# Iatrogenic Facial Nerve Palsy Following Dermatologic Cryotherapy: A Case Report and Prognostic Insights

## TL;DR

A 68-year-old patient developed facial nerve palsy after cheek cryosurgery but fully recovered in 8 weeks, suggesting a temporary nerve injury from cold exposure.

## Contribution

The paper proposes neurapraxia as the likely mechanism for cryotherapy-induced facial nerve palsy, based on a case and sports injury literature.

## Key findings

- A patient fully recovered from facial nerve palsy 8 weeks after cryosurgery.
- Neurapraxia is suggested as the probable cause of cryotherapy-induced nerve damage.
- Cold application in sports injuries supports the proposed pathomechanism.

## Abstract

Facial nerve palsy is most commonly idiopathic, but it can also result from infections, inflammatory and cerebrovascular disorders, tumors, and trauma. We report the case of a 68-year-old patient who developed iatrogenic facial nerve palsy subsequent to dermatological cryosurgery on the right cheek. Remarkably, a full recovery occurred within 8 weeks. Drawing upon the promising outcome of this case and the existing literature on neuropathies linked with cold application in sports injuries, we propose neurapraxia as the probable pathomechanism underlying cryotherapy-induced nerve damage.