Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesTreatmentDiagnosisWhen to See a Healthcare ProviderFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms

Causes

Treatment

Diagnosis

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Frequently Asked Questions

Facial nerve paralysis is impaired function of the facial nerve. It causes weakness on one side of the face.Bell’s palsyis the most common cause of isolated facial nerve paralysis when there aren’t other symptoms.

Facial weakness can also be one of the symptoms of other conditions, such as Ramsay Hunt syndrome (a complication of shingles), stroke (a blockage of blood flow or bleeding in the brain), facial trauma, dental infections, or meningitis (inflammation of the meninges that protect the brain).

This article will discuss facial nerve paralysis, potential causes, diagnostic tests, and potential treatments.

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Woman getting a neurological examination

Symptoms of Facial Nerve Paralysis

When facial nerve paralysis occurs due to Bell’s palsy, it causes trouble moving the face, a droopy appearance on one side of the face and mouth, and a droopy eyelid that won’t fully close.

Depending on the cause, other symptoms can be present with facial nerve paralysis too, such as:

Facial nerve paralysis is never something to be ignored. If you or someone else develops this problem, it’s crucial to get medical attention right away.

Types of Facial Nerve Paralysis

Causes of Facial Nerve Paralysis

There are several medical conditions that can cause facial nerve paralysis.

Causes of peripheral facial nerve paralysis include:

Causes of central facial nerve paralysis:

What Is Facial Nerve Palsy?

How Facial Nerve Paralysis Happens

The facial nerves exit from the brain stem on each side and divide into branches that control different muscles throughout the face. The forehead muscles receive motor control from both sides of the brain, which is why the forehead can still move when a condition affecting the brain causes facial nerve paralysis.

When the nerve is damaged, the corresponding side of the face becomes weak. Sometimes only one branch of the facial nerve is injured, which can lead to weakness in just a small area of the face.

Facial Nerve: Function and Associated Conditions

How to Treat Facial Nerve Paralysis

The treatments of facial nerve paralysis vary widely because the right therapy depends on the cause. This is one of the reasons that diagnosis of the underlying condition is so important.

Treatments include:

Treatment must be specific to the cause because any therapy for facial nerve paralysis will not be helpful unless it targets the underlying problem.

In addition to these specific interventions, physical therapy can speed recovery from facial nerve paralysis of any cause.

Sometimes recovery is complete, but often there is only partial recovery after facial nerve paralysis. Muscles can begin to atrophy (shrink) when they aren’t used. Rehabilitation can help you rebuild your facial muscle strength after facial nerve paralysis.

Are There Tests to Diagnose the Cause of Facial Nerve Paralysis?

The diagnosis of facial nerve paralysis is based on a medical examination. Your healthcare provider will discuss your symptoms and medical history. They will examine your facial movements and vision and do a comprehensive physical examination, which includes aneurological exam.

Depending on the findings, you might need additional testing.

For example, further tests can include:

Often, with facial nerve paralysis, tests are not needed or do not show anything abnormal. For example, Bell’s palsy, Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and migraine are not associated with abnormal diagnostic testing.

See a ProviderIf you develop facial weakness, with or without any other symptoms, it’s important that you see a healthcare provider.

See a Provider

If you develop facial weakness, with or without any other symptoms, it’s important that you see a healthcare provider.

Summary

Facial nerve paralysis occurs when there is weakness on one side of the face.Bell’s palsyis a common cause. It can also occur due to nerve damage from trauma, infection, cancer, stroke, inflammation of the brain, and migraine,

A Word From Verywell

After the acute phase of facial nerve paralysis, rehabilitation exercises are an important aspect of recovery.

Frequently Asked QuestionsIn general, facial nerve paralysis is an uneven appearance of the face. It looks like one side of the face is droopy, with a flattened nasolabial fold. This fold is the deep crease that runs diagonally at the side of the nose and above the cheek and mouth. The eyelid might appear almost closed, but it often won’t fully shut. Sometimes facial wrinkles look smoother on the affected side.Learn MoreLopsided FaceTwo different conditions that can have similar effects on facial appearance are:Bell’s palsy is an inflammatory weakness of the facial nerve that usually doesn’t have an identifiable cause, and it gets better on its own.A stroke is a serious problem that occurs when an area of the brain is damaged due to impaired blood flow. It can cause many symptoms, and facial weakness is one of the potential effects of a stroke.Learn MoreThe Difference Between Bell’s Palsy and Stroke

In general, facial nerve paralysis is an uneven appearance of the face. It looks like one side of the face is droopy, with a flattened nasolabial fold. This fold is the deep crease that runs diagonally at the side of the nose and above the cheek and mouth. The eyelid might appear almost closed, but it often won’t fully shut. Sometimes facial wrinkles look smoother on the affected side.Learn MoreLopsided Face

In general, facial nerve paralysis is an uneven appearance of the face. It looks like one side of the face is droopy, with a flattened nasolabial fold. This fold is the deep crease that runs diagonally at the side of the nose and above the cheek and mouth. The eyelid might appear almost closed, but it often won’t fully shut. Sometimes facial wrinkles look smoother on the affected side.

Learn MoreLopsided Face

Two different conditions that can have similar effects on facial appearance are:Bell’s palsy is an inflammatory weakness of the facial nerve that usually doesn’t have an identifiable cause, and it gets better on its own.A stroke is a serious problem that occurs when an area of the brain is damaged due to impaired blood flow. It can cause many symptoms, and facial weakness is one of the potential effects of a stroke.Learn MoreThe Difference Between Bell’s Palsy and Stroke

Two different conditions that can have similar effects on facial appearance are:Bell’s palsy is an inflammatory weakness of the facial nerve that usually doesn’t have an identifiable cause, and it gets better on its own.A stroke is a serious problem that occurs when an area of the brain is damaged due to impaired blood flow. It can cause many symptoms, and facial weakness is one of the potential effects of a stroke.

Two different conditions that can have similar effects on facial appearance are:

Learn MoreThe Difference Between Bell’s Palsy and Stroke

Justin Bieber Is Diagnosed With Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. Is It Curable?

7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Guntinas-Lichius O, Volk GF, Olsen KD, et al.Facial nerve electrodiagnostics for patients with facial palsy: a clinical practice guideline.Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2020;277(7):1855-1874. doi:10.1007/s00405-020-05949-1UT Southwestern Medical Center.Facial paralysis.Wamkpah NS, Jeanpierre L, Lieu JEC, Del Toro D, Simon LE, Chi JJ.Physical therapy for iatrogenic facial paralysis: A systematic review.JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;146(11):1065-1072. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2020.3049Thakar A, Gupta MP, Srivastava A, Agrawal D, Kumar A.Nonsurgical treatment for posttraumatic complete facial nerve paralysis.JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg.2018;144(4):315-321. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2017.3147Madhok VB, Gagyor I, Daly F, Somasundara D, Sullivan M, Gammie F, Sullivan F.Corticosteroids for Bell’s palsy (idiopathic facial paralysis).Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;7(7):CD001942. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001942.pub5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Bacterial meningitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treat and recover from a stroke.

7 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Guntinas-Lichius O, Volk GF, Olsen KD, et al.Facial nerve electrodiagnostics for patients with facial palsy: a clinical practice guideline.Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2020;277(7):1855-1874. doi:10.1007/s00405-020-05949-1UT Southwestern Medical Center.Facial paralysis.Wamkpah NS, Jeanpierre L, Lieu JEC, Del Toro D, Simon LE, Chi JJ.Physical therapy for iatrogenic facial paralysis: A systematic review.JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;146(11):1065-1072. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2020.3049Thakar A, Gupta MP, Srivastava A, Agrawal D, Kumar A.Nonsurgical treatment for posttraumatic complete facial nerve paralysis.JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg.2018;144(4):315-321. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2017.3147Madhok VB, Gagyor I, Daly F, Somasundara D, Sullivan M, Gammie F, Sullivan F.Corticosteroids for Bell’s palsy (idiopathic facial paralysis).Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;7(7):CD001942. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001942.pub5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Bacterial meningitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treat and recover from a stroke.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Guntinas-Lichius O, Volk GF, Olsen KD, et al.Facial nerve electrodiagnostics for patients with facial palsy: a clinical practice guideline.Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2020;277(7):1855-1874. doi:10.1007/s00405-020-05949-1UT Southwestern Medical Center.Facial paralysis.Wamkpah NS, Jeanpierre L, Lieu JEC, Del Toro D, Simon LE, Chi JJ.Physical therapy for iatrogenic facial paralysis: A systematic review.JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;146(11):1065-1072. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2020.3049Thakar A, Gupta MP, Srivastava A, Agrawal D, Kumar A.Nonsurgical treatment for posttraumatic complete facial nerve paralysis.JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg.2018;144(4):315-321. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2017.3147Madhok VB, Gagyor I, Daly F, Somasundara D, Sullivan M, Gammie F, Sullivan F.Corticosteroids for Bell’s palsy (idiopathic facial paralysis).Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;7(7):CD001942. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001942.pub5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Bacterial meningitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treat and recover from a stroke.

Guntinas-Lichius O, Volk GF, Olsen KD, et al.Facial nerve electrodiagnostics for patients with facial palsy: a clinical practice guideline.Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2020;277(7):1855-1874. doi:10.1007/s00405-020-05949-1

UT Southwestern Medical Center.Facial paralysis.

Wamkpah NS, Jeanpierre L, Lieu JEC, Del Toro D, Simon LE, Chi JJ.Physical therapy for iatrogenic facial paralysis: A systematic review.JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;146(11):1065-1072. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2020.3049

Thakar A, Gupta MP, Srivastava A, Agrawal D, Kumar A.Nonsurgical treatment for posttraumatic complete facial nerve paralysis.JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg.2018;144(4):315-321. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2017.3147

Madhok VB, Gagyor I, Daly F, Somasundara D, Sullivan M, Gammie F, Sullivan F.Corticosteroids for Bell’s palsy (idiopathic facial paralysis).Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;7(7):CD001942. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001942.pub5

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Bacterial meningitis.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treat and recover from a stroke.

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