Scar and disfigurement claims in Scottsdale: timing, photos and proof
A scar takes around 12 to 18 months to mature, so its final look is not clear right away. Take dated photos now and keep treating it. In Scottsdale, dog bites go to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control at 602-506-7387. Arizona juries are told to weigh past and future disfigurement and anxiety, and the general deadline to sue is 2 years.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (26)
When can a Scottsdale scar claim be valued?
Usually after the scar has matured, which takes around 12 to 18 months. Scars are often thicker, pinker, redder or shinier than the rest of your skin at first. Over time scars usually fade, but they never disappear completely.
That timing cuts both ways. Settling too early can leave you with a number that ignores how the scar turns out. Waiting is limited by the deadline, which is generally 2 years in Arizona. A lawyer can balance the two.
Will scar treatment erase it?
No. Options range from surgical revision and laser to injections, chemical peels, dermabrasion and creams. Revision can make a scar better, but it cannot erase it. Immature scars are prone to thickening and give poor results after revision, so ask your doctor about timing.
Future treatment cost is part of the claim. Ask your provider for a written plan and estimate.
What photos and records should I keep?
- Photograph the injury before treatment, with a ruler or coin for scale.
- Take new photos every few weeks in the same light and from the same angles.
- Keep each date. Dated photos show how the scar changed over the 12 to 18 months it takes to mature.
- Save bills for creams, silicone sheets, procedures and visits.
- Write down how the scar affects work, clothing, sleep and how you feel about it. Anxiety counts.
What if a dog bite left the scar in Scottsdale?
Maricopa County provides animal care and control to Scottsdale and responds to bites. Its call center takes bite and attack reports at 602-506-7387. The county's first step is to get care if needed and take photos of the injuries. It counts a bite as an injury where the teeth broke the skin.
If no citation is issued, the county ends its investigation, but you can still seek money as a civil matter. Scottsdale's four dog parks include Chaparral at 5401 N. Hayden Road. Owners are legally liable for the dog at all times in a city park.
What about burn scars?
Burn scars can limit movement over time. The Halle Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health in Phoenix, phone 1-833-855-9973, is the burn center in Arizona verified by the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons. Ask about scar care early.
How does Arizona treat disfigurement in a claim?
Jurors can weigh the pain, suffering, disability, disfigurement and anxiety already experienced and reasonably probable in the future. A disfigurement claim meets no cap on injury damages, because the constitution bars caps. On the job, Arizona's workers' compensation allows up to 18 months of benefits for permanent disfigurement of the head or face.
If a public body is responsible, the notice of claim is due in 180 days, and you then have one year to sue.
Questions
Does a scar on my face count differently?
Arizona workers' compensation names the head and face for up to 18 months of benefits. In a lawsuit, a jury weighs disfigurement either way.
Can a child's scar claim wait?
For private claims, a child's time under 18 does not count toward the deadline. A public claim still has its own notice rule.
Does my own fault matter?
It can reduce an award but does not bar it.
Do I need the police or a county report?
For a bite, yes. Scottsdale code says anyone with direct knowledge must report a bite right away. Call the county at 602-506-7387.
Scars and disfigurement in Scottsdale? See if you are owed money.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (26)
- PubMed Central (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “it takes around 12-18 months for the scar to mature”
- Maricopa County, Our Field Team, checked 2026-11-08. “You or your pet are the victim(s) of a dog bite or attack? Contact the Call Center (602-506-7387) or submit an online report”
- Revised Arizona Jury Instructions (Civil), Personal Injury Damages 1, checked 2026-11-09. “The pain, discomfort, suffering, disability, disfigurement, and anxiety already experienced, and reasonably probable to be experienced in the future.”
- A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- PubMed Central (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Immature scars are prone to hypertrophy and give poor results after scar revision.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Scars usually fade over time but never go away completely.”
- PubMed Central (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “scar revision will improve and not erase the scar”
- Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “Seek medical attention if necessary, and take photos of any injuries.”
- A.R.S. 12-502, checked 2026-11-09. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Scars are often thicker, as well as pinker, redder, or shinier, than the rest of your skin.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “These include surgical revision, dermabrasion, laser treatments, injections, chemical peels, and creams.”
- City of Scottsdale staff report, county animal control agreement, checked 2026-11-08. “Since 1977, Maricopa County”
- Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “A dog bite is defined as an injury where the dog's teeth have broken skin on a person.”
- Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “MCACC ends the investigation and the victim can choose to seek restitution as a civil matter”
- City of Scottsdale, Dog Parks, checked 2026-11-08. “5401 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85250”
- City of Scottsdale, Dog Parks, checked 2026-11-08. “Owners or custodians of a dog are responsible and legally liable for the acts and conduct of the dog at all times when the dog is in a city park.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Scarring after traumatic injury or burns”
- Valleywise Health, checked 2026-11-09. “Burn Center | Valleywise Health - 1-833-855-9973”
- Valleywise Health, checked 2026-11-09. “is the first and only adult and pediatric burn center in Arizona verified by the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons”
- Ariz. Const. art. 18, § 6, checked 2026-11-09. “the amount recovered shall not be subject to any statutory limitation”
- A.R.S. § 23-1044, checked 2026-11-09. “For permanent disfigurement about the head or face, including injury to or loss of teeth”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
- A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-09. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”
- A.R.S. § 12-502, checked 2026-11-08. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”
- A.R.S. § 12-2505, checked 2026-11-08. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”
- Scottsdale Revised Code, Chapter 4, checked 2026-11-08. “Whenever an animal bites any person, the incident shall be reported to the enforcement agent immediately by any person having direct knowledge.”