Justin Bieber Reveals That He Is Suffering From A "Full Paralysis" On One Side Of His Face Due To Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
Justin Bieber has been touring across the world performing in various cities, but he posted an update on his Instagram today explaining that he has to take a little break from his work in order to deal with a recent health issue.
In April, model Hailey Bieber opened up about a scary experience she had with a blood clot that arose from three different factors: birth control, coronavirus, and a long airplane ride in which she didn't move around much. She's doing fine now and has fully recovered, but her husband Justin Bieber just opened up about his own health issues that he's currently facing.
Justin Bieber Reveals That He Is Suffering from Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
Today, Justin Bieber posted a short video on his Instagram explaining that he has to take a break from his tour and unfortunately needs to cancel some of his upcoming shows.
"Obviously as you can probably see from my face, I have this syndrome called Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, and it is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves," Justin explained. "It has caused my face to have paralysis."
As he's talking in the camera, it's clear that one side of his face isn't moving at all. "As you can see, this eye is not blinking," he said as he pointed to the right side of his face. "I can't smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move. There's full paralysis on this side of my face."
He apologized to his fans for having to cancel the shows, but he said he's "not physically capable" and his condition is "pretty serious." Justin said his body is telling him to slow down and rest.
"I love you guys. Thanks for being patient with me," he continued. "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." He said it will take time to heal, but they're not quite sure how much time it will take.
Ramsay Hunt Syndrome usually occurs to people who have had the chickenpox, but once you recover the virus stays in your body, later reactivating to cause shingles and a painful rash around the ear, face, or mouth. The virus infects a nerve in the head, resulting in paralysis on one side of the face. It's similar to Bell's Palsy, but patients with Ramsay Hunt are said to have a more severe paralysis and are less likely to recover completely.
A study published in September 2021 found a connection between Ramsay Hunt Syndrome and the mRNA coronavirus vaccine. The report read that the risk is low, but it is certainly possible to contract this syndrome from the vaccine. Justin didn't mention his vaccination status, but one can only assume he is fully vaccinated considering how he has been present at many press events that require the jab.
Yet another study found that a 37-year-old previously healthy man was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome after receiving the coronavirus vaccine. Two days after the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, he lost hearing and complained of facial palsy and tongue numbness. The study concluded that this was a rare case, though.
It's far too early to say that Justin's health issues are stemming from the vaccine. In the meantime, he says he is going to rest and allow his body to heal while he takes a break from touring.