Through nightmares and flashbacks, accident victims often relive the tragic moments when an accident caused them suffering and pain. However, many accident victims who suffer injuries do not need nightmares to remind them what happened. Catastrophic injuries often leave disfiguring scars that result in a lifetime of physical and emotional distress.
Whether one’s injuries resulted from a motor vehicle accident, a dog attack, a fire or a medical mistake, the scars that remain can be much more than an embarrassment. In some cases, they can be excruciatingly painful, require multiple surgeries and even minimize one’s ability to function. Scars are the body’s way of mending itself, and they may form in different ways, depending on the type of injury, the type and quality of treatment the victim receives and other factors.
Taking your life back
Minimizing the appearance of scars after a serious injury requires strictly limiting activities, avoiding the sun, wearing protective clothing and following a regimen of cleansing and massaging the areas. However, in cases of catastrophic scarring, surgery is often necessary, especially when the scar tissue begins to impede movement, such as around joints, near the eyes or at the mouth. Scar revision surgery is complex and quite painful, but it may reduce the visible scar and allow the accident victim more range of motion.
Disfiguring scars are often the aftermath of catastrophic injuries. Healing and minimizing scar tissue can be an emotionally, physically and financially burdensome. This is why it is important for an accident victim to obtain compensation sufficient to cover these and other future medical needs.