Scar and disfigurement claims in San Antonio: when to settle and what to save
A scar can take around 12 to 18 months to mature, but in Texas you generally have only 2 years to sue. That leaves about 6 to 12 months to decide. Take photos now. Texas lists disfigurement as its own part of noneconomic damages.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (35)
How long should I wait before settling a scar claim in San Antonio?
Long enough to see what the scar becomes, but not past your deadline. Once a scar forms, it is a permanent patch of skin. It reaches maturity at around 12 to 18 months. Surgery on an immature scar gives poor results, so doctors often wait.
| Example timeline | What is happening | Your claim |
|---|---|---|
| Early weeks | Wound care, first treatment, photos | Save every bill and picture |
| Months 3 to 12 | The scar is still changing | Keep photos in the same light |
| Months 12 to 18 | Scar around maturity | Ask your doctor what is permanent |
| Month 24 | Texas deadline to sue in most cases | File before this date |
A scar claim can wait on the doctor, but the court clock does not.
Which San Antonio injuries leave scars?
Dog bites are one way people get scars. San Antonio law says bites or scratches that break skin must be reported to the local rabies control authority. Call 311. The biting dog or cat must be quarantined for ten days. Outside the city in Bexar County, the county's Animal Control line is 210-335-9000.
Clean the wound right away with soap and hot water, then see a doctor. A dog that is deemed dangerous after an unprovoked attack must carry a $100,000 liability policy. Fines for failing to prevent an unprovoked bite start at $1,000.
Burns leave scars too. University Children's Health lists pressure garments, to reduce scarring, in its pediatric burn care. The Army Burn Center is the only American Burn Association-verified burn center in South Texas. Crashes add to the count: Bexar County had 759 suspected serious injuries in 2025.
What does Texas count as disfigurement?
Texas names disfigurement as its own item, next to mental anguish and physical impairment, in noneconomic damages. Physical impairment has to be substantial and go beyond other damages.
Scars are often thicker, pinker, redder or shinier than the skin around them. With time they fade, but they never vanish completely. Photos of how it looks, where it is on your body and how it affects your day matter more than a long description.
What treatment might a scar need, and who pays?
- Treatments range from revision surgery and dermabrasion to lasers, injections, peels and creams.
- A revised scar looks better, but it is not gone.
- Keloids are more common under 30. Treatment can make a keloid larger, and sun can darken it in the first year.
Future care can be part of a claim, but Texas limits medical damages to amounts paid or owed. If you were admitted within 72 hours, the hospital can file a lien. If it happened at work, not every Texas employer carries workers' comp.
How is a scar claim valued in San Antonio?
No page can give a number. Settlement terms may not be public, and a jury trial took 27 months on average in federal data. A claim looks at where the scar is, how visible it is, whether more surgery is needed and how it changes your life.
Settlements for physical injury are generally not taxable, unless you deducted medical costs earlier. A cap applies to exemplary damages.
How long do I have to file a scar claim in San Antonio?
Two years is the usual limit. A child's time does not count while a minor. A city claim needs written notice within 90 days. For other Texas governments it is 6 months. Being over 50 percent at fault bars recovery.
Questions
Can a child's scar claim wait until the child is older?
While a child is under 18, the filing clock stands still. Keep photos and records now, because evidence gets harder to find.
Does a dog bite claim need a police report?
No, but report the bite to 311 right away. The city keeps a searchable registry of dogs deemed dangerous.
Is a scar on my face worth more than one on my leg?
The law does not set a price. Location and visibility matter, and Texas counts disfigurement as its own part of damages.
Can plastic surgery fix a scar completely?
No. A revised scar looks better, but it is not gone.
Scars and disfigurement in San Antonio? See if you are owed money.
A free case review. $0 upfront. No fee unless you win.
See if I’m owed moneySources (35)
- PubMed Central (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “it takes around 12-18 months for the scar to mature”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
- Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.001(12), checked 2026-11-09. “physical pain and suffering, mental or emotional pain or anguish, loss of consortium, disfigurement, physical impairment”
- PubMed Central (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “scar revision will improve and not erase the scar”
- San Antonio Animal Care Services, Animal Bites, checked 2026-11-08. “State law mandates all animal bites or scratches that break skin must be reported to the local rabies control authority.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “A scar is a permanent patch of skin that grows over a wound”
- PubMed Central (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Immature scars are prone to hypertrophy and give poor results after scar revision.”
- San Antonio Animal Care Services, Animal Bites, checked 2026-11-08. “please call 3-1-1 (311) to report the bite immediately”
- San Antonio Animal Care Services, Animal Bites, checked 2026-11-08. “Regardless of vaccination status, the biting animal must be quarantined for ten (10) days or humanely euthanized.”
- San Antonio Animal Care Services, Animal Control, checked 2026-11-08. “Bexar County residents should call Bexar County Animal Control at 210-335-9000”
- San Antonio Animal Care Services, Animal Bites, checked 2026-11-08. “Immediately wash the wound thoroughly with soap and hot water”
- San Antonio Animal Care Services, Dangerous or Aggressive Dogs, checked 2026-11-08. “purchase a $100,000 liability insurance policy”
- San Antonio Animal Care Services, Ordinances, checked 2026-11-08. “These fines start at $1,000 for the first offense”
- University Health, checked 2026-11-09. “Pressure garments (to reduce scarring)”
- U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, checked 2026-11-09. “the only American Burn Association-verified burn center in South Texas”
- TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries by County, checked 2026-11-08. “Bexar 182 190 644 759 6,904 9,470 5,782 9,534 30,872 85,376 2,360 11,962 46,744”
- Golden Eagle Archery, Inc. v. Jackson, 116 S.W.3d 757 (Tex. 2003), checked 2026-11-09. “the effect of any physical impairment must be substantial and extend beyond any pain, suffering, mental anguish, lost wages or diminished earning capacity”
- 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. “Scars usually fade over time but never go away completely.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “These include surgical revision, dermabrasion, laser treatments, injections, chemical peels, and creams.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Black people, Asians, and Hispanics are more prone to developing keloids.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “These treatments, especially surgery, sometimes cause the keloid scar to become larger.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “A keloid will tan darker than the skin around it if exposed to the sun during the first year after it forms.”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.0105, checked 2026-11-09. “recovery of medical or health care expenses incurred is limited to the amount actually paid or incurred by or on behalf of the claimant”
- Tex. Prop. Code § 55.002, checked 2026-11-09. “For the lien to attach, the individual must be admitted to a hospital not later than 72 hours after the accident.”
- Texas Department of Insurance, Employee resources, checked 2026-11-08. “Not all Texas employers provide workers' compensation insurance, but most do.”
- U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Civil Bench and Jury Trials in State Courts, 2005, checked 2026-11-09. “The terms of settlement agreements and other key information for civil cases resolved prior to trial may not be reported to the court or may not be publicly available.”
- U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Civil Bench and Jury Trials in State Courts, 2005, checked 2026-11-09. “the processing of a case required an additional half year for a jury trial (27 months), compared to a bench trial (21 months)”
- IRS Publication 4345, checked 2026-11-09. “did not take an itemized deduction for medical expenses related to the injury or sickness in prior years, the full amount is non-taxable”
- Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008, checked 2026-11-09. “Exemplary damages awarded against a defendant may not exceed an amount equal to the greater of”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001, checked 2026-11-08. “the time of the disability is not included in a limitations period”
- San Antonio City Charter, Article XII, Sec. 150 (Municode), checked 2026-11-08. “notice in writing of such death, injury or destruction within ninety days after the injury has been sustained”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than six months after the day that the incident giving rise to the claim occurred”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001, checked 2026-11-08. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”
- City of San Antonio news release, December 1, 2023, checked 2026-11-08. “searchable dangerous dog registry”