Bell’s palsy is a condition in which the muscles on one side of your face become weak or paralyzed. It affects only one side of the face at a time, causing it to droop or become stiff on that side.

It’s caused by some kind of trauma to the seventh cranial nerve. This is also called the “facial nerve.” Bell’s palsy can happen to anyone. But it seems to occur more often in people who have diabetes or are recovering from viral infections.

Most of the time, symptoms are only temporary.

If it happens to you, you may fear you’re having a stroke. You’re probably not. A stroke that affects your facial muscles would cause muscle weakness in other parts of your body, too.

Most doctors believe that it’s due to damage to the facial nerve, which causes swelling. This nerve passes through a narrow, bony area within the skull. When the nerve swells — even a little bit — it pushes against the skull’s hard surface. This affects how well the nerve works.

Researchers have long believed that viral infections may also play a role in the development of Bell’s palsy. They’ve found evidence that suggests the herpes simplex 1 virus (a common cause of cold sores) may be responsible for a large number of cases.

Symptoms:

The symptoms of Bell’s palsy tend to come on all of a sudden. You may go to bed one night feeling fine. But when you look in the mirror the next morning, you see that part of your face seems to be drooping.

Some people feel pain behind their ear 1-2 days before they notice any weakness. Others say that sounds seem much louder than normal in the days before they see any other symptoms.

• You’re unable to close your eyelid or blink
• Your eye waters more or less than usual
• Drooling
• Difficulty chewing
• Decreased sense of taste
• Your facial muscles twitch
• Pain or numbness behind your ear

Facial weakness and drooping typically reach their peak within a day or two. Most people start to feel better within a couple of weeks. They usually recover completely within 3 months. Some people who develop Bell’s palsy have a longer recovery period. In rare cases, they may have some permanent symptoms.

There aren’t any that can stop it. If your doctor suggests your symptoms might be triggered by the herpes virus (herpes simplex 1) or by shingles(herpes zoster), he may give you an antiviral medication, like acyclovir. But there’s no research to show these medications work to reduce Bell’s palsy symptoms.

Your doctor may also give you a short course of corticosteroids (like prednisone). The goal is to decrease swelling of your facial nerve. This may shorten the duration of your Bell’s palsy symptoms.

In the meantime, your doctor will tell you to take extra care to protect your eye on the affected side. He may suggest you wear an eye patch, since you won’t be able to blink. If your eyes are tearing less than normal, you may have to use eye drops to keep them from drying out.

Finally, your doctor may suggest massage of your facial muscles. In very rare cases — where symptoms don’t improve after some time — he may suggest surgery to reduce pressure on your facial nerve.