Only one side of forehead wrinkles doesn't form? Facial paralysis early sign, check before it's too late.

Hello, this is Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic. # Only one side of forehead wrinkles doesn't form? Facial paralysis early sign, check before it's too late. Have you ever experienced looking in the mirror in the morning or absentmindedly making a facial expression, only to notice that **one side of your forehead wrinkles don't form?** Have you ever experienced one side of your face looking expressionless or unmoving, or water accidentally leaking from one side of your mouth while drinking? Many people brush this off or think it's a temporary phenomenon due to fatigue. However, this could be an early sign of facial paralysis, also known as Guanwasa (口眼喎斜). Facial paralysis is a condition that suddenly appears out of nowhere, causing significant inconvenience and psychological distress in daily life. In particular, the symptom where wrinkles do not form on one side of the forehead is one of the characteristic findings of peripheral facial paralysis caused by facial nerve damage. 💡 **Key Answer** Top 3 most common causes for the symptom **one side of forehead wrinkles doesn't form**: ① Facial nerve inflammation due to viral infection / ② Immune system decline due to overwork and stress / ③ Autonomic nervous system imbalance Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic approaches this with **autonomic nervous system stabilization** treatment, restoring neural balance and enhancing facial nerve recovery. ## Why don't forehead wrinkles form on one side? Is it because of facial paralysis? Yes, exactly. The inability to form wrinkles on one side of the forehead is a very important early sign of facial paralysis. Our face has 12 pairs of cranial nerves, among which the 7th cranial nerve, the facial nerve, is responsible for facial muscle movement. When problems occur in this nerve, facial muscles become paralyzed, resulting in asymmetry. In particular, symptoms such as the absence of wrinkles on one side of the forehead, failure to close the eye completely, and drooping of one corner of the mouth mostly correspond to 'peripheral facial paralysis'. This is often caused by inflammation or damage to the facial nerve itself rather than a problem in the brain itself. Conversely, central facial paralysis is caused by brain lesions such as stroke, in which case forehead wrinkles are usually preserved. If sudden facial paralysis is accompanied by other neurological symptoms such as headache, dizziness, or limb paralysis, it is important to visit the emergency room immediately to check for central facial paralysis. ## Why does facial paralysis happen? 3 common causes Bell's palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome are representative causes of facial paralysis. Bell's palsy refers to cases where the clear cause is not identified, accounting to 60-75% of all facial paralysis. Ramsay Hunt syndrome is caused by herpes zoster virus infection, and besides facial paralysis, it can be accompanied by pain around the ear, blisters, hearing loss, and dizziness. The root causes of facial paralysis are mainly discussed as the following three: 1. **Facial nerve inflammation due to viral infection:** Various viruses such as herpes simplex virus or varicella-zoster virus invade the facial nerve, causing inflammation, which causes the nerve to swell and become damaged, resulting in paralysis. 2. **Immune system decline due to overwork and stress:** Extreme stress, excessive workload, irregular lifestyle habits, etc., lower immunity. When immunity weakens, dormant viruses become active or the body becomes vulnerable to external viruses, creating an environment prone to facial nerve inflammation. 3. **Autonomic nervous system imbalance:** Stress and overwork affect our body's autonomic nervous system. When the sympathetic nervous system is excessively hyperactive, blood circulation is impaired, causing microvessels around the nerve to constrict, which hinders nutrient and oxygen supply to the facial nerve and induces nerve damage. Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic Incheon Branch approaches facial paralysis treatment by considering these complex causes. ## How does oriental medicine treatment help facial nerve paralysis recovery? Early treatment right after the onset of facial paralysis is very important. The acute phase where nerve damage progresses (usually within 72 hours of onset, up to 2 weeks) is called the 'golden time', and appropriate treatment during this period helps increase management rates after treatment and minimize sequelae. In Oriental medicine, facial paralysis is not viewed simply as a muscle problem, but is treated by focusing on the overall circulation of Qi and blood and the balance of the autonomic nervous system. In particular, it focuses on relieving nerve system overload caused by immune decline and stress. **Effects of Oriental facial paralysis treatment confirmed by recent clinical research** In the largest-scale domestic study by the research team at Kyung Hee University Hospital, published in the 2025 'Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare', the safety of combination therapy with steroids and herbal medicine was confirmed in 1,076 patients who visited the facial nerve paralysis center from 2011 to 2020. In this study, 270 patients who visited within 7 days of onset and received inpatient collaborative intensive treatment showed high recovery rates of 67% at 2 months, 78% at 3 months, and 92% at 6 months after treatment. This is significantly higher than the general facial paralysis recovery rate (67-71%), suggesting that oriental complex treatment including herbal medicine has a positive effect on facial paralysis recovery. In addition, the 'Herbal medicine evaluation for reimbursement-based facial palsy (HERB-FP)' study published on PubMed in 2025 analyzed 3,927 facial paralysis patients using South Korean health insurance claims data from 2020 to 2024. As a result of the study, 49.2% of patients who received herbal medicine treatment showed symptom improvement, and the overall adverse event rate was low at 1.76%, showing that herbal medicine can be a safe and effective treatment option. Based on these real-world clinical data, the researchers concluded that herbal medicine is useful in treating facial paralysis. Based on these data, Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic Incheon Branch helps patients with facial paralysis recover quickly through oriental treatments that help regenerate damaged facial nerves, reduce inflammation, and enhance the body's overall recovery capacity. ## Dalimchae's autonomic stabilization treatment: Treating the root of facial paralysis Many facial paralysis patients feel frustrated when they hear there are no special abnormalities in examinations or when symptoms do not improve despite medication. Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic focuses on autonomic nervous system imbalance, the root of symptoms. The autonomic nervous system is an important nervous system that regulates all unconscious functions of our body. When the balance of the autonomic nervous system collapses due to stress, overwork, lack of sleep, etc., the brain cannot rest and overheats, lowering immunity, which increases the vulnerability of the facial nerve and can induce paralysis or delay recovery. Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic's autonomic stabilization treatment proceeds with the following principles. Lowering the heat of the nervous system and creating an environment where the brain can rest — in Oriental medicine, this is called Suseunghwagang (水昇火降) — maximizes the body's natural healing power. Herbal medicine formulated tailored to individual constitution and symptoms alleviates inflammation around the facial nerve and improves blood circulation to help regenerate damaged nerve. In addition, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, electroacupuncture, and moxibustion treatments relieve tension in paralyzed facial muscles and activate nerve function, contributing to restoring facial movement. In particular, the oriental complex treatment of Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic Incheon Branch is carried out across the entire process from acute inflammation management to chronic sequelae prevention, aiming beyond simple symptom relief to recurrence prevention and healthy daily life recovery. ## Could I be in the early stages of facial paralysis? Self-checklist If 3 or more of the following questions apply to you, careful observation and consultation may be needed as it may be an early stage or risk group of facial paralysis. * ( ) When looking in the mirror in the morning, wrinkles on one side of the forehead do not form. * ( ) When drinking water or brushing teeth, water or food leaks from one side of the mouth. * ( ) The eye does not close well, or a gap remains even when closed. * ( ) Tears do not flow from the paralyzed eye, or conversely, continue to flow. * ( ) Pain is felt behind the ear or on the face. * ( ) The sense of taste for food has become dull. * ( ) You become exceptionally sensitive to sounds, or a ringing sound is heard in the ear (tinnitus). * ( ) The face feels swollen and dull. * ( ) Recently experienced excessive stress, overwork, or lack of sleep. **Criteria:** * **1-2 items apply:** May be an early sign of facial paralysis; autonomic management is needed. * **3-4 items apply:** Susppected stage of facial paralysis. Precise examination and consultation at an Incheon facial paralysis clinic are recommended. * **5 or more items apply:** Immediate review of oriental complex treatment is needed. Consult professional medical staff at Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic Incheon Branch. --- ### **Q. How long does facial paralysis treatment take?** A. The treatment duration for facial paralysis varies depending on the patient's symptom severity, onset timing, and health status, but usually acute phase requires 2-4 weeks of intensive treatment, and full recovery may take about 2-3 months. Starting early treatment leads to faster recovery and lower risk of sequelae. ### **Q. Can facial paralysis be managed after treatment with oriental medicine?** A. Oriental medicine treatment is effective in helping facial paralysis recovery and minimizing sequelae. In particular, it focuses on damaged nerve regeneration, immunity enhancement, and autonomic balance recovery, aiming for recovery close to post-treatment management. However, complete post-treatment management may vary depending on the patient's condition. ### **Q. Can the symptom of one-sided forehead wrinkles not forming get better naturally?** A. Some mild facial paralysis improves naturally, but this is very rare. If left unmanaged without appropriate treatment, sequelae may remain or recovery time may be prolonged, so seeking immediate professional medical care upon initial symptoms is important. ### **Q. Are headaches or dizziness accompanied by facial paralysis treated together?** A. Yes, facial paralysis is often accompanied by headaches or dizziness. Since Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic Incheon Branch's autonomic stabilization treatment manages the nervous system imbalance causing facial paralysis, accompanied headaches or dizziness are also often improved together. --- Changes in the face such as **one side of forehead wrinkles doesn't form** are important signals sent by the body. You no longer need to ignore the body's signals sent for a long time. When approached in the right direction, the body responds faster than you think. Bring the symptoms you are experiencing as they are. Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic will find the cause together. Where life blooms. Herbal medicine is Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic. Check symptoms similar to yours first through Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic homepage AI consultation! Medical Supervision | Brain & Autonomic Nervous System Treatment Standard: Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic Incheon Branch Oriental Medical Doctor Min Jihong (Facial Paralysis Column)