Wir überwinden Grenzen

(January 13, 2026) The Medical Center – University of Freiburg has established a new interdisciplinary facial nerve center that offers patients with facial nerve paralysis highly specialized diagnostics and individually tailored therapies – from physical therapy to complex microsurgical operations to restore facial expressions and eyelid closure.

It comes as a real shock to those affected: people with facial nerve paralysis often suddenly find themselves unable to move their facial muscles properly. Smiling, drinking, or closing their eyes becomes impossible or very difficult. At the Medical Center – University of Freiburg, they now have a central point of contact: The newly founded interdisciplinary Facial Nerve Center brings together the experience of all important disciplines and enables patients to receive individually tailored, highly specialized treatment. Diagnostics, therapy planning, and surgical and non-surgical treatments will be coordinated jointly and agreed upon in specialized case conferences.

Facial nerve paralysis is damage to the facial nerve

"Facial nerve paralysis, also known as facial nerve palsy, is usually very stressful for those affected," says Dr. Jakob Weiß, spokesperson for the Facial Nerve Center and senior physician at the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg. "By pooling our expertise in the new Facial Nerve Center, we can also evaluate complex cases in a structured manner and develop individual treatment concepts for patients."

Facial nerve palsy involves damage to the facial nerve, which is responsible for the movement of the facial muscles, among other things. Those affected are often unable to smile, frown, or close their eyes completely. Possible causes include inflammation of the nerve, for example as a result of viral infections, but also injuries, circulatory disorders, or neurological diseases. In many cases, the paralysis occurs suddenly, often overnight. While the facial nerve recovers within months in most patients, a small proportion remain completely paralyzed. "In these cases, we can help those affected with surgery to restore facial expressions or eyelid closure," says Weiß.

Interdisciplinary collaboration

The Medical Center – University of Freiburg is one of Europe's most experienced centers for complex microsurgical reconstruction procedures. Specialists from the fields of plastic surgery, neurology, ophthalmology, neurosurgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and otolaryngology work closely together in the new center. The range of treatments extends from physiotherapy and minimally invasive procedures to highly complex microsurgical interventions – with the aim of restoring functions such as facial expressions and secure eyelid closure as effectively as possible. At the same time, the already extensive research in the field of facial reconstruction and facial paralysis is to be further expanded.

Quality of life regained through targeted procedures

From one day to the next, Anna M. was no longer able to move the right side of her face properly. She found it difficult to drink and was barely able to smile. When the paralysis did not go away after two years, unlike in many other cases, she turned to the Medical Center – University of Freiburg. The cause of the paralysis could not be determined. In a microsurgical operation, the physicians at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg first transplanted a muscle from her thigh to her cheek to restore movement to the corner of her mouth. Further operations on her eye helped to alleviate symptoms such as irritation and problems closing her eyelid. "Thanks to this treatment, I can smile again. It has given me back a large part of my quality of life," says Anna M.

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