“Facial paralysis” is more common in winter, so it’s important to keep your face warm from the cold
Recently, the temperature has dropped, and many hospitals have treated many patients with facial paralysis symptoms such as face asymmetry, crooked mouths, unable to close their eyes, leakage while brushing teeth, etc. due to the cold wind. Han Yuechen, Director of the Lateral Skull Base Surgery Department of the Second People’s Hospital of Shandong Province (Shandong Provincial Otolaryngology Hospital), reminded that winter is the peak season for “facial paralysis”. Pay attention to keeping warm and cold, and keep your face windproof. After facial paralysis occurs, you must pay more attention to symptomatic treatment. Standardize treatment for the cause.
Han Yuechen introduced that facial paralysis is a common neurological disease, also known as facial nerve paralysis. It is generally divided into two types, one is central facial paralysis and the other is peripheral facial paralysis. Compared with central facial paralysis, peripheral facial paralysis is more common, and patients often have facial movements of the entire affected side affected, such as the corners of the mouth being skewed and the white of the eyes exposed when closed.
The disappearance of forehead lines, the inability to frown, and the inability to close the eyes are the main basis for distinguishing peripheral facial paralysis from central facial paralysis.
“There are many causes of facial paralysis. If the cold wind blows directly for a long time, the face will be stimulated by excessive cold and cause vasospasm, which will lead to muscle ischemia and hypoxia, decreased resistance, and secondary herpes virus infection, thus causing facial paralysis.” Han Yuechen Said that this kind of facial paralysis is also called Bell’s facial palsy and accounts for about half of all cases of facial paralysis.
Although facial paralysis is not life-threatening, it may cause sequelae. Han Yuechen suggested that if symptoms of facial paralysis occur, you must seek medical treatment promptly within three days to achieve early detection and early treatment.
“If it is confirmed to be peripheral facial paralysis, the main purpose of treatment is to restore facial nerve function as much as possible, and the treatment methods include medical treatment and surgical treatment.” Han Yuechen said that for Bell’s facial paralysis in the early stage of onset, it is recommended to treat it with drugs first, which is the most effective. The most effective are hormonal drugs, which are recommended to be treated within three days of onset and within a week at the latest. Whether facial paralysis can be recovered and to what extent it can be recovered is usually related to the severity of the patient’s disease and whether treatment can be standardized.
According to reports, patients often have traces of facial paralysis before the onset of facial paralysis. Once one side of the face has sluggish movements, a skewed mouth, closed eyes, and difficulty in blowing air through the mouth, food residues tend to stay in the tooth-cheek space on one side when eating, or there may be drool leakage from one corner of the mouth, numbness behind the ear, or pain around the ear. If you have any symptoms, you must seek medical treatment promptly for a comprehensive examination and diagnosis.
Facial nerve function evaluation can help determine the severity of the patient’s facial paralysis. After the occurrence of neuropathy, demyelination changes will occur, but there is a certain time window, so the corresponding examination is best performed within three days to three weeks after the occurrence of facial paralysis. In addition, imaging examinations, laboratory examinations, etc. also play an important role in the diagnosis and targeted treatment of facial paralysis.
How to prevent facial paralysis in the cold winter? Han Yuechen suggested that when cold air or cold current strikes, you must pay attention to keeping warm when going out, and protect your head and face. Especially when riding bicycles or electric vehicles, be sure to wear a warm hat, scarf, or helmet to prevent cold wind from blowing directly on your face. Secondly, you should not go out when you are sweating. After washing your hair, blow dry it quickly and stay indoors for a while before going out. In addition, it is necessary to maintain adequate sleep and appropriate exercise, avoid staying up late, and enhance the body’s immunity. Finally, pay attention to your diet and avoid excessive alcohol consumption and the intake of spicy foods and other irritating foods.
