As Seen On
Dr. Babak Azizzadeh is the only facial nerve expert to have been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Dr. Oz Show.
What Is Dr. Azizzadeh's Facial Paralysis Treatment Philosophy?
Facial paralysis treatment can be complex. Fortunately, Dr. Azizzadeh does everything in his power to provide facial paralysis patients with simple and effective treatment options.
Dr. Azizzadeh follows a holistic philosophy as he explores ways to treat facial paralysis. He carefully evaluates a patient and recommends a treatment tailored to him or her. Furthermore, Dr. Azizzadeh encourages his patients to share their concerns and questions regarding treatment. This ensures that Dr. Azizzadeh and his patient can work together to achieve the best-possible treatment results.
Meanwhile, Dr. Azizzadeh promotes patient education. He wants his facial paralysis patients to understand what to expect during treatment and what they can do to achieve long-lasting symptomatic relief. Therefore, Dr. Azizzadeh can discuss facial paralysis topics with his patients. And he verifies that his patients know what to expect at each stage of a facial paralysis treatment.
What Is Facial Nerve Paralysis?
Facial nerve paralysis occurs when one or more branches of the facial nerve stops functioning properly. The condition makes it difficult for a person to make facial expressions and hinders their ability to chew, swallow, and speak.
There are many causes of facial nerve paralysis. Determining the root cause of an individual’s facial paralysis plays a key role in finding the right treatment.
As a foremost expert in facial nerve reconstruction, Dr. Azizzadeh has led the facial paralysis field and developed techniques to help patients reanimate their facial features. Dr. Azizzadeh is board-certified in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, along with otolaryngology (head and neck surgery). He also is well-versed in virtually every aspect of cranial anatomy, including the critical facial nerve.
Much of Dr. Azizzadeh’s career has been spent researching and developing techniques to restore facial nerve function for those who have lost it to congenital deficiencies or trauma. As the Director of The Facial Paralysis Institute, Dr. Azizzadeh is recognized worldwide as a leading figure in the field of facial nerve paralysis.
After demonstrating incredible proficiency during his residency at the UCLA Center for Health Sciences, Dr. Azizzadeh was selected to complete a highly focused, sub-specialized fellowship in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Harvard Medical School. It was during this time that he began his crucial work to find quick, efficient, and safe ways to correct facial paralysis. Since that time, Dr. Azizzadeh has helped hundreds of patients with facial paralysis and demonstrates what is now possible in facial nerve reconstruction.
Facial Paralysis Causes
There is no surefire cause associated with facial paralysis. Instead, facial paralysis is caused by any condition that damages the facial nerve. When facial nerve damage occurs, facial features innervated by the facial nerve become partially or completely dysfunctional.
Common causes of facial paralysis include:
- Bell’s palsy
- Trauma to the face
- Excisional acoustic neuroma surgery
- Ear or parotid surgery
- Moebius syndrome (congenital neurological disorder)
- Stroke or other disorders involving the central nervous system
- Herpes Zoster Oticus (virus that affects the inner, middle and external ear)
- Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome (rare neurological disorder)
- Hemifacial microsomia (congenital disorder of the lower half of the face)
- Infections of the middle ear
- Lyme disease
In treating facial paralysis, Dr. Azizzadeh’s expertise allows for accurate diagnosis. He dedicates time and resources to learn about patients and their facial paralysis symptoms. Dr. Azizzadeh’s holistic approach to facial paralysis is crucial for effective treatment and enables him to provide a personalized treatment to each facial paralysis patient.
Facial Paralysis Symptoms
Facial paralysis symptoms vary from patient to patient. While most patients will know they have some degree of facial paralysis, there are some who have subtle symptoms. Regardless of the type or degree of symptom, it is imperative that such patients seek the help of a facial nerve specialist to discover their treatment options.
Common symptoms of facial paralysis include:
- Inability to smile on one or both sides
- Oral disability, including drooling or inability to chew
- Depression of the eyebrows
- Facial asymmetry
- Inability to close one or both eyelids
- Paralysis of lower eyelid
- Damage to cornea
- Drooping in the mid-face
- Decreased tear production
- Obstruction of nasal airway due to secondary external valve collapse
- Lower lip deficit
- Effacement of the nasolabial fold
For those who are dealing with one or more of the above symptoms, it is time to seek the care of a facial nerve specialist. As an internationally renowned expert in the facial nerve and treating facial paralysis, Dr. Azizzadeh is regularly sought out by both patients and peers from around the world. He helps his patients understand their condition and offers a partial or total solution to address their facial paralysis symptoms. In many cases, Dr. Azizzadeh uses innovative and comprehensive reconstruction techniques that other surgeons cannot provide.
How Dr. Azizzadeh Customizes Facial Reanimation Treatment
Dr. Azizzadeh understands facial paralysis can affect people in many different ways. To help a facial paralysis patient relieve their symptoms, he delivers a customized facial reanimation treatment.
A custom facial reanimation treatment accounts for a patient’s facial paralysis symptoms and other factors. It also ensures that a patient can get the help he or she needs to correct their facial paralysis and prevent it from recurring.
Dr. Azizzadeh works diligently to craft a personalized facial reanimation treatment plan for a patient. He may perform extensive testing to determine the best course of action to treat his patient’s facial paralysis. Dr. Azizzadeh does everything he can to execute his treatment plan with precision and care, too.
As Dr. Azizzadeh administers a custom facial reanimation treatment, he monitors his patient’s results. Dr. Azizzadeh requests follow-up appointments in the weeks and months following a facial reanimation procedure. He verifies that the treatment helps his patient correct their facial paralysis symptoms long into the future.
What Is Bell's Palsy?
Bell’s palsy represents one of the leading causes of facial paralysis. It refers to paralysis or weakness that impacts one side of the face.
Those with Bell’s palsy can experience immediate facial paralysis. In these instances, facial paralysis symptoms can crop up suddenly. However, Bell’s palsy generally disappears on its own within about three months of onset.
If Bell’s palsy symptoms linger, they can cause long-lasting problems. The symptoms can even reach a point where they lead to permanent facial paralysis.
Dr. Azizzadeh can treat patients who have been coping with Bell’s palsy for eight months or longer. At this point, Dr. Azizzadeh can perform a series of tests to assess his patient’s symptoms. Dr. Azizzadeh may recommend a non-surgical or surgical treatment to help his patient mitigate these symptoms.
How Is Bell's Palsy Treated?
Oftentimes, Bell’s palsy symptoms subside without treatment. If these symptoms linger for an extended period of time, high-dose steroids (prednisone) and antiviral medications (Famvir or Valtrex) may be used to treat them. In severe Bell’s palsy case, surgery may be required.
What Is Synkinesis?
Synkinesis is a facial nerve condition that causes “simultaneous movement” in the face. It affects the facial nerve function and occurs after a person experiences Bell’s palsy or other instances in which the facial nerve has been cut and sewn back together.
For example, after the facial nerve has been resewn, facial nerve fibers sometimes reconnect to the incorrect nerve group. In this scenario, an individual may experience synkinesis that causes unwanted and simultaneous facial muscle movements.
There are many warning signs associated with synkinesis, including:
- Eyes narrow when a person smiles
- Cheeks elevate when a person closes his or her eyes
- Neck muscles tighten when a person attempts to whistle
- Cheeks and chin twitch
- Facial muscles tighten and cause facial pain and/or headaches
- Deep cheek crease forms on the affected side of a person’s face
How Is Synkinesis Treated?
There is no solution to prevent synkinesis, but facial nerve compression treatment options are available. For example, patients may undergo surgery to treat synkinesis. Or, in certain instances, neuromuscular retraining and Botox treatments may be used to address the symptoms.
To determine the best course of action to treat synkinesis, Dr. Azizzadeh requests a patient consultation. Dr. Azizzadeh uses the consultation to evaluate a patient and learn about his or her symptoms. He then crafts a custom treatment program to help a patient correct his or her synkinesis symptoms.
Each synkinesis treatment program is tailored to a patient. At the same time, Dr. Azizzadeh helps each synkinesis patient establish realistic treatment goals. Dr. Azizzadeh also monitors his patient’s progress throughout a synkinesis treatment to ensure this individual can accomplish his or her desired results.
Comprehensive Facial Nerve Consultation Process
A comprehensive facial nerve consultation with Dr. Azizzadeh is a unique experience. After examining a patient’s face and learning about this individual’s concerns and goals, Dr. Azizzadeh will discuss both non-invasive and surgical approaches. As a world-renowned, dual board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Azizzadeh customizes surgical and non-surgical treatments to address facial paralysis symptoms. As a result, his patients can reap the benefits of a symmetrical, natural-looking facial appearance, as well as make facial expressions and chew, speak, swallow, and perform other basic facial functions without any problems.
While some patients can benefit from non-invasive procedures alone, others will need surgery to reconstruct the facial nerve and restore facial function. Dr. Azizzadeh will determine which surgical options will best benefit each patient by listening to the patient’s personal cosmetic and functional goals. He also examines the patient for underlying issues and strives to identify the root cause of each patient’s facial paralysis symptoms. In many cases, the ideal facial paralysis treatment includes both surgical and non-surgical options.
As a highly specialized facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Azizzadeh takes plenty of time to help his patients understand their facial paralysis treatment options. He educates patients about the underlying causes of their facial paralysis, along with how each treatment option will address those particular issues. In the complex field of facial nerve reconstructive surgery, knowledge is the most important thing for a patient, and Dr. Azizzadeh’s primary goal is to teach patients everything they need to know about the facial nerve. That way, patients understand exactly what to expect from a facial paralysis treatment, and Dr. Azizzadeh and a patient can work together to help this individual achieve the best-possible treatment outcome.