After surgical removal of a benign skull base tumor (acoustic neuroma), this 43-year-old patient suffered complete facial paralysis on the left side. Although the facial nerve had lost its function incurably, at the time of facial reconstruction there was still a functioning mimetic musculature (verifiable by electrical stimulation). In this respect, a nerve transger of a branch of the masticatory muscle nerve in combination with a nerve graft from the lower leg for the eye/nose as well as the corner of the mouth complex could be carried out with timely indication for surgery. Several months postoperatively (right picture) the left half of the face already shows a clear improvement of the muscle tension (tone). A restored nasolabial fold appears. The philtrum (natural vertical "groove" between nose and upper lip) is clearly more centrally positioned due to the reactivation of the mimic musculature. The patient is able to smile almost symmetrically again. The gain in tone of the eye muscles results in a physiologically desired, narrower eyelid aperture comparable to the opposite side. The patient, who as a physiotherapist successfully performed her own postoperative exercise therapy for muscle strengthening herself, still prefers to support the affected half of the face with kinesiotape.