Symptoms

Common symptoms of hemifacial spasm include twitching or contracting of muscles in the face that are usually:

• On one side of the face
• Uncontrollable
• Painless

These contractions often start in the eyelid, then may progress and affect the cheek and mouth on the same side of the face. At first, hemifacial spasms come and go. But eventually, usually over the course of several months to a few years, they occur almost constantly.

Occasionally, hemifacial spasms may occur on both sides of the face. However, the twitching doesn't occur on both sides of the face at the same time.