Facial tingling is usually caused by problems with nerves in the face. Sometimes the nerves may be pinched or pressured in some way. In some cases, the tingling can even be caused by chemical issues in the body that lead to nervous system malfunctions. Many different factors can cause these kinds of nerve problems, including everything from disease to dietary choices, injuries, and even emotional issues.
On a mechanical level, there is a particular set of nerves that usually gets the blame when it comes to tingling in the face. The main nerve is called the trigeminal nerve, and it connects the brain to several other facial nerves. If any of these nerves suffer some kind of distress, including pressure from inflammation or any number of other things, facial tingling could potentially develop. For example, if someone were struck in the face, this could cause inflammation and swelling, which could result in facial tingling.
Sometimes nutrition choices can cause chemical imbalances in the body that can trigger facial tingling. The human nervous system relies on certain aspects of body chemistry to work properly. Nerves are almost like wires in the sense that they pass electrical signals throughout the body. If the chemical environment is imbalanced in some way, nerves can sometimes function incorrectly by either failing to send signals properly or sending signals at inappropriate times, which can lead to tingling sensations.
Shingles is one of the classic causes of facial tingling. It causes a rash to appear on the body that affects the skin in various ways. Prior to the development of the rash, some people may experience a lack of feeling in their faces or total numbness. Nervous system diseases like multiple sclerosis can also cause facial tingling, but these will usually affect many other nervous system functions.
Another thing that can trigger facial tingling in some people is anxiety. When people have anxiety attacks, they may experience all sorts of physical symptoms, including everything from difficulty breathing to sweating. Some people also feel strange sensations on their bodies, including tingling and shooting pains. When this happens, it’s usually an emotional problem of some kind, and people may need to reduce their daily stress levels or perhaps take psychiatric medicine.
When doctors treat facial tingling, they generally focus on whatever underlying cause is responsible in the person’s case. Sometimes diagnosis can be difficult, partly because it’s not always easy to see what is causing problems with the nervous system. For this reason, the required testing may be extensive and involve everything from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to blood tests.