Symptoms of the disease 

At the very beginning, the painful attacks may be moderate and of short duration (a few seconds). As it progresses, the disease progresses, leading to exacerbation of pain and an increase in the duration and frequency of attacks. There is no pain between each attack. Over time, these periods of remission, which can last for several months or years, become shorter and shorter.

Facial neuralgia is characterized by:

• One-sided, sharp painful bursts of flash (on only one side of the face), extremely intense, similar to electric shocks, a crushing or a tearing, which appear at the level of the lips, jaw, gums, play,  du chin and more rarely on the forehead. Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes;
• Pain most often spontaneous, but which can also occur on contact with a particular area of ​​the face (called the trigger area) (trigger zone) or in certain circumstances: smiling, talking, blowing your nose, shaving, brushing your teeth, chewing food, smoking, consuming coffee or alcohol, or in the event of stress, drafts or cold.
• Pain so intense that the patient has to stop his activity. Each painful attack is followed by a refractory period of several minutes during which the trigger zone remains silent, allowing the affected person to resume his activity.
• Repeated painful attacks similar to electric shocks, recurring at short intervals (about a hundred attacks per day in the most severe cases).
• The possibility of bilateral involvement, alternately affecting each side of the face. A situation that remains rare.
• Painful periods that can last for days, weeks, months, or even years.

Risk factors

Prevention

There is no known way to prevent the onset of facial neuralgia.