# Tickling sensation on cheek **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 21, 2019, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tickling-sensation-on-cheek/843760 "2019-11-21T07:05:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tickling-sensation-on-cheek/843760/1 "2019-11-21T07:05:19Z")
I have a sensation centered near the bottom of my left cheek, though it extends to underneath the chin, to the back of the neck, and almost to the shoulder. The sensation is hard to describe; it might be a little like a (mild) “pins and needles” feeling; it’s a soft fuzzy feeling, a little like tickling or an itch. It is not really unpleasant or even annoying, but I do wonder what it is a symptom of. I may have occasionally had this sensation for many years, but now it is very frequent. It isn’t constant but comes every few minutes. I am 70-yo male. Any ideas? Or suggestions for Googling terms? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tickling-sensation-on-cheek/843760/2 "2019-11-21T07:09:36Z")
Facial nerves are cray-cray. Ever had Bell’s Palsy. I ain’t any kind of medical person. Just a WAG. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tickling-sensation-on-cheek/843760/3 "2019-11-21T07:16:35Z")
People are too quick to rule out ghosts. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tickling-sensation-on-cheek/843760/4 "2019-11-21T07:41:00Z")
That sounds like a paresthesia (altered sensation) but a doctor would have to examine you to find out for sure. Over the past few years, I’ve had an intermittent “cold spot” at the base of my right shoulder blade, and saw my doctor when it first appeared because I feared that it might be shingles. It wasn’t, thank heavens. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tickling-sensation-on-cheek/843760/5 "2019-11-21T11:43:35Z")
Thanks for the replies. “Minor problem with facial nerve” sounds much more benign than my own paranoid hypochondriac musings! ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tickling-sensation-on-cheek/843760/6 "2019-11-22T01:23:33Z")
I get something similar with migraines. There are also types of facial neuralgia that can cause this. Do you notice any other symptoms with this? Is your face more sensitive in that area? Any vision changes? Mouth pain? Trouble swallowing? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2019, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tickling-sensation-on-cheek/843760/7 "2019-11-25T13:02:34Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > … Do you notice any other symptoms with this? Is your face more sensitive in that area? Any vision changes? Mouth pain? Trouble swallowing? I sometimes have trouble swallowing; I think I’ve mentioned that here in IMHO. Dopers and Google led me to think that was a routine effect of aging; but the doctor I mentioned it to (while pursuing a different problem) thought it might be cancer and wanted to do some sort of scoping. The difficulty swallowing — which has forced me to vomit 2 or 3 times — manifests mainly when trying to read a book while eating! :smack: If instead I pay attention and avoid large bites, I’m fine.