Right in the middle of a very successful world tour, this Friday, Justin Bieber uploaded a video on his Instagram profile sharing the sad news he’s had to cancel some shows. The reason is he’s been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, a condition that has affected some of the nerves of his face causing partial paralysis.
Though at first fans were furious Bieber had canceled the rest of his shows, after seeing the video, thousands have shown their support and well wishes for his recovery. Bieber demonstrated on the video how half of his face is currently paralyzed and explained that he can’t sing and perform. Doctors advised him to take some rest and carry out face therapy to recover mobility.
Justin Bieber told his fans he’s doing everything to get better and recover from the disease:
“I’m going to get better. I’m doing all these facial exercises to get my face back to normal, and it will go back to normal. It’s just time. We don’t know how much time it will be but it’s going to be okay. I have hope and I trust God. I trust that this is all for a reason and I’m not sure what that is right now, but in the meantime, I’m going to rest.”
What is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome?
Bieber explained that he has “this syndrome called Ramsay Hunt syndrome. And it is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves and has caused my face to have paralysis.” This syndrome is a rare neurological disorder whose main symptom is facial paralysis or palsy that can present a rash in the ear or the mouth.
In some cases, Ramsay Hunt Syndrome does present some ringing in the ears and hearing loss. This condition is caused by a virus called varicella-zoster, which is the same one that causes chickenpox and herpes zoster. In most cases, the virus remains dormant for years until it’s reactivated and spreads through the face nerves causing palsy, which is likely what happened to Justin Bieber.
Although it’s rare, the common treatment for Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is antiviral medication mixed with corticosteroids. Also, it’s recommended physical face therapy to recover from paralysis. In some cases, it’s recommended to see an eye doctor to prevent corneal injury. This is because paralysis can cause patients the inability to close the eye properly.