Importance of soft tissue ?njuries in the facial area in terms of criminal law and compensation for bodily damages

Abstract

Skin injuries in the face area are one of the common causes of admission to the emergency department and the treatment to be applied affects whether or not there will be any scars. In the legal system, fixed facial scar is given great importance and it is an aggravating factor in criminal law. However, it is seen that the permanent scars formed on the face as a result of trauma do not have an exact equivalent in the disability determination charts. In our study; in the disability detection regulations, it was tried to determine the deficiencies related to permanent scars in the face area and it was aimed to raise awareness about this issue. We analyzed 1972 cases that applied for disability assessment and were examined and reported by us. With the trauma in his body that is the subject of the report 302 cases with a causal trace were included in the study. It was observed that 212 (70%) of 302 cases with facial trauma-related scars received a rate from one of the disability determination charts. It was determined that 90 (30%) cases did not receive a rate. Conclusion: The emergency physician who first encounters the trauma patient should apply the treatment methods that can achieve the best aesthetic results in a patient who is admitted to the hospital due to facial injury and take all kinds of measures to reduce the possibility of remaining scars. We think that there should be a section that specifies exactly the rate to be given by classifying permanent scar wounds in the face area according to various features, by updating the scales used in disability determination procedures.