5 Things You Need to Know About Facial Paralysis

1. Doesn't Always Mean Stroke

Most adults who experience facial paralysis automatically think stroke. Although stroke does cause facial paralysis in most patients it's not the only source. Many other less serious conditions cause temporary facial paralysis. In some cases the symptoms diminish and completely disappear over time with no visible signs or facial changes. Many conditions causing facial stroke are not life threatening and need little to no treatment.

2. Goes Away With Time

Bell's palsy is one of the number one conditions causing facial paralysis. Bell's palsy results from the herpes simplex virus. Bell's palsy comes on suddenly with few symptoms. Sometimes it starts as a cold, sensitivity to loud noises or pain around the ear. A person is at risk for Bell's palsy if they've ever had an initial herpes simplex virus infection. A cold sore is a more common indicator of the virus. People with a history of the virus may have flare ups in the nerve endings resulting in Bell's palsy. Most patients begin spontaneous recovery in just a few weeks and need no treatment. Doctors occasionally treat Bell's palsy with steroids and in rare cases, surgery.

3. Blame it on the Chicken Pox

A condition known as Ramsey-Hunt Syndrome causes facial paralysis in adults known to have had chicken pox. The nerves hang on to some of the viral particles of chicken pox. These particles stay dormant for most people, but some times they flare up resulting in facial paralysis, a rash around the ear, hearing loss and loss of balance. The virus activates when the viral particles wake up, sometimes through the common cold or high levels of stress. The treatment for Ramsey-Hunt is similar to Bell's palsy, and often the symptoms just go away over time. Doctors typically do not use steroids to treat Ramsey-Hunt, and some of the side effects, like hearing loss or ringing in the ears, do not improve.

4. Pay Attention to Frequent Headaches

People who experience progressively painful headaches and then facial paralysis may have a tumor. Several types of tumors cause facial paralysis, but unlike Bell's palsy and Ramsey-Hunt, the symptoms come on gradually and worsen over time. Parotid tumors that put pressure on facial nerves are malignant. A variety of other benign tumors also cause facial paralysis as a secondary symptom. Tumors directly associated with the actual facial nerves are rare.

5. Injury From Surgery

Facial paralysis often results form nerve injury during surgery. When patients have surgery to remove a benign tumor, many of the nerves are at risk of damage. Facial nerves associated with the position of the tumor experience extreme trauma or become severed. This type of facial paralysis heals over time depending on the severity of the injury or trauma. In some cases further surgery can repair damage to the nerves.