The facial nerve, which is cranial nerve VII, controls facial expression with 7 thousand individual nerve fibers to the facial muscles. Many disorders, conditions and diseases can interrupt the function of the nerve fibers and cause numbness in the face. Some conditions are easily treated, while other conditions are permanent or life-threatening.
Bell's Palsy
Bell's palsy is a sudden weakness and paralysis on one side of the face that affects about 40 thousand Americans each year, according to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Conditions that can cause damage to the facial nerve resulting in Bell's palsy include a herpes virus, Lyme disease, tumors, head or facial injuries, autoimmune disease and strokes.
Bell's palsy symptoms include facial numbness and weakness, drooling, drooping of one corner of the mouth, inability to close an eye, earache, slurred speech, slight fever, impaired taste and decreased tearing. Treatment of Bell's palsy, if needed, includes protecting the eye from drying, medication to reduce swelling and pain and therapy to deal with any emotional issues that arise.
Stroke
The arteries that supply the blood flow to all parts of the brain are the anterior cerebral, middle cerebral, vertebral, basilar and posterior cerebral arteries. A stroke is the sudden interruption of blood flow that causes neurologic deficit. Strokes are ischemic or hemorrhagic, with ischemic causing 80 percent of all strokes, reports The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library.
The initial symptoms of a stroke include numbness, weakness or paralysis of the face and limbs, loss of balance, headache and confusion. The part of the brain affected by the stroke determines the location and type of neurological deficit. Treatment for stroke includes airway support, if needed, and supportive care, such as physical and speech therapy, and medication or therapy to treat the depression that often occurs following a stroke.
Shingles
Herpes zoster is a viral infection that causes chickenpox in children and shingles in older adults. Shingles most often affects the face, forehead, chest, abdomen or neck, according to PDRhealth. The virus attacks the nerve endings and causes initial symptoms that include itching, intense pain and numbness of the area, fever and headache. Symptoms that can follow include a red, bumpy rash that blisters and fills with pus.
People most at risk for developing shingles include anyone over the age of 50 and people with a compromised immune system. Treatment of shingles is urgent when the outbreak is on the face and near the eyes. People with weak immune systems may require intravenous drugs. Other treatment options focus on comfort measures, such as cool, wet compresses and acetaminophen for pain.
