The father of a young boy who was embarrassed by his scars after open heart surgery has launched a viral campaign to show the boy that the scars “make him look like a superhero”.

When seven-year-old Carter Gentle removed the bandages after his fifth open-heart surgery, the young kid burst into tears because he was afraid people would think he was ugly.

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Dismayed, his parents tried to tell the young boy, who suffers from congenital heart disease (CHD), that his scars were nothing to be ashamed of.

“We told him that his scars are beautiful and make him look like a superhero,” Carter’s father Mark said on Facebook.

Mr Gentle then posted a picture of the brave young boy on Facebook to prove to his son he is not only beautiful, but he should wear his scars with pride.

Mr Gentle’s Facebook post has gone viral. Photo: Facebook

After only four days the picture had already been liked more than 1.3 million times and shared by nearly 100,000 people.

But the real beauty is in the 70,000 comments, where people are sharing pictures and their own ‘scar stories’.

There are also plenty of reminders that “chicks dig scars”.

“My daughter has a lot of the same scars. They are warriors and should be proud of the battle they’ve overcome,” one Facebook user wrote.

“Carter, I had seven open heart surgeries before I got a heart transplant almost four years ago. People always ask me about my scars and I tell them that each one is a mark of how lucky I am to be here and that each day is a gift to enjoy to the fullest,” another heart patient shared.

“Carter you are a superhero don’t let anyone tell you that you are not one. Chin up,” another woman said.