Dr Catherine Meller is an Otolaryngologist, Facial Nerve and Facial Reconstructive surgeon. She completed her specialist ENT training through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and graduated with honours from the University of Sydney Medical School.

Although based in the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Dr Meller accepts appointments from anywhere in Australia, and offers both face-to-face appointments and TeleHealth video appointments.

Dr Meller offers cutting-edge facial reconstructive and facial nerve reanimation surgery, having spent 2 years at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, and John Hopkins Baltimore, in the USA. She is trained extensively in medical and surgical aspects of treating patients with facial nerve disorders, skin cancers, functional rhinoplasty and facial concerns including congenital and post-traumatic conditions.

Understanding Facial Palsy and its Treatment

When the facial nerve is damaged, the muscles in the face do not receive the necessary signals from the brain in order to operate properly. This results in the paralysis of the affected part of the face. There are different degrees of facial paralysis: sometimes one side of the face is affected (unilateral facial paralysis) and in some cases both sides of the face are affected (bilateral facial paralysis).

Facial palsy may last for weeks or months and may become permanent. In some cases there are periods of pain and discomfort, and other symptoms such as hearing loss and dizziness are common. The recovery from facial palsy can be slow and some people never fully recover.

Some patients may have problems with muscle spasm and abnormal movements that affect the eye and mouth, called synkinesis. Dr Meller offers a range of treatments for this condition.