10.14.2008
You wake up one morning, and your face feels stiff and odd. When you look in a mirror, half your face appears to droop. You can only manage half a smile. And your eye is dripping tears and doesn't want to close. What in the world is going on?

For many people, the first guess would be a stroke. But if your muscle weakness or paralysis affects only your face, a more likely cause is Bell's palsy.

Each year, about 40,000 Americans develop Bell's palsy, a condition that occurs when the nerve that controls the facial muscles becomes swollen or compressed. The problem can occur at any age, but rarely affects people under the age of 15 or over the age of 60.

For most people, Bell's palsy symptoms begin to improve within a few weeks, with complete recovery within three to six months. Between 8 percent and 10 percent will experience a recurrence of the signs and symptoms, sometimes on the opposite side of the face. And a small number of people never recover and continue to have some signs and symptoms for life