What is facial paralysis and what can you do to treat it?

What is facial paralysis and what can you do to treat it? Find the answers here.

Facial paralysis is the condition where one loses their ability to control some or all of the muscles in the face. Not only can this affect one’s physical appearance but it can also make certain bodily functions more difficult. Those who experience this condition can find it difficult to speak, eat, close their eyes, mover their eyebrows, and express emotions.

In some cases, your facial features may look drooping as a result of this condition. In others, muscle weakness is the only manifestation of the paralysis. Facial paralysis is often very noticeable, so it can be quite easy to tell if someone is suffering from the condition.

What Causes Facial Paralysis?

There are tons of things that can cause facial paralysis. Some of the most common ones include:

Inflammation or infection of the facial nerve

The most common cause of facial paralysis is when the facial nerves get damaged. This can come in the form of swelling, infection, or a tumor pressing on to the facial nerves. As these things connect the brain to your muscles, any kind of damage can disrupt the communication between the two. This paralyzes your facial muscles as a result.

Bell’s Palsy is one of the diseases that causes facial paralysis by causing inflammation in your facial nerves. This condition can affect anyone, even healthy individuals.

Unfortunately, the cause of the disease hasn’t really been determined yet but many experts believe that it’s caused by an infection. Those with HIV, Lyme disease, diabetes, Sarcoidosis, and ear infections have increased risks of the condition, however.

Stroke

Stroke is considered as a serious cause of facial paralysis because it usually involves nerve damage in the brain. Depending on the type of stroke that occurred, the facial paralysis can be a result of lack of oxygen or bleeding in the brain cells.

Head trauma

Unfortunately, head traumas can also paralyze some or all of your facial muscles. Since this condition is caused by a wide array of events, it’s also one of the most common causes of facial paralysis. This is also a common culprit for facial paralysis in newborns as it is possible for them to experience head traumas during birth.

Signs and Symptoms

Fortunately, it’s quite easy to tell whether a person is experiencing facial paralysis. Here are a few of the most reliable signs and symptoms that should alert you if you or a loved one is afflicted with this condition:

• Changes in the asymmetry of one’s facial features.
• Inability to move the eyebrows, lips, or eyelids with ease.
• Sagging or drooping of facial muscles.
• Loss of facial coordination.
• Pain in one ear.

Sometimes, facial paralysis also comes with dizziness, headaches, and hypersensitivity to sounds. In severe cases, it might also come with blindness and seizures. On these instances, you should rush to see your doctor right away.

Can You Recover from Facial Paralysis?

It’s possible to recover from facial paralysis with the proper treatment. This, however, will depend on what caused the condition in the first place. So to get the best treatment, it’s essential to see your doctor first. Since ENT problem is quite different from case to case, it is suggested to consult an ENT Specialist for the appropriate ENT services.

Source:

HK ENT Specialist Ltd.

Hong Kong based ENT clinic centre

For ENT Services, Audiology & Speech Therapy,

Sleep Disordered Breathing Management,

Hearing Aid Prescription & Medical Cosmetic Services

https://www.hkentspecialist.hk