Justin Bieber has shared his diagnosis of Ramsay Hunt syndrome in a video that showed his partially paralysed face.
The star has postponed three shows - a week of his Justice World Tour - due to suffering from the rare condition.
In a video posted on social media, Justin revealed on Friday how the illness had frozen his facial muscles and said it was 'pretty serious'.
Justin said his face had become fully paralysed on one side after a rare virus attacked the nerves in his ear.
"Been getting progressively harder to eat which has been extremely frustrating. Please pray for me," he wrote, adding a tear emoji.
Although Ramsay Hunt syndrome is rare, it's caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox.
Read on for a rundown of the illness afflicting Justin Bieber...
What is Ramsay Hunt syndrome?
Ramsay Hunt syndrome occurs in people who have had chickenpox.
After recovering from chickenpox, the virus stays in your body and can sometimes reactivate and cause shingles, a painful rash with fluid-filled blisters.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one of your ears.
It causes two main symptoms - one of which is a painful red rash with fluid-filled blisters on, in, or around one ear.
The second sign is facial weakness or paralysis on the same side of the affected ear.
What causes Ramsay Hunt syndrome?
The illness can occur in anyone who has had chickenpox, although it's more common in older adults aged over 60 and rare in children.
Reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus - which also causes shingles - can cause chickenpox in people who haven't had chickenpox or been vaccinated for it.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome isn't contagious. Even so, it's advised these groups avoid physical contact with people whose rash blisters haven't scabbed over:
- Anyone who's never had chickenpox or who's never had the chickenpox vaccine
- Anyone who has a weak immune system
- Newborns
- Pregnant women
The infection can be serious for people with immune system problems.
What signs does Justin Bieber have?
In a shocking update, the 28-year-old reported that he's unable to control half his face.
He said: "It is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear in 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, so there's full paralysis on this side of my face."
Justin showed how one side remained frozen while he attempted to smile, blink, and move his face.
He added: "So for those who are frustrated by my cancellations of the next shows, I'm just physically, obviously not able of doing them. This is pretty serious as you can see."
"I wish this wasn't the case but obviously my body is telling me I gotta slow down.
"I hope you guys understand, and I'll be using this time to just rest and relax and get back to 100% so I can do what I was born to do. But in the meantime, this ain't it."
The singer shared that he's been doing facial exercises in a bid to regain movement and needed time to recover.
He added: "We don't know how much time it is going to be but it's going to be okay, I have hope and I trust God. I trust it is all for a reason. I'm not sure what that is right now but in the meantime I am going to rest."
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