An uneven smile after Bell’s Palsy can affect more than photographs. It may change how you speak, eat, express emotion, or feel during everyday conversations. In some cases, carefully placed BOTOX® injections may improve facial balance by relaxing muscles that pull too strongly on one side.
At Freya’s Lair Medical Spa in Albuquerque, NM, experienced nurse practitioners provide advanced injectable services, including BOTOX, using techniques drawn from both medical aesthetics and European approaches. Their experience allows them to assess movement, muscle activity, and each patient’s natural features when developing a treatment plan.
Why Can Bell’s Palsy Cause an Uneven Smile?
Bell’s Palsy is a sudden form of facial paralysis or weakness that impacts one side of the face. Although the exact cause is not always known, inflammation and swelling of the facial nerve are believed to interfere with its ability to control certain muscles.
Some patients develop synkinesis, which occurs when healing facial nerves reconnect in an irregular pattern. This can cause involuntary movements, tightness, spasms, or muscles that contract at the wrong time. For example, the eye may narrow while smiling, or the corner of the mouth may pull unevenly.
The unaffected side may also appear more active or dominant than the weakened one. This difference can make asymmetry more noticeable.
How Can BOTOX Help With Facial Asymmetry?
BOTOX temporarily reduces signals between nerves and selected muscles. When injected into muscles that are overly tight or active, it may soften excessive pulling and create better balance between the two sides of the face.
Depending on the patient’s movement pattern, injections may be used to address:
- A mouth corner that pulls too strongly
- Chin dimpling or tightness
- Downward pulling around the lips
- Neck muscle bands that affect the lower face
- Unwanted eye narrowing during a smile
- Excess movement on the unaffected side
BOTOX does not repair the facial nerve or restore movement to a paralyzed muscle. Instead, it may rebalance the face by reducing activity in specific muscles.
Important Safety Notes
Treatment requires a detailed understanding of facial anatomy because weakening the wrong area could make speaking, smiling, or eating more difficult. Conservative dosing is especially important around the mouth. The use of BOTOX for Bell’s Palsy-related asymmetry or synkinesis is generally considered off-label.
BOTOX is also not an initial solution for sudden facial paralysis. Anyone experiencing new facial weakness or drooping should seek prompt medical evaluation to rule out stroke and other possible causes.
Learn More About BOTOX for an Uneven Smile
BOTOX may help some people with lingering facial tightness, overactivity, or an uneven smile after Bell’s Palsy. A careful assessment is the best way to determine which muscles are involved and whether injectable treatment is appropriate.
Call Freya’s Lair Medical Spa in Albuquerque at 505.503.7381 to request an appointment.