Bma Illustrated Medical Dictionary

face-liftA cosmetic operation to smooth

out wrinkles and lift sagging skin on an

aging face. The effect is achieved by lift-

ing the skin off the face and removing

the excess. The skin is then stitched

back together within the hairline. The

effect usually lasts about 5 years.

facet jointA type of joint found in the

spine, formed by the bony knob (called

a process) of one vertebra fitting into a

hollow in the vertebra above. Facet joints

allow a degree of movement between

individual vertebrae, which gives the

spine its flexibility.

facial nerveThe 7th cranial nerve, which

arises from structures in the brainstem

and sends branches to the face, neck,

salivary glands, and outer ear.

The facial nerve performs both motor

and sensory functions. It controls the

muscles of the neck and of facial expres-

sion, stimulates the secretion of saliva,

and conveys sensory information from

the tongue and from the outer ear.

Damage to the nerve causes weakness

of the facial muscles (see facial palsy)

and, in some cases, loss of taste. Such

damage is most often due to a viral

infection but may also occur in stroke.

facial painPain in the face may be due

to a variety of causes, of which injury is

the most obvious. Facial pain is also

commonly due to infection, particularly

in sinusitisand mumps. Problems with

the teeth and jaws are another common

cause of facial pain. They include severe

caries (see caries, dental),an abscess

(see abscess, dental), impacted wisdom

teeth (see impaction, dental), or partial

dislocation of the jaw (see jaw, dislo-

cated). Damage to a nerve that supplies

the face can produce severe pain,

including the knife-like pain that pre-

cedes the one-sided rash in herpes

zoster and the intermittent shooting

pain of trigeminal neuralgia.

A disorder elsewhere in the body may

result in referred painin the face. For

example, in angina, pain may be felt in

the jaw. In migraine, pain may occur on

one side of the face. Facial pain that

occurs for no apparent reason may be a

symptom of depression.

Analgesic drugscan provide tempor-

ary relief, but severe or persistent facial

pain requires medical attention.

facial palsyWeakness of the facial

muscles due to inflammation of or dam-

age to the facial nerve. The condition is

usually temporary and affects only one

side of the face.

Facial palsy is most often due to Bell’s

palsy, which occurs for no known reason.

Less commonly, facial palsy is associated

with herpes zosteraffecting the ear and

facial nerve. Facial palsy may also result

from surgical damage to this nerve or

compression of the nerve by a tumour.

Facial palsy usually comes on suddenly.

The eyelid and corner of the mouth

droop on one side

of the face and

there may be pain

in the ear on that

side. The sense of

taste may be im-

paired or sounds

may seem to be

unnaturally loud.

In many cases,

facial palsy clears

up without treat-

ment. Pain can be

relieved by taking

FACE-LIFT FACIAL PALSY

F

Optic nerve

Facial nerve

Spinal cord

Brain

FACIAL NERVE

Skull

FACIAL PALSY

F