Facial Paresthesia

Facial paralysis is a loss of facial movement due to nerve damage. Your facial muscles may appear to droop or become weak. It can happen on one or both sides of the face. Common causes of facial paralysis include:

• infection or inflammation of the facial nerve
• head trauma
• head or neck tumor
• stroke

Facial paralysis can come on suddenly (in the case of Bell’s palsy, for example) or happen gradually over a period of months (in the case of a head or neck tumor). Depending on the cause, the paralysis might last for a short or extended period of time.

While facial paralysis is often alarming, it does not always mean that you are having a stroke. The most common diagnosis is in fact Bell’s palsy. Symptoms of Bell’s palsy can include a combination of:

• facial paralysis on one side (rarely are both sides of the face affected)
• loss of blinking control on the affected side
• decreased tearing
• drooping of the mouth to the affected side
• altered sense of taste
• slurred speech
• drooling
• pain in or behind the ear
• sound hypersensitivity on the affected side
• difficulty eating or drinking