I have long been an advocate of aesthetically blessed sports people treating us to photos of themselves with super cute small animals and Julian Edelman is latest to indulge us with this treat.
Other ways facial palsy affects my life:
Make up is difficult enough as it is without a wonky face. I was lucky enough to get some make up tips from a couple of experts recently which I thought I would share.
Complexion:
We've all seen the tutorials for contouring which look like a complex jigsaw in varying shades and are quite frankly terrifying. Contouring does not have to be that complicated. A swipe of bronzing powder below the cheekbone can do the trick on it's own. If one cheekbone appears lower than the other, simply swipe the bronzer slightly higher to give the appearance that the cheekbone itself is higher.
You can also add a highlighter on the cheekbone, again adjust the positioning to balance the face.
Eyebrows:
My eyebrows are not only different heights but also arch differently. Start by getting a brow pencil (any will do) and fill in the brows trying to match them up as much as possible, be it lengthening one, adding more of an arch to the other. At this stage it might look odd as you might not be used to filling them in. Once you've pencilled out a shape you're happy with pluck any stray hairs around the edges. Just remember no ones eyebrows will perfectly match :)
You can also use things like highlighters or concealers to give the illusion that the lower brow is sitting higher. Try putting a bit of the highlighter or brightening concealer under the lower brow to bring more light to it.
Eye make up:
For opening up eyes, highlighting the tear duct area, and using a light coloured eyeliner really help. Curling your eyelashes is also a great way to open up the eye.
My eyeshadow never looks even, which is a problem shared by one of the beauty experts I spoke to as one of her eyelid folds seems a little more hooded than the other. If you are going for something subtle something matte will help diffuse light and the lack of eyeshadow on one lid won't be as prominent. For something more dramatic, just make sure you are checking how much eyeshadow is visible with your eyes open looking straight in the mirror. It might be that you bring the eyeshadow higher on one eye which will give the illusion of symmetry.
Pinterest is a great place to get tips on identifying eye shape and eye makeup to suit this https://uk.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=eyeshadow%20shape It might be a case of doing your eye shadow slightly differently on each eye to give the effect that it is the same.
Eating and drinking with facial palsy:
Eating without dribbling and drinking out of cups is something most people take for granted after about the age of 2, but with facial palsy it's not that easy.
Living with facial pain:
Anybody who knows me knows how much I love football. Unfortunately football is played outside in the winter. After my second episode when I was 21, my face became sensitive to the cold and it got worse after my third episode. Spending any amount of time outside when it was cold caused agonising pain. Sitting outside for 2 hours to watch a game of football was not going to happen.
I was prescribed medication to help with the nerve pain because it was stopping me from sleeping but I could only take them at night as they made me really drowsy. When it was windy was the worst, and made my whole face feel like it had seized up.
When I finally got seen by a specialist, 11 years after I first developed facial palsy, and started a programme of physiotherapy and Botox to help manage the synkenesis and hypertonicity things started to improve. After 3 years of treatment, I only sometimes get facial pain and it's not the agonising pain that it was, and although the cold still makes my face feel tight, I can now sit outside for 2 hours every other week to watch the football - which is mostly a good thing!
Life with unexpected facial expressions:
Life with a unique smile:
Life with an eye that doesn't blink:
It's the first ever Facial Palsy Awareness Week from 1-7 March #FPAW. Over the next 7 days you will read 7 statements on here that describe the effects of facial palsy. You will read them and then you can forget them. Those affected by this condition cannot forget, they live with this daily. This condition can hit any one of us, from small babies to the elderly, at any time with no warning. There are no nationally funded trials investigating causes or treatments for facial paralysis. Many people are denied treatment because it is deemed purely 'cosmetic'. I'd like you to read my statements over the next 7 days and decide for yourself whether this condition should simply be disregarded as cosmetic.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
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For my oral in English Language GCSE, in 1999, we had to prepare a presentation about something that mattered to us. I decided to teach my class about Robert Hamill. It was a story that broke my heart then and has stuck with me every since. Sorting through some old things today I found what I had written, folded safely in a poly pocket with a news clipping from the time with a picture of Robert with his two young sons.