By: Annie Huang

On June 11th, pop star Justin Bieber revealed that he had been diagnosed with a rare condition known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome. The announcement came after he postponed three shows on his 2022 Justice World Tour to recover.

Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is a condition named after an American neurologist: Dr. James Ramsay Hunt, who first documented the condition in 1907. The condition is responsible for chickenpox and remains in the body even after the person has fully recovered. It usually causes no symptoms but even so, a weakened immune system or emotional stress can sometimes reactivate the condition.

As a result, it can lead to what is known as shingles. Shingles causes painful rash and blisters, which last for three to five weeks. It typically attacks a single area of the body, but in some cases, the virus attacks the facial nerve, causing it to swell and become irritated. This is called Ramsay Hunt syndrome. The symptoms include blisters around the ear or on the roof of the mouth and some individuals also experience hearing loss and vertigo.

On a recent Instagram video, Justin Bieber explains to fans that his Ramsay Hunt syndrome attacks his facial nerves and attacks the nerves in his ear. Due to this, his face sometimes becomes paralyzed. In the video, Justin Bieber states, “It is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves, and has caused my face to have paralysis. As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move.”

Luckily, there is a treatment to a full recovery from Ramsay Hunt syndrome. According to the British charity Facial Palsy UK, around 70 percent of those who have received the treatment within three days of developing symptoms have fully recovered. For those who choose to wait longer, the rate drops to about 50 percent.

Fortunately for Justin Bieber, he has been resting and undergoing the best medical care.

He told others, “I’m gonna get better. I’m doing all these facial exercises to get my face back to normal – and it will go back to normal,” the young musician said. “It’s just time, and we don’t know how much time that’s going to be.”

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