What are facial tics? How do we recognize them? Are they permanent? Are they contagious? Is there a cure or treatment? What about therapy? These are just a few questions people ask about facial tics. Let us try to answer them and give out information to those who need it…

Facial tics are short, repetitive, involuntary facial spasms that affect the facial muscles and eyes. Some people call them as facial spasms or twitches. The movement often occurs frequently or continuously. Tics occur more in boys than girls, although the reason for this in unknown. Most facial tics affect children between ages 6-7 but in some cases, they occur much earlier like 3 years old. It should also be clear that this medical condition is not contagious. It cannot be passed on from one patient to another.

We can recognize facial tics or spasms when the facial or eye muscles suddenly and repetitively twitch and move and they cannot be consciously controlled by the patients. Since most of those affected are children, the more you remind them of it, the more conscious they become and the worse it gets. Often, facial tics manifest itself by repeated movement of a part of the cheek's, twitching of the nose or around the mouth area, or squinting of the eye. Facial tics actually do not bring pain to the patient.

Some experience short-term tics that last only for a few weeks or months but others have it longer. Often, when facial tics occur in children, they are usually outgrown. Many doctors say that stress can be one of the causes for these involuntary spasms. Since most of the facial tics are in children and are eventually outgrown, there are no particular treatments for this condition. Some doctors would recommend medicines, but it is not the case for superficial tics.

To be able to diagnose a facial tics condition as temporary, it is best to consult a physician. The process of testing a prospective client is not complicated. A doctor would just look and observe a patient and see whether the movements are repetitive and involuntary.