Treatment

If someone presents with facial paralysis, it’s important that they get to the clinician right away. There are certain early treatments that are possible in those instances to correct the problem. If someone has missed that opportunity, then problems can arise in terms of protecting the, for instance, with the inability to close the eyes. So drying of the eyes is a very big problem. If someone does not get to a clinician in time, you can miss a potentially more life threatening problem, such as a stroke or a brain tumor. When a patient experiences facial paralysis, it’s important to get in to the specialist right away. The reason for that is that there are some interventions that can be done early to correct the problem or sometimes late. So, for example, in the setting of Bell’s Palsy, much of the early treatment involves administering oral steroids and antiviral medications to overcome, the inflammatory source of the problem.