Bell's palsy (patient fact sheet)

Please note that all guidance is currently under review and some may be out of date. We recommend that you also refer to more contemporaneous evidence in the interim.

Download our fact sheet to provide your patients with easy to follow guidance on Bell's palsy.

This fact sheet has the #withconsumers tick from the Consumers Health Forum of Australia

Bell’s palsy is a form of weakness in the muscles of the face that will usually improve. It mostly affects only one side of the face and can result in the face looking uneven.

Bell’s palsy is most common in people aged 15–45, although it can affect children and the elderly. It affects men and women equally.

Most people will fully recover, although this can sometimes take many months. About one in 10 people are left with some degree of muscle weakness in their face.