The Health Condition That Changed Sarah Palin's Daughter's Face

"Teen Mom OG" star Bristol Palin, who is also the daughter of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, has confirmed the real reason why she has been suffering from facial paralysis. In a series of Instagram posts, Bristol has revealed that she has been diagnosed with Bell's palsy, and that the disorder was brought on by intense stress. 

Bristol uploaded a series of videos to her Instagram Stories, chronicling the worsening condition of her face. In the videos, the reality TV personality's lips appear to be swollen and leaning to one side. "I woke up nine days ago with a little weird sensation in my face," Bristol stated in one of the videos (via Page Six). "My mouth was pulling this way, and it just felt a little off." On camera, Bristol explained how she awoke with an uncomfortable feeling in her mouth, and when she checked herself out in the mirror, she realized that her face was not looking normal, and things only got worse. "Within a couple of hours, the entire left side of my face was numb and just paralyzed," the politician's daughter added. "I couldn't really blink my eye, definitely had no movement on the side of my face. So crazy."

In another video, Bristol explains that there has been swelling to her face for almost a year. "If anyone's wondering, today's day 323 of my face being paralyzed ... not looking great," she said (via People). 

After Bristol Palin revealed the tragic details that she has Bell's palsy, the TV personality has stated that she plans to have Botox injected into her left eye to treat the issue. According to the UNC School of Medicine, Botox is a common way to treat Bell's palsy. "Botox works by blocking release of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which is what nerves use to tell muscles to contract, or tighten," the school's official website states. "Botox relaxes muscles which are too tight and can prevent involuntary facial movements, or synkinesis."

Palin also said on Instagram Stories that she was taking steroids for her facial condition, and that helped a great deal, but she is not done with treatment and thinks Botox is the endgame. While this may be a hard thing to experience, Palin is taking the diagnosis in stride. The former teen mom turned TV personality is trying to see the bright side in this difficult time in her life, stating on Instagram that she will no longer judge or critique the way she looks after this ordeal with her health is over. "[When I feel insecure], I am gonna remember this and just be so thankful for a normal functioning face because this has been wild," Palin said, showing that people take their health for granted when criticizing their own healthy bodies.