A symptom such as a skewed face is not uncommon in medical practice. This is not just a cosmetic defect, various neurological diseases can be hidden behind this symptom. They can be either frivolous, not requiring specific treatment, or severe, requiring immediate consultation with a specialist. Letβs see why the face can be skewed, and what to do when it happened. After all, everyone can face this problem.
Skewed face: reasons
Basically, various neurological diseases lurk behind a change in the facial muscles. Below are the main reasons:
- facial paralysis;
- blepharospasm;
- acute cerebrovascular accident - stroke.
The most dangerous condition of the above is a stroke. It requires immediate medical attention and hospitalization, since the rapid start of treatment increases the chances of a successful rehabilitation.
Above is a photo with the warped face of a woman who suffered from a stroke.
Facial Paralysis: Causes
Being one of the conditions that can lead to the fact that the face is skewed, it requires appropriate treatment to restore the previous shape of the face. Paralysis is the inability to move any part of the body, in this case, the muscles of the face. A number of pathological conditions can lead to this:
- infectious diseases (chickenpox, herpes, rubella), which lead to inflammation of the facial nerve - neuritis;
- inflammation of the middle ear - otitis media;
- head injuries;
- inflammation of the meninges - meningitis;
- brain tumors.
Fortunately, all the serious causes listed above (brain injuries, tumors, meningitis) are rare. But in most cases, the cause of the paralysis cannot be determined, and then the doctors diagnose Bell's idiopathic paralysis. This condition is the most common cause when a child has a distorted face.
Facial Paralysis: Symptoms
It is characteristic for the defeat of the facial nerve that the face is skewed on only one side, and asymmetry of the entire face is observed. This means that the patient, as the lower one is affected (the corner of the mouth is omitted, he canβt bare his teeth, his tongue deviates in one direction), so is the upper part of the face (one eye is closed or the eyelid is closed).
When diagnosing this pathology, the doctor can resort to such additional examination methods:
- electromyography - the study of facial muscles by recording signals that come from them;
- magnetic resonance imaging - visualization of the brain using a tomograph, which will help to exclude brain damage (tumor, trauma, stroke).
Facial Paralysis: Treatment
What to do if the face is distorted with paralysis of the facial nerve? There are a number of drug and non-drug methods of treatment that will help restore the previous look and function of the facial muscles:
- corticosteroids - relieve inflammation of the facial nerve;
- antiviral or antibacterial agents, if the presence of an infectious process is confirmed;
- surgery for a diagnosed brain tumor;
- massage;
- a set of exercises for the muscles of the face;
- physiotherapy;
- moisturizing drops for the eye on the affected side, ointments with antibiotics to prevent infection.
Blepharospasm: causes and symptoms
Another condition in which the face can skew is blepharospasm - an involuntary contraction of the circular muscle of the eye surrounding it.
Main reasons:
- Facial paraspasm is a disease that is characteristic mainly for people of advanced age. Its exact cause is unclear, but it is believed that the paraspasm appears due to an imbalance of the nervous system.
- Parkinson's disease.
- Meningitis.
- Multiple sclerosis.
- Inflammation of the eyes (keratitis, conjunctivitis).
- Sinusitis - inflammation of the sinuses.
With blepharospasm, asymmetry of only the upper part of the face is characteristic: the palpebral fissure gradually narrows, sometimes the eye can suddenly close its eyes. This brings a lot of inconvenience to the patient.
Blepharospasm: treatment
If the face is skewed with blepharospasm, it is worth turning to the following therapeutic methods:
- treatment of the underlying disease that caused spasm of the circular muscle of the eye;
- physiotherapy;
- nootropics - drugs that increase the delivery of oxygen to the brain and improve its function;
- with severe symptoms and ineffectiveness of other methods of treatment, prescription of botulinum therapy is possible, which effectively relieves muscle spasm.
Stroke: Reasons
One of the most dangerous causes of facial asymmetry and facial expressions is a disturbance in the blood circulation of the brain, as a result of which stroke often develops. Depending on the cause that caused it, it can be ischemic (when a cerebral vessel is blocked with a thrombus or embolus), as well as hemorrhagic (when a thinned wall of the brain vessel ruptures).
The main conditions that increase the risk of stroke are:
- cerebral atherosclerosis is one of the main causes of ischemic stroke;
- arterial hypertension - increases the risk of hemorrhagic stroke;
- cerebral vessel aneurysm - bag-shaped protrusion and thinning of the wall of the brain vessel, as a frequent consequence of prolonged arterial hypertension;
- chronic cerebrovascular accident;
- obesity and low physical activity.
Stroke: Symptoms
If the face is distorted during a stroke, you should immediately consult a doctor, since time plays a very big role here. Therefore, you need to know the following signs that will help to suspect the development of a stroke:
- In the vast majority of cases, asymmetry of only the lower half of the face is characteristic, which is manifested by a lowered corner of the mouth, smoothness of the nasolabial folds, deviation of the tongue in one direction, inability to show teeth or stick out the tongue completely.
- Paralysis (complete immobilization) or paresis (weakness) of the limb, with a unilateral lesion of the arm and / or leg. It is difficult for the patient to raise his hand or he cannot stand up; with paresis of the leg, walking is possible, but is difficult.
- Speech impairment, and the patient may be damaged, both the center of speech understanding located in the frontal lobe of the brain and the pronunciation center located in the temporal lobe. In the first case, the patient pronounces words and sentences absolutely normally, but they absolutely do not understand the meaning of what they say to him. In the second case, he understands everything, but either is completely unable to say anything, or he says separate incoherent words.
If you have noticed any of these symptoms in yourself or your environment, do not hesitate, immediately call an ambulance!
Stroke: treatment
Therapy of circulatory disorders should be started as early as possible, since an early start increases the likelihood of successful restoration of muscle function, including facial. Therapy depends on the type and cause of the stroke.
With cerebral ischemia, drugs are prescribed that resolve the thrombus and restore normal circulation (acetylsalicylic acid, thrombolytic therapy).
In hemorrhagic stroke, it is necessary to stop bleeding in the brain tissue, which is achieved using antifibrinolytic therapy (alpha-aminocaproic acid).
However, not only drug therapy plays a role. With a satisfactory condition of the patient, physiotherapy exercises and massage should be started as early as possible to restore muscle function.