A. Bell's Palsy is the most common form of facial paralysis, affecting 1 in 60 to 1 in 70 people in a lifetime. We aren't really sure why it happens, but basically, it's a paralysis of the 7th cranial nerve, which innervates, amongst other things, the muscles of the face, so you end up with a " droopy " face. Usually it's one-sided, comes on quite abruptly, and is at it's peak about 48hrs after it begins. People may also experience loss of taste, pain behind the ear of the affected side (often 1-2 days before the paralysis), and heightened hearing.
The good news is that about 80% of cases recover within a few weeks to months. Treatment is mostly aimed at protecting the eye from drying at night time (you can't shut it properly), and some people say massage. Doctors will also try some steroid pills if they make the diagnosis within 5 days of it beginning.
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