About 2 in 10 people experience long-term problems resulting from Bell’s palsy, which may include any of the following:
- A contracture - where your facial muscles are permanently tense, which can lead to facial disfigurement such as the eye becoming smaller, the cheek becoming more bulky or the line between the nose and the mouth becoming deeper.
- Loss or reduced sense of taste - this can happen if any damaged nerves do not repair properly.
- Speech problems - this can occur as a result of damage to the facial muscles.
- Eye-mouth synkinesias - this happens as a result of the nerve in your face growing back in a different way. It is possible to have a winking eye when eating, laughing or smiling. Sometimes it can become so severe that the eye can close completely during meals.
- Eye drying and corneal ulceration - corneal ulceration can occur when the eyelid fails to close completely and the protective tear film becomes less effective. It can also occur as a result of reduced tear production, which can lead to infection and cause blindness.
Long-term complications of Bell’s palsy are more likely to happen if:
- you have been affected by a complete palsy - no movement at all (paralysis) on one side of your face
- you are over 60 years of age
- you had severe pain when you first experienced symptoms
- you have high blood pressure
- you have diabetes
- you are pregnant
- your facial nerve is badly damaged
- you have not started to recover after six weeks
Ramsay Hunt syndrome
If you have Bell’s palsy that was caused by the varicella-zoster virus, there is a slim possibility that you could develop a more serious condition called Ramsay Hunt syndrome. However, the condition is rare, with less than 2 in 100 people with Bell’s palsy being affected.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome can cause blisters to appear on your tongue and the inside of your ears. It can usually be treated with steroids and antiviral medication.
