Facial palsy specialists show it’s what’s inside that counts

Specialists from the Queen Victoria Hospital have been showing that facial palsy shouldn’t be dismissed as a just cosmetic issue by wearing brightly coloured face paint on just half of their face.

The unusual act was to symbolise that facial palsy affects the function of a person’s face so it’s what’s happening ‘in’ your face that counts – which is not always what others can see.

Facial palsy is a term used to explain a weakness of the facial muscles, caused by temporary or permanent damage to the facial nerve. Those with facial palsy will have part or all of their face paralysed, and the movement of their eyes and or mouth may also be affected.

The Queen Victoria Hospital runs the UK’s first and largest expert facial palsy service, treating palsy and paralysis patients from across the country. Patients can be seen in a single location by a consultant plastic surgeon, extended scope practitioner physiotherapist/ speech and language therapist, consultant ophthalmologist and a psychotherapist. The service has been created to ensure patients receive high quality holistic care which focuses on restoring important functions including the ability to blink or close their eye, eating, drinking, speech and emotional expression.

Members of the hospitals multi-disciplinary team, including therapists and consultants, took the opportunity to incorporate key numbers into their face painted designs to show the statistics of the condition, such as:

• 1 – the age of the youngest person who has been seen by the hospital’s facial palsy team
• 11 – the number of years the hospital’s specialist clinic has been running
• 48 – the percentage of people left with long term anxiety after facial palsy
• 50 – the number of different causes of facial palsy
• 96 – the age of the oldest person who has been seen by the team
• 196 – the number of inpatient stays as a result of facial palsy in 2017
• 1,911 – the number of outpatient appointments in 2017.

Dr Ed Pickles, Medical Director at the Queen Victoria Hospital, said: “Facial palsy is a condition which can often make people feel isolated. As the UK’s first and largest expert facial palsy service, we’re committed to raising awareness of the condition to help others understand the effects of facial palsy and the help and support that is available.”

Pictured: Specialists from the Queen Victoria Hospital raise awareness of facial palsy

For more information please contact the QVH Press Office on 01342 414508.