Distorted face: causes, possible diseases, treatment

Often you can meet people with an interesting facial expression: it is asymmetrical, as if distorted, emotionless, perhaps accompanied by small muscle twitches.
All these signs are united by a common name - facial neurosis. This condition can have a different nature of occurrence and is provoked by both objective reasons and factors of a psychogenic nature.

Unusual sensations

It happens that a person can feel phenomena in the face and head that are unusual for the usual state. They are called paresthesias and are manifested by the following symptoms:

• tingling;
• burning;
• "goosebumps"
• numbness;
• itching and rashes.

Often facial paresthesias have an organic basis and become a sign of the disease:

• neuritis, neuralgia of the cranial nerves;
• multiple sclerosis;
• stroke and other circulatory disorders in the brain;
• shingles;
• migraine;
• diabetes;
• epilepsy;
• hypertension.

In certain cases, unusual sensations are observed in certain parts of the face. For example, similar manifestations in the language may appear for the reasons listed above, but often have a different etiology. They are provoked by cancer of the tongue and larynx, as well as trauma by a splintered tooth or denture.

Dental procedures cause numbness and other unusual feelings, especially after tooth extraction. Another reason for their appearance may be an uncomfortable position during sleep or an unsuitable pillow. But the sensations caused by such phenomena usually pass soon.

Another group of provoking factors consists of psychogenic and neurogenic disorders.

Blepharospasm: causes and symptoms

Another condition that can cause the face to become distorted is blepharospasm, an involuntary contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle surrounding it.

Main reasons:

• Facial paraspasm is a disease characteristic mainly of older people. Its exact cause is unclear, but it is believed that paraspasm occurs due to an imbalance of parts of the nervous system.
• Parkinson's disease.
• Meningitis.
• Multiple sclerosis.
• Inflammation of the eyes (keratitis, conjunctivitis).
• Sinusitis is inflammation of the paranasal sinuses.

With blepharospasm, only the upper part of the face is characterized by asymmetry: the palpebral fissure gradually narrows, and sometimes the eye may suddenly close its eyes. This brings a lot of inconvenience to the patient.

Disorders of facial innervation

A neurotic face may develop due to damage to the nerves that innervate it. Most often these are the trigeminal and facial nerves.

The trigeminal nerve is the 5th pair of cranial nerves. It is the largest of all 12 pairs of these nerve fibers.

N. trigeminus arises symmetrically on both sides of the face and consists of 3 large branches: the ophthalmic, maxillary and mandibular nerves. These three large processes innervate a fairly large area:

• skin of the forehead and temples;
• mucous membrane of the oral and nasal cavities, sinuses;
• tongue, teeth, conjunctiva;
• muscles - chewing, floor of the mouth, palatine, tympanic membrane.

Accordingly, when it is damaged, pathological sensations arise in these elements.

Facial nerve – 7th pair of cranial nerves. Its branches surround the temporal and ocular region, the zygomatic arch, and descend to and behind the lower jaw. They innervate all facial muscles: auricular, orbicularis and zygomatic, chewing, upper lip and corners of the mouth, cheek. As well as the muscles of the lower lip and chin, around the mouth, the muscles of the nose and laughter, and the neck.

N. facialis is also paired, and is located on both sides of the face.

In 94% of cases, the damage to these nerve fibers is unilateral, and only 6% is a bilateral process.

Disruption of innervation can also be primary or secondary.

Primary is the lesion that initially involves the nerve. This could be hypothermia or strangulation.

Secondary damage develops as a consequence of other diseases.

Another reason for the development of facial neurosis is neurogenic and mental disorders. When unpleasant sensations in the face and head occur against the background of psycho-emotional arousal, shock, or as a result of stressful situations.

Facial exercises

Facial gymnastics after a stroke helps eliminate asymmetry and restore facial mobility.

It is better to do all exercises in front of a mirror to control the results.

Set of exercises:

• raise your eyebrows, then lower them, relax completely and repeat the exercise;
• move your eyebrows together; if that doesn’t work, you can frown and wrinkle your nose;
• open your mouth as wide as possible and try to smile, then relax your facial muscles;
• close your lips tightly and try to smile;
• smile with your mouth closed and cheeks puffed out;
• form your lips into a tube, as before a kiss;
• pronounce vowel sounds, slowly stretching them out, the longer it takes, the better;
• try to move your tongue in different directions, sticking it out as much as possible;
• alternately touch your chin and nose with your tongue out;
• move the lower jaw first to the right, then to the left, holding it slightly in this position;
• make circular movements with your jaw until it begins to move freely, without causing pain.

The doctor should select a set of exercises and determine the number of repetitions, focusing on the patient’s condition and the stage of rehabilitation. Facial gymnastics will help to quickly restore your face after a stroke. Simple passive exercises can be started a week after a stroke, gradually increasing the load, and switching to active exercises.

The same exercises can be used to restore facial muscles with neurological damage as a result of neuritis of the facial nerve. Facial gymnastics helps not only restore muscle tone and motor ability of the face, but also the movement of lymph through tissue cells, which significantly speeds up the rehabilitation process.

Facial nerve neurosis

Neuritis (neurosis N. Facialis) or Bell's palsy occurs due to inflammation of the nerve fiber. Reasons leading to this condition:

• pinched nerve as a result of narrowing of the channel through which it passes. This may be a congenital phenomenon or result from inflammation;
• hypothermia;
• other diseases and infections: herpes, mumps, otitis media, stroke, cancer, central nervous system infections;
• injury N. Facialis.

The onset of the disease is usually gradual. Manifested by pain in the behind-the-ear area. After a couple of days, neurological facial symptoms appear:

• smoothing of the nasolabial fold, drooping of the corner of the mouth;
• the face becomes asymmetrical with a skew towards the healthy side;
• eyelids do not droop. When you try to do this, your eye rolls;
• any attempt to show at least some emotion ends in failure, since the patient cannot move his lips, smile, or manipulate his eyebrows. Such manifestations can worsen to the point of paresis and paralysis of the facial muscles, that is, to partial or complete immobility of the affected part of the face;
• taste sensitivity decreases, salivation appears;
• the eyes are dry, but there is lacrimation when eating;
• hearing on the affected side worsens.

The severity of pathological symptoms depends on the degree and area of ​​damage to the nerve fiber. If the disease is treated inadequately, complications may arise in the form of muscle contractures (immobility).

Since the disease is inflammatory in nature, its treatment is aimed at eliminating it. For this, the patient is prescribed hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs - glucocorticoids, as well as decongestants.

Other methods include:

• prescription of vasodilators and analgesics, B vitamins;
• anticholinesterase agents to increase nerve conduction;
• drugs that improve metabolism in nervous tissue;
• physiotherapy;
• massage, exercise therapy in the recovery stage.

And only in extreme cases, when conservative therapy is ineffective, neurosurgical intervention is resorted to.

Stroke: symptoms

If your face becomes distorted during a stroke, you should immediately consult a doctor, since time plays a very important role here. Therefore, you need to know the following signs that will help you suspect the development of a stroke:

• In the vast majority of cases, only the lower half of the face is characterized by asymmetry, which is manifested by a drooping corner of the mouth, smoothness of the nasolabial fold, deviation of the tongue to one side, and the inability to show teeth or stick out the tongue completely.
• Paralysis (complete immobilization) or paresis (weakness) of a limb, typically involving unilateral damage to the arm and/or leg. It is difficult for the patient to raise his arm or he cannot stand up; with leg paresis, walking is possible, but difficult.
• Speech impairment, and the patient may have damage to both the speech understanding center, located in the frontal lobe of the brain, and the pronunciation center, located in the temporal lobe. In the first case, the patient pronounces words and sentences absolutely normally, but does not completely understand the meaning of what is being said to him. In the second case, he understands everything, but is either completely unable to say anything, or speaks separate incoherent words.

If you notice any of the listed symptoms in yourself or those around you, do not hesitate, call an ambulance immediately!

Trigeminal neuralgia

This is another lesion of the nerve fiber structure, which is often chronic and accompanied by periods of exacerbation and remission.
It has several causes, which are divided into idiopathic - when a nerve is pinched, and symptomatic.

The main symptom of neuralgia is paroxysmal sensations in the form of pain on the face and in the mouth.

Pain sensations have characteristic differences. They are “shooting” and resemble an electric shock; they arise in those parts that are innervated by the n.trigeminus. Having appeared once in one place, they do not change localization, but spread to other areas, each time following a clear, monotonous trajectory.

The nature of the pain is paroxysmal, lasting up to 2 minutes. At its height, a muscle tic is observed, that is, small twitching of the facial muscles. At this moment, the patient has a peculiar appearance: he seems to freeze, but does not cry, does not scream, and his face is not distorted from pain. He tries to make a minimum of movements, since any of them increases the pain. After the attack there is a period of calm.

Such a person performs the act of chewing only with the healthy side, at any time. Because of this, compaction or muscle atrophy develops in the affected area.

The symptoms of the disease are quite specific, and its diagnosis is not difficult.

Therapy for neuralgia begins with taking anticonvulsants, which form its basis. Their dose is subject to strict regulation and is prescribed according to a specific scheme. Representatives of this pharmacological group can reduce agitation and the degree of sensitivity to painful stimuli. And, therefore, reduce pain. Thanks to this, patients have the opportunity to freely eat and talk.

Physiotherapy is also used. If this treatment does not give the desired result, proceed to surgery.

Real life examples

Some famous people, whose fame sometimes trumpets all over the world, were also hostage to the pathology of the facial nerve.

Sylvester Stallone, who is known for his enchanting roles, was injured at birth. The actor's mother had a difficult birth and he had to be pulled with forceps. The result is damage to the vocal cords and paresis of the left side of the face. Because of this, Stallone had problems with speech, which became a reason for ridicule from his peers.

The actor grew up as a difficult child. But, in spite of everything, he managed to overcome his defect and achieve considerable success, although partial immobility of his face remained.

Domestic showman Dmitry Nagiyev received facial asymmetry, which was nicknamed “Nagiyev’s squint”, due to paresis of the facial nerve. The illness happened unexpectedly. As a theater student, one day he felt that his face was not moving.

He spent 1.5 months in the hospital to no avail. But one day in his room a window broke due to a draft. Fright provoked a partial return of mobility and sensitivity of the facial part, but the left part retained its immobility.

Diagnostics and examination

To confirm the primary diagnosis and establish the cause of the lesion, it is necessary to conduct visual and hardware diagnostics. The doctor measures axial and angular distances, performs tests at rest and in motion, takes a medical history, and interviews the patient. Hardware diagnostics include:

• radiography;
• MRI;
• electroneuromyography.

Radiography is used for anomalies in the symmetry of the head bones and damage to the sutures of the skull. MRI or CT is used to diagnose soft tissues and brain structures. Muscle tone and strength of the facial nerve are examined using electroneuromyography. Facial parameters are measured using a special device.

If infectious tissue damage or neuroinfection is suspected, laboratory tests are prescribed.

Diagnosis must be comprehensive, since the causes of the lesion can be different. If a patient has severe facial asymmetry, then to establish an accurate diagnosis, consultation with doctors of different specialties may be necessary - a neurologist, an ophthalmologist, an ENT doctor, a neurosurgeon, a psychiatrist, a dentist. They also carry out diagnostics using their own methods. The diagnosis is established after all studies.

Depending on the severity of facial asymmetry, surgery or conservative treatment is prescribed after a joint discussion by a commission of specialists.

Migraine

This condition is accompanied by attacks of unbearable headache. It is also associated with disruption of the trigeminal nerve, or more precisely, with its irritation in one part of the head. This is where the pain is subsequently localized.

The onset of migraine includes several stages:

• initial;
• aura;
• painful;
• final one.

Paresthesia of the head and face appears with the development of the aura stage. In this case, the patient is bothered by a feeling of tingling and crawling, which occurs in the arm and gradually moves to the neck and head. The person’s face becomes numb and it becomes difficult for him to speak. I am concerned about dizziness and visual disturbances in the form of light flashes, floaters and a decrease in the field of vision.

Facial paresthesia is a precursor to migraine, but often the attack occurs without the aura stage.

Psychogenic causes of facial neurosis

Undoubtedly, disturbances in facial sensations quite often become a consequence of pathology of internal organs and blood vessels.

But often they are caused by psychological disorders and pathological thoughts that arise in our heads.

Facial paresthesias can be situational in nature and develop during episodic nervous excitement: as a result of quarrels, prolonged and intense screams. Such phenomena cause overstrain of the muscles, especially the cheeks and those located around the mouth. As a result, we experience facial numbness and even mild soreness.

The feeling of fear causes us to breathe quickly and shallowly, or to hold our breath. Disturbances in the respiratory rhythm can also provoke impressions that are atypical for us. A feeling arises that is characterized as a “chill running through.” Moreover, it is more concentrated at the roots of the hair. In this case they say: “chills to the marrow of the bones.” The face also becomes cold, a slight tingling appears in its area.

Such phenomena are disturbing when we are overwhelmed by strong emotions. But they accompany people suffering from mental disorders systematically.

A special type of neurotic facial manifestations is a nervous tic. It is characterized as an uncontrolled and systematic contraction of the facial muscles.

The disorder more often accompanies men. And it manifests itself with the following symptoms:

1.Motor:

• frequent blinking, winking;
• setting the lips with a tube;
• nodding head;
• constant spitting or sniffing;
• opening or upturning of the corner of the mouth;
• wrinkling of the nose.

2. Vocal:

• screaming;
• grunt;
• coughing;
• repetition of words.

There are also signs – precursors – that signal the appearance of a tic.
These include itching, facial heat and other paresthesias. Naturally, these signs are considered pathological if they occur in an inappropriate situation. It happens that only the patient himself feels them, but they are not visible to others.

But often twitching and other nervous symptoms become noticeable by other people, and they cause a lot of discomfort to the patient.

Tics can be simple, when there is only one symptom, or complex, which combines several manifestations.

The most common, main cause of tics is mental stress. It can be caused by a strong stress factor of one-stage action. Perhaps you were very scared of something, or broke up with your loved one. That is, the shock was so strong for you that your nervous system lost control.

Or, on the contrary, disorders develop as a result of prolonged monotonous exposure. Symptoms often appear due to lack of sleep and overwork.

Their duration varies. A situational nervous tic disappears a few hours or days after the cause is eliminated. In another case, it persists for years or haunts the patient throughout his life. In such a situation, in addition to eliminating the provoking factor, subsequent psychological work with the patient is required. This type of disorder is called chronic.

A nervous tic can be one of the signs of mental disorders such as neurosis, obsessive thoughts and phobias, depression.

Another group of provoking factors include:

• diseases - stroke, brain injury, infections or poisons;
• neurodegenerative diseases - Huntington's chorea. Characterized by destruction of brain tissue. Accompanied by uncoordinated, sudden movements, as well as neurological disorders of the face. Of these, the first sign is slow eye movements. Then a muscle spasm of the face occurs, which manifests itself in grotesque facial expressions - grimacing. Speech, chewing and swallowing are impaired;
• burdened heredity;
• parasitic infestations;
• eye fatigue due to prolonged eye strain;
• unbalanced diet, when the body receives little magnesium, calcium, glycine. These elements participate in the normal conduction of nerve impulses and are responsible for the coordinated functioning of the nervous system.

Nervous tics in children

There are several types of such disorders in childhood.

Transient tic disorder begins to manifest itself during early school age. Its duration ranges from 1 month to 1 year. Motor types of tics occur more often. Mainly typical for children with developmental delays and autism.

Chronic disorder occurs before age 18. And lasts from 1 year and above. In this case, either motor or vocal tics develop. The earlier the pathological symptoms appear, the easier and faster they pass.

Tourette syndrome is a multiple tic disorder characterized by both motor and movement types. A serious disease, which, however, softens with age.

A special type of disease, which is also characterized by signs of the nervous type, is minor chorea. It develops against the background of infections caused by streptococcus: sore throat, tonsillitis, rheumatism. Accompanied by pathological changes in nervous tissue.

Along with hyperkinesis, emotional instability, irritation, restlessness and anxiety, this condition corresponds to neurotic changes in the face. They are expressed in tension and spasms of the facial muscles, which is often mistaken for grimacing. There is also a spasm of the larynx, manifested in inappropriate screams.

At school, such children, not knowing the true cause of facial hyperkinesis, and even in combination with increased activity, are reprimanded and kicked out of class. Such an attitude towards the child forces him to miss school classes and avoid going to school. Treatment for chorea minor, along with sedatives, includes antibiotics to fight infection and anti-inflammatory drugs.

A nervous tic leaves a heavier imprint on a child’s psyche than on an adult. It often causes anxiety and detachment, withdrawal, and even provokes depressive disorders. Causes sleep disturbances, speech difficulties, and learning difficulties.

Tic disorders lead to distorted self-perception and decreased self-esteem.

Parents of such children are advised not to focus the child’s attention on the problem. On the contrary, they recommend finding ways to shift attention and increase self-esteem. A special place is given to support groups for such people and communication in general.

Face distorted: reasons

Basically, various neurological diseases are hidden behind changes in the facial muscles. Below are the main reasons:

• facial paralysis;
• blepharospasm;
• acute cerebrovascular accident - stroke.

The most dangerous condition listed above is stroke. It requires immediate medical attention and hospitalization, as prompt initiation of treatment increases the chances of successful rehabilitation.

Above is a photo with the distorted face of a woman who suffered from a stroke.

How to get rid of nervous tics

In order to free yourself from unpleasant sensations, you must first eliminate their problem. Sometimes all it takes is a good night's sleep. In another case, you need to change the situation for a while, get out of the destructive environment.

Among the auxiliary methods used are herbal soothing teas, baths with the addition of aromatic oils, swimming, walks in the fresh air or sports: running, yoga.

Add ingredients with a high content of calcium and magnesium to your menu. These include fermented milk products, buckwheat, bran bread, red fish, eggs, and meat. Vegetables and fruits include beets, currants, dried fruits, nuts and parsley.

If these foods do not fit into your diet, consider taking appropriate vitamin supplements. Do not overuse strong tea and coffee.

And most importantly: remain optimistic and calm in any situation!

In cases where the condition worsens, psychotherapy is sought. Cognitive behavioral therapy is especially effective in helping to stop tic disorders at the stage of their precursors.

Habit reversal therapy teaches patients movements that help prevent the development of neurological facial symptoms.

Medications include anticonvulsants and muscle relaxants, Botox injections, and antidepressants.

If the above methods are ineffective in combating nervous tics, they turn to deep brain stimulation. A device is installed in the GM that controls electrical impulses.

How to remove teak yourself

If a nervous facial tic is situational and is not too intense, but at the same time obsessive, you can try to get rid of it using physical methods.

One way is to try to disrupt the pathological muscle rhythm by overexerting it. For example, if your eye twitches, try to close your eyes tightly.

It is possible to calm an overexcited muscle through a light massage. Or apply cold to it. The temperature difference will also help. Wash your face alternately with cold and warm water.

Blepharospasm: treatment

If your face is distorted due to blepharospasm, you should turn to the following therapeutic methods:

• treatment of the underlying disease that caused spasm of the orbicularis oculi muscle;
• physiotherapy;
• nootropics - drugs that increase oxygen delivery to the brain and improve its functioning;
• If symptoms are severe and other treatment methods are ineffective, botulinum therapy may be prescribed, which effectively relieves muscle spasm.

Dermatillomania

Neurosis of the face and scalp can manifest itself in a behavioral disorder such as dermatillomania.

Its main manifestation is scratching the skin of the face and head, not because of itching, but because of dissatisfaction with its appearance. This also includes an obsessive zeal to squeeze out pimples, scratch off scabs, and pull out hair. Self-injurious actions cause a short-term feeling of pleasure, followed by feelings of shame, frustration, and dissatisfaction.

The face of such patients is covered with scars and scars due to constant trauma to the skin. This process is uncontrollable and can occur at any time of the day. But most often traumatic actions are carried out in front of a mirror.

Symptoms of the disorder also include the habit of biting the lips and mucous membranes of the cheeks. Patients are not deterred by the prospect of redness, bleeding, and scarring of the skin. They repeat the ritual day after day. It lasts from a few minutes to an hour.

Such actions can be provoked by feelings of fear, anxiety, and close examination of one’s skin because there is nothing to do.

Dermatillomania has been described as a state of addiction. It begins with concentrating on what the patient thinks is a skin defect. Gradually, attention is increasingly focused on this detail. A person begins to think that he is sick with something serious. This provokes irritability and nervousness in him, leading to obsessive actions.

The root cause of the disease is rooted in the psychological state of a person and lies in self-dissatisfaction, anger, feelings of shame and malice. Traumatic rituals are a way of punishment, self-flagellation.

Treatment of this pathology requires the intervention of a psychotherapist and a dermatologist.

The main method of treating addiction is psychotherapy, in particular cognitive behavioral therapy.

Yoga, physical exercise, relaxation procedures, as well as any hobby that absorbs a person and helps redirect attention will help reduce anxiety, distract and relax.

The help of a dermatologist is necessary to eliminate skin lesions in order to prevent infection and reduce the degree of dermatological defect.

Neuroses

This is a large group of diseases, manifested primarily in psycho-emotional disorders, as well as malfunctions of the autonomic nervous system. They do not cause pathological disorders of the nervous tissue, but have a significant impact on the human psyche.

There are several types of disorders in which the symptoms are visible.

Muscular neurosis is manifested by muscle tension, spasm and convulsive twitching. Neurosis of the facial muscles makes itself felt with the following manifestations:

• nervous tic;
• lip tension, clenching;
• convulsive contraction, the face seemed to move;
• tingling, burning sensation;
• muscle pain;
• Tension of the neck muscles is manifested by a feeling of lack of air, a lump in the throat.

When we find ourselves in a stressful situation, our body produces stress hormones. They, among many other reactions, cause muscle tension. Now imagine, if we are exposed to chronic stress, what happens to our muscles, and specifically to the muscles of the face. Being systematically in hypertonicity, they overexert themselves. This is what causes their nervous twitching, spasms, and convulsions.

Another type of neurosis is skin. It causes paresthesias in the facial skin of the following type:

• severe itching, burning in the facial and scalp without clear localization;
• sensation as if something were touching the face. And it's terribly annoying;
• the appearance of red spots on the face and neck. Possible rash.

The causes of such phenomena are nervous and mental overstrain, chronic stress, sleep disturbances, as well as disruptions in hormonal regulation.

With neuroses associated with disruption of the autonomic nervous system, various manifestations may also occur. Malfunctions in the functioning of the vascular network occur, and a vascular neurotic disorder develops.

Vascular neurosis of the face is manifested by flaking and dryness, a feeling of tightness of the skin. She becomes pale, sometimes cyanotic, and her sensitivity worsens. In addition, sneezing appears, the nose is stuffy, the eyes become red and watery, the skin itches and itches. This indicates the development of vegetative-allergic reactions.