Removing a scar from a photo means blending a scar into the surrounding skin so it no longer stands out, using the texture and tone of the skin around it. In this example, a man in a charcoal suit and black bow tie, with a gold medal around his neck, was photographed by a colleague on his phone at a local trade association's awards dinner, just after he was handed his award. He has an old pale raised scar about three centimeters long on his forehead above one eyebrow. He wanted this keepsake for the family album and to send to his parents, and asked for the scar to be removed from this photo. Whether a scar stays or goes is always the client's decision, and many people choose to keep theirs.
What changed in this photo, and what stayed the same?
- Removed: the pale, raised scar on his forehead above the left eyebrow.
- Kept: the skin around the spot, his eyebrow and hairline, his beard, skin tone, smile and features, the suit, bow tie and medal, and the banquet hall behind him.
Remove the scar or just soften it?
- Remove, as in this example: the scar is replaced by matching skin. Suits a one-off photo where the person wants it gone.
- Soften: the scar stays but its color and shine are toned down, so it is less noticeable. Suits people who see their scar as part of them but do not want it to be the focus.
- Leave it: the rest of the photo can still be retouched while the scar stays exactly as it is. Just say so.
How does an editor remove a scar without leaving a blurry patch?
A scar differs from the skin around it in three ways: color, shine and surface. The editor matches all three, and where the scar sits near a beard or an eyebrow, also keeps that hair pattern unbroken, because a smooth patch next to textured skin is a giveaway. On this forehead the surrounding skin is rebuilt with its own fine texture, so the area is repainted rather than left untouched. Deep or wide scars change the shape of the face slightly, and that shape is kept unless you ask otherwise.
When is a scar harder to remove?
When it crosses a feature such as the lip, eyebrow or eyelid, when it is large and catches light from the side, or when the photo is small. In those cases softening often looks more natural than full removal, and the editor will say so before starting.
For temporary spots instead of scars, see remove blemishes from a photo. For other headshot fixes, see headshot retouching.
Private: recreated on our own images, not customer photos
The before/after shown here is recreated on images created or licensed for this site — never a real customer's photo. Your upload is seen only by the editor working on it, and the edit comes with free revisions within 14 days of delivery if anything needs adjusting.
