Involuntary facial contractions, mild

You may have Trigeminal neuralgia ( Tic Douloureux , Facial Pain). Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition of recurring pain on one side of the face due to a malfunction of one or more of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve. To read
more please click the link below:

http://canada.medbroadcast.com//condition_info_details.asp?disease_id=132&dowhat=accept_disclaimer

Please click the green accept button if my answer is helpful to you. A positive feedback rating and a bonus would be encouraging. If you have any further questions please feel free to ask. Take care , Dr.Yetimyan.

No.   

I appreciate your prompt response; however do not accept your answer because....I do not have any pain in my face at all. This is like a spasm and almost reminds me of a seizure or something. Please advise

Dear Debra,
I feel that you maybe suffering HFS (hemifacial spasm). Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is characterized by tonic and clonic contractions of the muscles innervated by the facial nerve of the same side. It is important to distinguish this from other causes of facial spasms, such as

• psychogenic facial spasm,
  
• facial tic,
• facial myokymia,
  
• blepharospasm,
  
• and tardive dyskinesia.
  

Tests needed for management include

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  
• and angiography studies frequently demonstratevascular compression of the root exit zone of the facial nerve.

Importantly, an underlying space-occupying lesion needs to beexcluded in patients with associated atypical features suchas facial numbness and weakness.
TREATMENT OPTIONS : Botulinum toxin injection tothe facial muscles is an effective treatment for HFS.
Patients with HFS usually present at between 40 and 50 years of age (this goes with your age), also it affects predominantly women, while it is commonly on one side only, it can sometimes be bilateral too!
Read more here
You would need to consult your physician and preferably take a copy of the article that I have linked to, so that they can investigate and start appropriate treatment,

Please ACCEPT the reply (by pressing the GREEN accept button), and give a BONUS if it was useful. If you need more information, just let me know.
Regards
Dr. Gupta

Hi Debra, I coouldn' t answer to you immediately because i was away from my computer for few hours. In your original question you are saying " an involuntary sort of jerking, or spasm, or contraction happens with my face near my mouth that lasts only a mere second " . I thought that there is also pain with it and you didn' t put it down and that should be understood by the person who reads it. Your symptoms fit to the symptoms of Trigeminal Neuralgia or Facial Tic or Tic Douloureux , but if you do not have pain than the problem originates from the different nerve , it becomes Facial nerve instead of Trigeminal Nerve which is one of the the cranial nerve like Trigeminal nerve. So the name of the condition you have is called Hemifacial Spasm and it is painless, intermittent, involuntary, spasmotic contractions of the muscles of only one side of the face. These muscles are innervated by the facial, (or seventh), cranial nerve. The contractions may involve either the upper or lower half of the face. Approximately eighty-five percent of the cases of HFS (Hemifacial Spasm) are caused by a normal artery near the brainstem in an abnormal position. This artery has a loop in it which is pressed up against the facial nerve. With each beat of the heart, blood is forced through this artery which causes the artery to bump up against the nerve. With time, this repeat pressure rubs the insulation off the nerve. This injury to the nerve causes it to fire abnormal impulses thereby causing the involved facial muscles to contract involuntarily. Rarely HFS can be caused by other conditions such as tumors, vascular malformations, multiple sclerosis, adhesions, or bony skull deformities. One distinguishing feature of HFS is that the involuntary movements persist during sleep.

There are two categories of treatment options available. They are invasive non-surgical and surgical. Invasive non-surgical treatment involves local injections of botulinum toxin (botox) which is typically performed by a neurologist. The toxin is injected into the affected muscles and works by paralyzing or weakening them. This can decrease or completely eliminate the spasm on a temporary basis. Eventually the toxin will wear off and another injection is required. The surgical procedure performed to treat HFS is called a Microvascular Decompression (MVD). The MVD is recommended for patients who are not happy with the results of the botox and are in good health. With this procedure, behind the ear on the affected side, under general anesthesia, the skin is opened and a small piece of bone is removed. Working under the microscope, the neurosurgeon is able to identify the blood vessel that is pressing against the nerve. The surgeon will then move it out of the way by tacking it up away from the nerve with an insulating sponge.

To read more about Hemifacial Spasms( HFS) please click the links below:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/hemifacial_spasm/hemifacial_spasm.htm

http://www.answers.com/topic/hemifacial-spasm

Please click the green accept button if my answer is helpful to you. A positive feedback rating and a bonus would be encouraging. If you have any further questions please feel free to ask. Take care , Dr.Yetimyan.