Symptoms

Different individuals may experience different symptoms, including:

• One side of the face muscle twitching, puckering the lips or forcefully closing eyes like hemifacial spasm
• Facial numbness or hearing loss are present
• The affected side of the face may lose the ability to show expressions, such as raising an eyebrow or frowning.
• One side of the face may droop, making it difficult to close the eye or smile on that side.
• The corner of the mouth may droop, causing drooling or difficulty with speech.
• Mild pain or discomfort around the jaw or behind the ear on the affected side is common.
• Sounds may seem louder than usual in one ear.
• The inability to close the eye can lead to dryness, or have dry eyes and no tears and reduced saliva production may cause a dry mouth.
• Some people may experience excessive tearing from the eye on the affected side.
• There may be a loss or alteration of taste, especially on the front two-thirds of the tongue.
• The weakness can make it challenging to keep food and liquids in the mouth while eating or drinking.