Bell's Palsy: When One Side of Your Face Stops Moving

When Your Face Droops Without Warning

Bell's palsy is sudden-onset weakness or paralysis affecting one side of the face, caused by inflammation of the facial nerve. It happens without warning — people wake up unable to close one eye, smile properly, or move one side of their face. In Lagos, it's frequently mistaken for stroke, causing significant panic.

Bell's Palsy vs Stroke: How to Tell the Difference

• Bell's palsy: affects the entire half of the face including the forehead — the person cannot raise their eyebrow on the affected side
• Stroke: upper face is spared (forehead can still wrinkle on both sides). Any limb weakness, speech difficulty, or visual changes = stroke → emergency

Causes

The most common cause is reactivation of the herpes simplex virus (HSV) in the facial nerve — which is why antiviral medication (aciclovir) combined with corticosteroids (prednisolone) given within 72 hours significantly improves outcomes.

Supporting Nerve Recovery

With appropriate treatment, 70–85% of people fully recover within 3–6 months. Functional medicine accelerates recovery through: B12 and B complex (essential for myelin repair and nerve conduction), alpha-lipoic acid (antioxidant that supports peripheral nerve healing), vitamin D (immune modulator reducing viral reactivation risk), and eye protection if unable to close the eye. FXMed's Functional Health Analysis can assess your B vitamin levels and immune profile to optimise recovery.