I had a stroke, Now I have facial droop, possible to fix this (surgery?)

November 5, 2015 8:05 AM

I had a stroke and now have facial droop on one side of my face. My friend told me they have surgery, and/or injections to fix this. Is that true? What would it be called? what is the approximate cost? Would my insurance cover any of it? Thanks!
posted by kikithekat to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

There is no treatment to reverse the nerve damage that causes the droop.

If you wanted to get a facelift for the drooping part of your face, you might start with a maxillofacial surgeon (who might refer you to a cosmetic surgeon), but you should probably actually start with your neurologist. They've likely had this conversation with a number of patients.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:52 AM on November 5, 2015 [2 favorites]

We are missing some very important information here: How serious was your stroke and how long ago was it?

I had a minor stroke which resulted in slight paralysis on my left side including my face. Over the course of a year, as I got stronger, the paralysis began to mostly disappear. Now five years on, my face is pretty much normal and the drag on my left side is only noticeable when I'm cold. I consider myself very very lucky.
posted by HeyAllie at 9:56 AM on November 5, 2015

Response by poster: I have Bell's Palsy, I haven't had what they called a "mini stroke" for about 4 years, although it has happened once in 2011, and once in 2008.
posted by kikithekat at 10:52 AM on November 5, 2015

One of my closest friends had Bell's Palsy last year. Her face recovered in the subsequent months. She wore an eye patch rather jauntily but yeah, it was tough to wait it out.
posted by honey-barbara at 2:00 PM on November 5, 2015

Someone I know gets Botox injections for a face that is falling unevenly (due to a different neurological issue). I don't know anything about a surgical option.
posted by karbonokapi at 7:38 PM on November 5, 2015

They numb the uninjured side of the face to make it match better. There is also PT to retrain or to train the uninjured side to respond a little less to maximise symmetry.
posted by Oyéah at 10:04 PM on November 5, 2015 [1 favorite]