Developing an Image Processing-Based Method to Objectively Decide the Conspicuousness of Permanent Facial Scar

Permanent facial scars cause serious trauma because the person has to live with a scar which s/he cannot easily hide. Conspicuous scar tissue will have a negative impact on psychology depending on how much importance they give to their appearance. Because of this reason, it is evaluated as an aggravated form of punishment in Turkish Criminal Law. In this study, image processing software was used for the quantitative analysis of facial scars. The scar photographs were taken, and the relative colour difference of the scar region was measured concerning the nearby healthy area. The scar’s physical properties, such as the length and the surface area, were measured by processing the photographs in software. An evaluation of 100 cases showed that the relative color difference rate of 15% is critical for deciding the conspicuousness of permanent facial scar. Above this rate, the facial scar is visible by the naked eye without affecting any factors such as the physicians’ visual acuity, attention, and experience. Otherwise, the scar’s length and the surface area must also be evaluated for a correct decision about the conspicuousness of a permanent facial scar.