A multidisciplinary approach is necessary in the treatment of facial paralysis. At the Facial Paralysis Institute in Beverly Hills, we utilize a systematic approach to reconstruct facial movement and restore a dynamic smile. For patients with facial paralysis and/or synkinesis who are unable to effectively smile after non-surgical treatment options, such as Botox and physical therapy, selective neurolysis is the most advanced treatment option. It’s a surgical procedure that involves the surgeon releasing the platysma muscle and decreasing nerve activity in the nerves that counteract the smile mechanism, so that the mouth can once again turn upward, restoring the patient’s ability to smile.