how unknown is it to the people? When I see someone in the street with a more severe case of face paralysis, I just assume they are mentally ******ed and quickly look away but apparently it isn't always the case. When you sense a weird vibe from someone you just met, do you quickly explain what's up or just let the awkwardness continue?

You look great with short hair btw

The 7th cranial nerve that controls facial muscles comes out of the skull through a small hole beneath the ear just above the jaw, where it then branches off throughout the face. That's actually a great place to rub for relaxation during a face massage, along with the temples and under the cheek bones. During my illness, the doctor said the nerve swelled and got pinched at that hole exiting the skull, cutting off blood flow, which eventually killed it. I guess this could happen with any illness that causes swelling in that area, but I'm sure it's extremely rare.

I was pretty much a dork at 16 (come to think if it, I still am), and I'd only had like two girlfriends before the nerve trauma, so I really don't have much to go on there. Kindergarten was a real popularity highlight, I can recall. Anyway, I thank the stars I'm not a woman, because guys can get away with ugly a lot easier.

Nowadays I think I do alright with the ladies. Getting them isn't as much of a problem as keeping them, but that's another story.

This will make you more of an introvert. Good news is that gives you more time to sit in front of a mirror and work on the exercises. My first advice to anyone with the condition is to simply stay with the facial training. It is extremely tedious and at times it seems impossible, but it's not. Results are so slow, you don't notice them as they're happening. You can see what guys like Jim Carrey are able to do, and it's not really any different, except with nerve damage, you're starting from a different point. There's more improvement for me too if I spend the time.

During the full paralysis, when I was pretty hideous, I was surprisingly upbeat. I think it was because I expected it to be temporary. If that had turned out to be permanent, it would have hit a lot harder. Trying to think back, I really can't recall ever having that episode where I got super depressed about it specifically, though I've been depressed about other things from time to time. Probably a good attitude mixed with a healthy dose of denial.

This

Interesting read

I'd guess it's pretty unknown. My cousin is mentally handicapped, and I've visited his home where many others live. Generally they have a certain look about them, but I don't think it's typically characterized by asymmetry to the face. Most people I've seen with facial problems have either had nerve trauma, or birth defects, the latter typically effecting much more of their body than just the face. So I'm guessing when you see someone who looks and walks normally besides a palsy of the face, it's probably not mental ******ation, but I'm not certain of that.

It's hard to remember how I approached that awkwardness during the initial paralysis. I explained it to my friends and some classmates, and everyone else learned it from them. It only lasted about six months like that before it began to improve. After that, it became much less noticeable unless I was smiling or speaking alot, and I think I got pretty good at not smiling big and I probably turned my face a bit when speaking or found other ways to mask it with strangers. Over time, and with a lot of retraining, I think I've gotten to the point most folks don't really notice at first it's a palsy, they just assume I've got a naturally ugly mug

That's nice to hear, I really have gotten so used to my face, I cannot tell just how weird it looks. I enjoy talking about this with strangers, as I rarely do it IRL.

quickly browsed through the thread so sorry if this has already been asked. Do you feel like people ever subconsciously think your mentally impaired in some way and treat you a little differently? I ask this as someone in the medical field. I see lots of patients with chronic medical problems with motor components such as stroke, cerebral palsy, etc. that also have impaired cognition, so when I see someone with bell's I have to almost consciously remind myself they have normal cognition.

I wonder if this is just the result of me being exposed disproportionally to very sick groups of the population or something you ever have had to face out in the real world?

if you take a picture of your face and split it in half right down the middle and mirror those halfs, do you end up with two distinctly different bizarre looks... or the same normal look?

Doctors do tend to pick it out pretty quickly. Guess they're more observant on these things. I've not noticed anyone treating me like I'm mentally handicapped, looking for my handler or anything, lol. Hard to tell what they think initially, but everyone's pretty good about hiding it normally. I've heard a few stray comments around the poker table when I've pulled an all nighter, and look particularly ragged.

Wow, never tried that. How do you do it?

It would probably look better if you stared directly at the camera with your head straight, but I'd say they are pretty similar!




Edit: Here, this one is a little better. You have a Mario and Luigi thing going on.

take a picture of your face straight on... then cut it in half and flop that half to reveal your true inner self. you can use both sides of your face because they will reveal two different personalities.

Some people, like myself, actually look exactly the same with the face flopped... but 99% of the people look completely different.

not my picture... the one above in the original post is me.

Holy **** those are hilarious! I wouldn't want to run into any of those ogres, lol. I'll have to mess with this on my computer when I get a chance. I heard Orlando Bloom has perfect symmetry, so he probably looks exactly the same, a beautiful boy from any angle. The guy right above looks familiar, is he an actor?

Thanks for the reply to my questions dude. No one should ever feel uncomfortable in their in their own skin. So I just asked those Qs for people out there that might not have such a positive outlook to life in general and could hit lows...become dependent on depressants.. etc... which just adds whole new dynamic to the situation. I've known a few people that sought anti-depresents as solutions to various different "life problems" and then they pretty much had to deal with two long term "mental fights" instead of one over several years.

Also. Pretty sure your one of those annoyingly lucky positive to everything in life people!!! Well done on that!!

Im still laughing at the first picture.

Haha, I know just what you mean. I dated a girl who was a super optimist about everything and it was downright unbearable. I've also met a few ultra-happy yoga sorts, they don't realize the only reason we even talk to them is because they're in such good shape! I still get pissed off at stuff and go through mood swings, but in general, I've found it's best to stay positive in life as a default and not dwell on things out of your control, but instead work on what you can fix.

Anybody know how long it takes to get PM rights?
Edit: nevermind, lol, just got them.