What to Know About Hemifacial Spasms
Involuntarily offering to clean the kitchen is one thing but suffering from involuntary twitching or contracting is a whole other issue. As a rare neuromuscular disorder, hemifacial spasm causes patients to suffer from regular, involuntary muscle contractions on one side of your face. In fact, according to The National Center for Biotechnology Information, Hemifacial Spasm is so rare that only 11 in 100,00 people are diagnosed with it each year.
Due to its rarity, not many people are familiar with this condition or even know of someone who suffers from it. Let’s take a closer look.
How Is It Caused?
Research points to the fact that Hemifacial Spasm can be caused by a variety of different things such as an injury to the facial nerve, an enlarged blood vessel on the face, Bell’s Palsy, a tumor, or in some instances, the cause is never determined.
What are the Symptoms?
One of the unique components of Hemifacial Spasms is that it primarily only occurs on one side of the face and it can start out as intermittent twitching near the eyes and eyelids and then may progress down the face.
How Is It Treated?
For some patients, Dr. David A. Schlessinger may recommend the use of Botox injections. Although Botox is typically associated with cosmetic procedures, it can also be used to help treat medical conditions. By temporarily relaxing the muscles in the face, Botox may alleviate Hemifacial Spasm symptoms.
The good news about Hemifacial Spasm is that it can typically be treated with Botox or oral medications. If you think you suffer from this condition or if you would like to learn more about your treatment options, schedule a consultation at our Woodbury office today!
