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.