Bell's palsy

Symptoms of Bell's palsy include: weakness on 1 side of your face, or not being able to move 1 side of your face – this usually happens over a few days a drooping eyelid or corner of your mouth drooling a dry mouth loss of taste a dry or watering eye You may also find it difficult to close the eye on the weak side of your face. Rarely, you may not be able to move both sides of your face.

Treatments for Bell's palsy include: a 10-day course of steroid medicine, sometimes with antiviral medicine eye drops and ointment to stop the affected eye drying out surgical tape to keep the eye closed at bedtime If you cannot close your eye, you may need treatment to prevent damage to your vision.

Your Bell's palsy symptoms should get better within 6 months, but it can take longer for some people. Go back to see a GP if your symptoms are not getting better after 3 weeks. Some people can have permanent facial weakness and symptoms such as: pain in their face, around the jaw and behind the ear a constantly watering eye difficulty eating and drinking changes in their sense of taste difficulty with loud sounds Living with Bell's palsy can make you feel depressed, stressed or anxious. Speak to a GP if it's affecting your mental health. You'll usually only get Bell's palsy once, but rarely it can come back, sometimes years later.