Old scars

[Vertigo]

I have a 10cm scar where they put the metal work into my ankle after I broke it and then went in through the same scar a year later to remove it again. The removal was a little over a year ago now and I have to say the scar is still significantly tender. A firm run of the area is definitely on the sore side.

On @The Judge's beard side of things, many years ago now I was knocked off my bicycle by a car and had a bout a dozen stitches in my face. Some on my eyebrow but most on my upper lip which was quite badly torn. Ever since then I have had either a beard or moustache. Not for cosmetic reasons but because shaving that upper lip was extremely difficult (easier now many years later but old habits now rule!).

An interesting side note on the cosmetic side that is also relevant to @The Judge's comments about gender. When I took on a solicitor to get some compensation, one of his first questions was "Are you married?" When I replied not his response was "Excellent that'll increase the pay out, shame you're not a woman that would get even more!"

 

[Cathbad]

Scars I got as a kid... have moved!

 

[L D Warne]

On the flip side, you could have this pain or stiffness be a source of strength / comfort for the character depending on the situation.

In a guilt scenario, the character could willingly stretch their face to cause pain (like picking at a scab).
In a triumphant scenario, the character could refuse to acknowledge it (nothing's going to be bring me down today).

 

[night_wrtr]

Scars I got as a kid... have moved!

Mine too. I had two scars near my eyebrows when I fell and hit a coffee table when I was about two or three. (Don't jump on the couch kids.) They have both traveled about 2 inches toward my temples.

 

[Ragandar]

Mine too. I had two scars near my eyebrows when I fell and hit a coffee table when I was about two or three. (Don't jump on the couch kids.) They have both traveled about 2 inches toward my temples.

Huh, I always thought I was the only one. People always look at me funny when I tell them my scar has travelled down my chest over the years. (Playing tag in the pool with someone with particularly long nails. Now there's a thing you don't expect to leave you with a scar!)

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I have various scars after surgery (so, properly and expertly sewn up at the time). The biggest are the one at the base of my throat and one on the underside of my forearm where they had to put in a metal plate. The one on my throat just looks like a crease unless you look at it closely; but for years the scar tissue around it pulled, which is a scary feeling to have near one's breathing apparatus. Eventually, though, the pulling stopped.

The one on my arm, which is raised and still shows up a brilliant white and probably always will, everything felt back to normal after about a year. This much more visible scar gave me far less trouble than the other.

So I think the answer is that it depends on a lot of different factors, and what you need to do is ask a doctor and explain how deep the scarring is on your character and all the other details and get an expert opinion.

 

[Dan Jones]

I have a couple of small scars - one on my left arm from a footballing injury, but more pertinently one on my lower lip (or just under - see below) from when I fell off of a van. Sometimes in the cold it feels a bit more, I'm not sure how to describe it – Kipling might say nubbly I suppose – and can go a slightly pinkish. In any case, it's presently covered by a luscious, beardy beard.

Luckily it's just below the lipline, as the lips themselves are strong psychological, evolutionary focal points for the human gaze. If the lips themselves are scarred, it can invoke feelings of revulsion (or pity, or other feelings). So this also might be pertinent for your character, especially if the scars are brighter in the cold weather, for example.