, not legal advice — every claim is different.
| Situation | Typical multiplier | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small scar, concealed location | 2–3× | Permanent but low-visibility; still above soft-tissue floors because it never goes away. |
| Visible scarring (arms, hands, legs) | 3–4× | Daily visibility, social and professional impact, permanence. |
| Facial scarring, or any scarring on a child | 4–5×+ | Maximum-visibility permanence measured in decades; juries treat facial scars severely, and insurers price that risk. |
These bands are the same disclosed multiplier framework used across this site (methodology) — where a specific injury lands inside it is driven by documentation, permanence, and liability clarity, not by the label on the injury.
A plastic surgeon's written estimate for scar revision belongs in your economic damages even if you never have the procedure — it's the concrete price of the permanence. Photographic documentation over time (fresh, healing, mature) is the other half of the file; scars photograph differently at every stage, and the mature scar is the one you'll live with.
A scar on a child will be argued across a lifetime of visibility, and settlements for minors typically require court approval — with statutes of limitations that often don't start until age 18. Insurers know a child's scar claim ages badly for them; that leverage belongs to you, not them.
The multiplier method still applies, but scars command higher multipliers than their bills suggest because the harm is permanent and visible: roughly 2–3× for concealed scarring, 3–4× for visible limbs, 4–5× and beyond for facial scars or scarring on children — with revision-surgery estimates added to the economic base.
Photos in consistent lighting over time, and a plastic surgeon's assessment. 'Healed well' still means permanent — the legal question is disfigurement, not wound closure.
Yes, and they're the most common source of facial scarring claims — usually paid by the owner's homeowner's insurance. See the dog bite guide for the liability side.