Only Bieber may have to wait up to six months for his facial paralysis to fully subside, with doctors warning that the Ramsay Hunt syndrome he’s being diagnosed could also cause hearing loss.
Bieber, 28, announced his diagnosis on Friday and said the right side of his face was paralyzed, preventing him from blinking, smiling or moving a nostril on that side. He has since rescheduled dates for his world tour.
In a video posted to Instagram, he said: “It’s going to get back to normal – it’s just time and we don’t know how long it will be.
“But everything will be fine, I hope. And I trust God and I trust that there’s a reason for all this and … I’m not sure what this is now, but in the meantime I’m going to rest.’
dr Josh Rosenberg, a facial plastic surgeon at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, told that within three to six months, patients have a good sense of how well they’ve recovered.
According to the National Organization for Rare Diseases, about five in 100,000 people in the United States develop Ramsay Hunt syndrome each year.
dr Nina Lu, a facial paralysis expert at the University of Washington, said it could take the singer months to recover. However, she added that the paralysis was unlikely to be permanent – around seven in 10 patients usually made a full recovery.
However, both medics cautioned that given the beaver’s young age, his recovery could well take as little as a few weeks.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome occurs when the virus that causes chickenpox in children and shingles in adults — which lingers in cells for years — reactivates and inflames facial nerves.
It wasn’t clear what triggered the flare-up, but stress, a weakened immune system, and other underlying medical issues have all been suggested as a possible cause.
The condition threatens to jeopardize the final stretch of the US leg of his Justice World Tour – which has been postponed by two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic – as well as dates in Europe and South America.
Justin Bieber announced on Friday that the right side of his face is paralyzed due to Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which is caused by reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox. Doctors today warned the condition could last for months
dr Nina Lu, a facial paralysis expert at Washington University, said it could take a few months for the singer to recover. dr Josh Rosenburg, a facial plastic surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospita in New York City, warned that not all patients make a full recovery
Speaking to , Rosenberg said: “I would give [Justin] a few months, but people can really surprise you – especially young people.
“He’s young, diagnosed early and treated quickly – which is a good sign.”
He added: “Three to six months – possibly up to a year – [patients] will get a sense of how much exercise they got back.
Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox in children
Ramsay Hunt syndrome is triggered when the virus that causes chickenpox in children reactivates, leading to inflammation and irritation of the facial nerves.
It is not clear what causes this, but it is believed that the virus is being reactivated due to a weakened immune system. This can also be triggered by stress.
Symptoms include:
Most patients regain full mobility within a few weeks to months.
In some cases, however, there may be a permanent restriction of movement.
Treatment includes antivirals and steroids.
Some doctors may also recommend facial exercises, although there’s little evidence that this works.
About five out of every 100,000 Americans develop this syndrome annually.
Source: National Organization for Rare Diseases.
“Some patients can move fully again, others only a little, and others less [uncontrolled movement]. So that’s when someone moves their mouth and also closes their eyes. Muscles that shouldn’t be contracting are also contracting.”
Lu said, “Recovery times for this disease can vary.
“Sometimes it’s pretty quick – over the course of weeks – and sometimes it can really take months.”
She warned sufferers, who as a result of the condition sometimes develop synkinensis, when facial muscles — like the eyelids — can contract uncontrollably.
It’s also quite common to experience “temporary” hearing loss and voice box changes, she added.
When asked if a patient would make a full recovery, she said, “Normal or near normal is about 70 percent. The other 30 percent is partial synkinensis.’
Bieber revealed the diagnosis to fans in a video on Friday after postponing several tour dates on Tuesday.
In the clip, he said the right side of his face was paralyzed and unable to smile, blink or move his nostril.
It wasn’t clear when the singer first developed the condition, although it was likely he was diagnosed early.
He is currently receiving antiviral medication to treat the condition and doing facial exercises.
On Saturday, his wife Hailey, 25, showed support for the singer, writing on her Instagram story alongside a picture of Bieber: “Love you baby.”
The singer began his tour on February 18, 2022 after postponing it by two years due to the outbreak of the virus.
This month he was due to perform at his final venues in the United States – with the final show in Inglewood, California – before flying on to Europe for the second leg of the tour.
It is not scheduled to end until March next year with a performance in Kraków, Poland.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome is caused by inflammation of the nerve that controls facial expressions after the virus that causes chickenpox in children and shingles in adults is reactivated.
This nerve travels through a “bony tunnel” between the brain and face, which restricts the blood supply to the inflamed nerve, resulting in facial paralysis.
Hailey Bieber showed love for her husband Justin after the singer revealed his Ramsay Hunt Syndrome diagnosis (pictured together in April).
The 25-year-old model wrote “I love u baby” on her Instagram Story while re-sharing a video Justin, 28, uploaded to his Instagram page of himself explaining his diagnosis
Symptoms include facial paralysis, blistering, and pain in the face and ears.
Patients may also experience auditory changes, e.g. For example, developing sounds that are louder in one ear than the other, or tinnitus – a ringing in the ears – or even deafness.
Treatment of the infection typically involves taking antiviral drugs or steroids.
Physical therapy can also be used on the muscles, although this is not usually recommended.
Botox treatments could also be offered if problems persist up to six months later, and surgery from a year after that if the patient doesn’t recover.