Chapter 4 of 9: What an injury is worth, guide 4 of 9
Scarring, facial injuries and burns brackets in Ireland: what the Guidelines say
Checked 14 October 2026against the Acts, the Board's pages and the Personal Injuries Guidelines. Written for the injured person. Covers the Republic of Ireland.
The Guidelines' brackets for facial disfigurement, fractures of the nose, cheekbone and jaw, damage to teeth, scarring elsewhere and burns, quoted exactly, with the considerations and why photographs matter.
A scar is often the injury that lasts longest, and the one people worry about most. The Personal Injuries Guidelines deal with scarring in two chapters: chapter 9, facial injuries, and chapter 10, non facial scarring and burns. This guide quotes every bracket in those chapters, and the chapter on teeth, exactly as the Guidelines set them.
The Guidelines open chapter 9 by admitting the difficulty: "The assessment of damages for facial injuries is an extremely difficult task particularly in cases involving cosmetic defect or other types of disfigurement." Every figure below is the 2021 figure; the 16.7% increase approved by the Judicial Council in December 2024 is not in force, and the changes page explains why.
Facial disfigurement
Section A of chapter 9 covers scarring and disfigurement of the face. Its considerations are: age; the nature of the underlying injury which has resulted in facial disfigurement; the nature, extent and duration of treatment; the nature and extent of residual scarring or disfigurement; impact on work; interference with quality of life and social and leisure activities; impact on relationships; and consequential psychological damage including depression.
The table gives the Guidelines' bracket for an injury described like this, with the Guidelines' own headings.
| The Guidelines' heading | Bracket |
|---|---|
| (a) Most severe scarring: in relatively young claimants, typically teens to early 30s, where the cosmetic effect is very disfiguring and the psychological reactions severe | €80,000 to €200,000 |
| (b) Severe scarring: where the disfigurement is still substantial and there is a significant psychological reaction | €60,000 to €80,000 |
| (c) Serious scarring: where the worst effects have been or will be reduced by plastic surgery leaving some cosmetic disability, the psychological reaction not great or diminished, including scarring visible at conversational distance | €30,000 to €60,000 |
| (d) Moderate scarring: one scar which can be camouflaged, or a number of very small scars whose overall effect does not markedly affect the appearance | €7,000 to €30,000 |
| (e) Minor scarring: the effect is minor only | €500 to €7,000 |
Two phrases in those descriptions do most of the work. "Visible at conversational distance" is the Guidelines' test for serious scarring. "Can be camouflaged" is their test for moderate. The psychological reaction runs through all five: the Guidelines expect it to be severe at the top, significant in the second bracket, and "no more than that of an ordinarily sensitive young person" in the moderate bracket.
Burns to the face are dealt with here. The section says: "Burns are not dealt with separately and the award made should reflect the severity of the circumstances surrounding the injury and the suffering endured during the period of initial treatment. The very worst burns lead not only to considerable disfigurement and pain but to a variety of continuing physical and psychological injuries meriting very high awards, usually at the upper ends of the brackets or above them altogether."
Skeletal injuries to the face
Section B covers fractures. The table gives the Guidelines' bracket for an injury described like this.
| The Guidelines' heading | Bracket |
|---|---|
| (a) Le Fort fractures of frontal facial bones | €50,000 to €80,000 |
| (b) Multiple fractures of facial bones, involving some facial deformity of a permanent nature | €25,000 to €50,000 |
| (c) Fractures of nose or nasal complex (i): serious or multiple fractures requiring a number of operations or resulting in permanent damage to airways, nerves, tear ducts or facial deformity | €25,000 to €50,000 |
| (c) Fractures of nose or nasal complex (ii): displaced fracture where surgery was required and recovery is complete | €10,000 to €25,000 |
| (c) Fractures of nose or nasal complex (iii): displaced fracture requiring no more than manipulation | €3,000 to €5,000 |
| (c) Fractures of nose or nasal complex (iv): simple undisplaced fracture with full recovery | €500 to €3,000 |
| (d) Fractures of cheekbones (i): serious fractures requiring surgery with lasting consequences such as paraesthesia or some disfigurement | €25,000 to €50,000 |
| (d) Fractures of cheekbones (ii): simple fracture needing some reconstructive surgery, with complete recovery and no or minimal cosmetic effect | €10,000 to €25,000 |
| (d) Fractures of cheekbones (iii): simple fracture, no surgery, complete recovery | €500 to €6,000 |
| (e) Fractures of jaws (i): very serious multiple fractures with prolonged treatment and permanent consequences | €50,000 to €80,000 |
| (e) Fractures of jaws (ii): serious fracture with permanent consequences such as difficulty opening the mouth or eating, or paraesthesia | €30,000 to €60,000 |
| (e) Fractures of jaws (iii): simple fracture requiring immobilisation, with complete recovery | €3,000 to €12,000 |
For the nasal fracture treated by manipulation only, the Guidelines add that "where a full recovery is made in less than six months the award should be towards the lower end of the bracket".
Damage to teeth
The Guidelines say there will generally have been a course of treatment, that "any difficulty with eating increases the award", and that awards "may be greater where the damage results in or is caused by protracted dentistry". The table gives the Guidelines' bracket for an injury described like this.
| The Guidelines' heading | Bracket |
|---|---|
| (i) Loss of or serious damage to several front teeth | €12,500 to €30,000 |
| (ii) Loss of or serious damage to two front teeth | €7,000 to €15,000 |
| (iii) Loss of or serious damage to one front tooth | €3,500 to €8,500 |
| (iv) Loss of or damage to back teeth: per tooth | €1,500 to €3,000 |
The brackets are for the injury. The cost of crowns, implants and the dentistry still to come is a special damage, vouched and added separately, as the special damages guide explains.
Scarring elsewhere on the body
Chapter 10, section A, covers scarring that is not to the face. The Guidelines say the principles are the same as for facial disfigurement, that most physical injuries already carry some element of disfigurement within their own bracket, and that this section is for cases "where the element of disfigurement is the predominant one". They add: "Where the scarring is not to the face or is not unusually visible then the awards will tend to be lower than those for facial or readily visible disfigurement."
The table gives the Guidelines' bracket for an injury described like this.
| The Guidelines' heading | Bracket |
|---|---|
| (a) A number of noticeable laceration scars or a single disfiguring scar, of leg(s) or arm(s) or hand(s) or back or chest | €30,000 to €80,000 |
| (b) A single noticeable scar, or several superficial scars of leg(s) or arm(s) or hand(s), with some minor cosmetic deficit | €1,000 to €40,000 |
The second bracket is wide, from €1,000 to €40,000, and that width is the point: a faint line on a forearm and a long, raised scar on a leg are both described by it, and the evidence places each.
Burns
Section B of chapter 10 has no table of its own. It says:
Burns will normally be regarded as more serious than other scarring since they tend to cause a greater degree of pain and may lead to continuing physical and psychological injury. Accordingly, while the level of the award should be guided by the values set out at A. above, it is to be expected that a scar as a result of a burn will attract a higher award than a scar of equal significance otherwise caused. Where significant burns cover 40% or more of the body, awards are likely to exceed €200,000.
The considerations for burns are: age; percentage body area affected; whether the burns are full thickness, partial thickness or superficial; the degree of pain and suffering attributable to the injury and subsequent treatment; the nature, extent and duration of all treatment; the cosmetic impact and the injured person's reactions; effect on enjoyment of life and leisure activities; impact on work; and psychological sequelae including depression.
Dog bites and glass
The two usual causes of a scarring claim are a dog bite and broken glass. The Guidelines describe the scar, not its cause, so a bite to the face falls under facial disfigurement and a bite to a hand or leg under non-facial scarring. Section 21 of the Control of Dogs Act 1986 makes the owner liable for damage caused by the dog without proof of negligence; the dog bite guide covers the owner's insurance, the dog warden and children. A cut from glass in a shop, pub or workplace falls under the occupier's or employer's duty, covered in the fall in a shop guide.
A scar alongside a fracture or a wound is usually not valued on its own. The Guidelines say most physical injuries' brackets already include the element of disfigurement, and where there is more than one injury the approach is to find "the bracket of damages within the Guidelines that best resembles the most significant of the claimant's injuries", value it, and then "uplift the value" for the lesser injuries so that the overall award "should be proportionate and just". The Guidelines explained guide quotes the passage in full.
Photographs
Scarring is the one injury a decision-maker can see, and the Guidelines' tests, visible at conversational distance, can be camouflaged, noticeable, superficial, are visual tests. Photographs taken at intervals, dated, in ordinary light and at an ordinary distance, record what a scar looked like at each stage and whether it faded. The Board assesses on the documents, so the photographs and the medical report are what it sees. The making a claim page sets out what the Board needs.
A scar also changes over a year or more, and so may the bracket that describes it. Medical finality, the point at which a doctor can say what the scar will look like for good, is one reason an assessment or a settlement before then may be early.
Where this leaves you
A scar on the face is described by one of five brackets and a scar elsewhere by one of two; a fracture of the nose, cheekbone or jaw and a damaged tooth each have their own. The medical evidence and the photographs decide which description fits and where within it. The injury checker shows the Guidelines' bracket for an injury described like yours, drawn to scale, with the considerations that move an injury within it.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a scar worth in Ireland?
The Guidelines give brackets by description. Minor facial scarring is €500 to €7,000, moderate facial scarring €7,000 to €30,000, and the most severe facial scarring in a young claimant €80,000 to €200,000. Scarring elsewhere runs from €1,000 to €40,000 for a single noticeable scar to €30,000 to €80,000 for a disfiguring one. Where a scar sits within its bracket depends on the evidence, and only the Board or a court decides.
Are facial scars valued higher than scars on the body?
Yes, as a rule. The Guidelines say that where the scarring is not to the face or is not unusually visible, awards will tend to be lower than for facial or readily visible disfigurement. The non-facial scarring section has two brackets; the facial disfigurement section has five.
What is the bracket for a dog bite scar?
The Guidelines do not have a dog bite bracket; they describe the scar, not its cause. A bite to the face is described under facial disfigurement and a bite to a hand, arm or leg under non-facial scarring. The owner's strict liability is a separate question under the Control of Dogs Act 1986.
How are burns valued?
The Guidelines say burns will normally be regarded as more serious than other scarring and that a burn scar will attract a higher award than a scar of equal significance otherwise caused. There is no burns table; the award is guided by the scarring brackets. Where significant burns cover 40% or more of the body, the Guidelines say awards are likely to exceed €200,000.
What is a broken tooth worth?
The Guidelines' damage to teeth brackets are €3,500 to €8,500 for loss of or serious damage to one front tooth, €7,000 to €15,000 for two, €12,500 to €30,000 for several, and €1,500 to €3,000 per back tooth. Any difficulty with eating increases the award. The cost of dental treatment is a special damage added separately.