Patient's question:
I feel some pain in my face. Every time my friends greet me, I always smile back. But recently, for some reason, my face has started to hurt, and I can't smile anymore. Sometimes my face even twitches, and gradually, the pain disappears. My friends say I might have Bell's palsy. What are the symptoms of Bell's palsy?Doctor's answer:
The clinical manifestations of Bell's palsy are very special. Most patients often discover functional impairment on one side of the face and drooping mouth while washing and grooming in the morning. In patients with completely collapsed facial expression muscles, when teeth are exposed, forehead wrinkles disappear, eye fissures widen, nasolabial folds become flat, corners of the mouth curve, and the corners of the mouth droop toward the healthy side. On the affected side of the disease, wrinkles, frowning, closing the eyes, breathing, and murmuring cannot be controlled. When murmuring or whistling, air leaks due to the affected side's lip being unable to seal properly.