When we think of dogs, we don’t often think of a dangerous animal that can do a lot of damage. There are, unfortunately, some dogs that are mean and will attack a person. This is important to remember when you are around dogs you don’t know. Most of the time, a dog that is attacking can’t be stopped.

 

A dog’s sharp teeth can easily cut through a person’s skin. When sharp teeth and a strong jaw come together, they can cause serious injuries. If the wounds from a dog attack are cared for well, they may heal without getting infected. But that doesn’t mean they won’t leave scars.

 

After the wound has healed, many people who have been bitten by a dog look for ways to get rid of the scars. 

 

How to Get Rid of Scars

 

Dogs are man’s best friend, at least until they attack you. A scar from a dog bite can make you feel both emotionally and physically bad. If a dog recently attacked you or your child and bit you on the face, lasers or topical treatments can help get rid of the scar while you work on healing emotionally.

 

Laser Treatments

 

Modern medicine has given us a wide range of surgical options for treating scars. Your reconstructive surgeon will help you decide which option is best for you based on your specific situation. Skin grafts, excision, dermabrasion, or laser surgery may be part of the surgical treatment.

 

If your dog bite is very deep or your scar is very big, laser treatment may be the best way to go. High-tech laser treatments will be able to reach the deepest layers of the skin.

 

Topical Treatments

 

There are a variety of over-the-counter topical ointments that can be used to get rid of mild scarring. The scar left by the dog bite can be treated with cream, ointment, or gels. 

 

Try using topical ointments like Neosporin if you have a minor scar from a dog bite. By maintaining the skin’s hydration, topical therapies can occasionally decrease the probability of severe scarring.

 

NOTE: Since there are numerous types of scar creams currently available on the market. It’s best to consult a physician before using any product.

 

Chemical Peels and Injections

 

You might be a good candidate for a chemical peel after your scar has healed for a while. A chemical peel works like a laser treatment in that it targets the top few layers of your skin and makes them peel off. Once your skin has peeled off, it will start to grow back and make new skin, which will help get rid of the scars. Most of the time, a patient will need more than one chemical peel before they see real results.

 

A steroid injection may be used for scars that stick out. This could be used along with other types of treatment.

 

Advanced Techniques for Scar Treatment

 

When a victim of a dog attack has extensive scarring, more advanced treatment techniques may be recommended to lessen the degree of disfigurement. For instance:

 

With dermabrasion or laser resurfacing, rough or raised scars can be made less noticeable by making the surface smoother.

 

Keloid or hypertrophic scars can be removed surgically or treated with injections of medicines that shrink the scar. The surgery will leave a new scar, but it will be less noticeable than before.

 

Scar revision surgery can be done to make the scar less noticeable by remaking the cut and moving the skin around.

 

Even though the above procedures are meant to make scars look better from a cosmetic standpoint, some dog bite victims with injuries to their limbs will need a separate surgery to fix scar tissue that limits their range of motion.

 

It should be clear that these procedures might make the person look better on the outside, but the emotional scars from the attack might never go away. 

 

A person who was bitten by a dog may need help from mental health professionals to deal with the trauma, fear of dogs, desire to hide the scar from the public, or other emotional problems caused by the trauma. Pharmaceuticals (drugs) may be needed to treat anxiety, trouble sleeping, or pain that hasn’t gone away.

 

Early Treatment Reduces Dog Bite Scarring

 

Getting medical help right away after a dog bite is very important if you don’t want to be disfigured. If a bite gets infected, it will take longer to heal and leave a bigger scar than if it was treated right from the start. Your chance of getting a scar goes up if your doctor can clean and fix the wound and then give you antibiotics to stop an infection. Remember that taking the medicine given to you is an important part of getting better.

 

There are creams and other products that are made to help reduce scarring by being applied regularly to the scar or the area around it. Some silicone products have been shown to reduce scarring and help fade scars if they are used the right way.

 

Some people’s scars can become darker or lighter than the rest of their skin when they are exposed to the sun’s UV rays. If your scar is in a place that gets a lot of sun, use your scar cream as directed, then put on a good sunscreen and try to keep the area out of direct sunlight as much as possible.

 

If a dog bite hurts your arms or legs badly, a doctor may suggest that you wear a pressure garment. These help stop hypertrophic scar tissue from getting bigger and keep the skin smoother. You might need to wear these kinds of clothes for a year while the scar heals.

 

Dog Bite Scars and Mental Health

 

Many internal injuries heal over time, but the scars left by a dog bite will always be a reminder of how bad the attack was. California law for example says that people who get dog bites can ask for money to cover not only their medical bills but also their mental and psychological damages from being disfigured and the trauma of the attack.

 

Almost all dog bites will leave some mark that reminds the person of what happened. When these wounds heal, they leave scars that are usually oddly shaped with jagged edges, of different depths, and of different colors. This makes dog bite scars much more noticeable than other scars. Face bite scars are the most noticeable and scary ones. Facial attacks are most often seen in children.

 

On average, it takes about a year from the date of the injury for the wound to heal and a scar to form. During this time, the person who got hurt will often feel very frustrated as the wound site changes. Victims often feel frustrated when they try to get back to a “normal” life but are constantly reminded of the bad things that happened to them. Once that year is up, the scar will usually be there for good, with only minor changes after that. The person must then accept that the scar from the dog bite will always be there.

 

Some of the mental effects of dog bite scars are depression, low self-esteem, a bad body image, and anxiety. Children worry about being teased or bullied by their peers because they are injured, while adults worry about how their appearance might affect their careers or ruin a romantic relationship.

 

There are some ways to get help that can make the scars look less bad in public. A victim might think about using special makeup or kits that help change the color of scars. These products can help you feel more confident in public for a short time, but they are not a long-term solution. Once the victim gets home and takes off the makeup or disguise, she is left with scars that will remind her for the rest of her life that she has to hide from the world.

 

In some cases, you might be able to get plastic surgery. These surgeries can be expensive, and they don’t always work to fix the damage fully. Depending on what caused the scarring and how bad it is, any way to fix it must be weighed against the possible risks of surgery or other cosmetic fixes.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

Will I Receive Compensation as a Victim of a Dog Bite?

 

As a victim of a dog bite, you may have a legal claim against the pet owner whose failure to control his animal renders him liable for your inquiries. You may be eligible for compensation as a victim of a dog bite.

 

Victims of dog bites should be compensated for their accident-related medical expenses and the pain and suffering associated with their injuries. If the victim can identify both the dog that caused the injury and the dog’s owner, the victim may be able to seek damages from the dog’s owner. The majority of dog bite claims are reimbursed by the homeowner’s insurance policy of the dog’s owner if such coverage is included.

 

In 2015, dog bites accounted for more than one-third of all homeowner’s insurance claims, totaling over $570 million in compensation. Many insurance policies exclude coverage for dog bite claims, as they represent a significant source of expenditure for insurers. 

 

This leaves the homeowner or renter without insurance coverage to compensate for the dog bite victim’s damages. You are still entitled to compensation from the animal’s owner; however, if there is no insurance coverage, the matter will be considerably more difficult to resolve and you will have a much harder time obtaining enough recompense for your injuries.

 

Working with an experienced personal injury attorney is the best approach to safeguard your rights and ensure that your claim is processed in a thorough and timely manner, given the complexity of the laws regulating liability for dog attacks.

 

How Much Does a Dog Bite Settlement Cost on Average?

 

How much money are you likely to get from the dog’s owner if you agree to a settlement? On average, settlements for dog bites are worth between $30,000 and $50,000.

 

If the injuries you got from the attack were not too bad, you can expect to get a lower offer. If the dog owner wants to avoid going to court, he or she might offer you this kind of settlement. They might decide that paying around $30,000 is worth it if it means they can put this whole thing behind them.

 

If you say that the amount they are offering is not enough, they may take the offer off the table. When you and your personal injury lawyer are negotiating with the other party, you should think about this possibility.