Facial Palsy is a weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles. While the majority of cases are idiopathic, named Bell’s Palsy, a wide variety of possible causes of facial palsy occur.
Bell’s palsy is a condition of exclusion and so all potential factors must first be removed before Bell’s palsy is diagnosed. Bell’s Palsy and its related clinical characteristics and treatment will be discussed in the majority of this report.
There are many symptoms of facial palsy and they vary from individual to individual. The symptoms will depend on the cause of your facial palsy, and some of the most common symptoms encountered are listed here.
There may be a sudden onset of the symptoms (appearing overnight) or may occur for two or three days. Alternatively, the symptoms (over weeks, or even months) will grow slowly over time. In either case, as further inquiries might be necessary, you should visit your GP as soon as possible. You must have a clear diagnosis of the cause so that the right care and advice is given to you.
While it is not clear the exact reason why Bell’s palsy happens, it is sometimes attributed to having a viral infection. Viruses that have been associated with the palsy of Bell include viruses that cause:
On its way to your face, the nerve which controls your facial muscles passes through a narrow corridor of bone. That nerve becomes inflamed and swollen in Bell’s palsy, usually related to a viral infection. The nerve affects tears, spit, taste, and a small bone in the center of your jaw, in addition to the facial muscles.
Recurring attacks involving Bell’s paralysis are rare. But there’s a family history of repeated attacks in some of these cases, indicating a potential hereditary predisposition to Bell’s palsy.
Normally, a mild case of Bell’s palsy disappears within a month. Recovery from a more serious condition that involves complete paralysis varies. Complications may involve:
There is no clear palsy test for Bell. By closing your eyes, lifting your brow, revealing your teeth, and frowning, among other gestures, your doctor will look at your face and ask you to move your facial muscles.
Other conditions can cause facial muscle weakness that mimics Bell’s palsy, such as stroke, infections, Lyme disease, and tumors. Your doctor can suggest other tests if the cause of your symptoms is not clear, including:
Electromyography (EMG): This test will confirm that nerve damage is present and determine its severity. In response to stimulation and the nature and velocity of the conduction of electrical impulses along a nerve, an EMG measures the electrical activity of a muscle.
Imaging scans: Occasionally, magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI) or computed tomography ( CT) may be required to rule out other possible sources of facial nerve pressure, such as a tumor or skull fracture.
Treatment:Most people with Bell’s palsy, with or without medication, recover entirely. There is no one-size-fits-all cure for Bell’s paralysis, but medication or physical therapy can be recommended by your doctor to help up your recovery. Rarely is surgery a choice for Bell’s paralysis?
Corticosteroids: Strong anti-inflammatory agents, such as prednisone. It can fit more easily inside the bony corridor that surrounds it if they can reduce the swelling of the facial nerve. Corticosteroids may work best if they begin within a few days after your symptoms have started.
Antiviral drugs: The role of antivirals continues to remain unsettled. In contrast with placebo, antivirals alone showed little benefit. For certain people with Bell’s palsy, antivirals applied to steroids are potentially helpful, although this is still unproven.
However, despite this, in people with serious facial paralysis, valacyclovir (Valtrex) or acyclovir (Zovirax) is often administered in conjunction with prednisone.
Physical therapy: Paralyzed muscles, causing permanent contractures, will shrink and shorten. To help avoid this from happening, a physical therapist will show you how to massage and exercise your facial muscles.
Botulinum toxin: Botulinum toxin is a protein produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium that prevents acetylcholine from being released. The substance responsible for transmitting electrical impulses that cause the facial muscles to contract is acetylcholine.
Following facial palsy, overactivity of certain facial muscles can occur. In areas of the face (the medical term is synkinesis), this may lead to involuntary movements. For instance, when chewing or involuntary facial twitching may occur, the eye can close.
Botulinum toxin injection into the infected region temporarily paralyzes (weakens) the underlying muscles, thus relieving symptoms. Injection to the normal side is often used when the normal (unaffected) side of the face is overactive, to enhance symmetry.
Your first botulinum toxin treatment should be carried out by a consultant specialized in the treatment of facial paralysis. Either the contractor or the registrar may carry out subsequent treatments. A facial palsy rehabilitation therapist who will have completed specialist training will provide follow-up care in specialist centers.
Surgery: In the past, by opening the bony passage that the nerve passes through, decompression surgery was used to relieve some of the pressure on the facial nerve. Today, we do not recommend decompression surgery. Possible complications associated with this surgery are facial nerve damage and irreversible hearing loss.
To fix long-lasting facial nerve problems, plastic surgery can rarely be required. Facial recovery tends to make the face look evener and can restore the movement of the face. Eyebrow lifting, eyelid lifting, facial implants, and nerve grafts are examples of this type of surgery. Some procedures may need to be replicated after several years, such as an eyebrow raise.
For your Facial Palsy treatment in Jaipur, if you are looking for the best cosmetic surgeon, then you need to contact Cosmo-Hair Jaipur. Dr. Buddhi Prakash Sharma, a specialist, and well-experienced cosmetic surgeon in Jaipur. The major purpose of visiting Cosmo-Hair Jaipur is that they have an expert surgeon and very supportive and friendly nature staff who look after each patient as well as after the recovery. Cosm-Hair Jaipur has always maintained that the greatest-sterilized equipment is used without risk and that good hygiene is maintained in its environment.
Facial palsy is generally seen and requires prompt diagnosis and evaluation. Despite the favorable outcome of most patients, primary care physicians are called upon to understand the need for accurate diagnosis and the value of early treatment, particularly if the diagnosis is something other than Bell’s paralysis. To recognize those at risk of permanent paralysis and to take steps to prevent this, more research is needed.
