Facial Nerve Centers and New Treatment Options Can Make a Difference for Patients with Facial Paralysis

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Best Practices for Facial Paralysis

Irene A. Kim, MD, a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, an assistant professor in the department of head and neck surgery, and director of the Facial Nerve Center in the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, suggested these best practices when treating patients with facial paralysis:

Early intervention. Depending on the etiology of the problem, it’s never too early to do a thorough assessment of the patient presenting with facial paralysis. Remember that Bell’s palsy is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that other conditions such as strokes and malignancies should be ruled out first. Always have a plan and good follow-up for them so they don’t get lost in the system.

Prioritize eye health. It’s important for the patient to follow up with an ophthalmologist and maintain rigorous eye hygiene and lubrication. An eyelid weight can help close the eyelid using gravity.

Keep visual records (photographs and videos) to document progress. Improvement may be clearer to identify if you visually record your patients at each visit and compare them to previous visits. This can be beneficial from multiple perspectives and can sometimes provide patients with a sense of hope. If there is less meaningful movement seen on subsequent visits, this can be the push to surgically intervene more promptly.