Right cheek twitching for female

What is hemifacial spasm?

A spasm is a sudden, involuntary contraction (tightening, or twitch) of a muscle or a group of muscles.

Face twitching near mouth causes

Minor facial twitching

Causes of facial twitching in adults

Hemifacial spasm

Left side of face twitching

Hemifacial means half of the face.

The muscles of the face are all controlled by the facial nerve. The facial nerve is also known as the seventh cranial nerve. There is a facial nerve for each side of the face. It starts deep inside your brain and makes its way past many structures to reach the face.

The facial nerve carries signals from the brain to make your facial muscles contract or relax.

Face twitching near mouth stroke

For example, the facial nerve makes you blink, twitch your nose and pout your lips.

If something presses on the nerve somewhere along its course, it can affect how the signals are carried to the face. This may cause muscles to twitch (or contract), or to go into spasm, when you don't want them to.

More temporary twitches of the muscles of the face are NOT hemifacial spasm.

For example, habit tics and twitches affecting the face, and muscle spasms around the eyes (blepharospasm) are different conditions. In these other conditions both sides of the face are

nerve jumping in face

nerve spasms in face