Ramsay Hunt Syndrome results from the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same virus responsible for chickenpox. The syndrome develops when this dormant virus, present in the immune system of individuals who have previously had chickenpox, becomes active again. Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is a type of shingles that typically affects the facial nerve near one of the ears. The characteristic symptoms of the syndrome appear when VZV reactivates in the facial nerve, a cranial nerve that influences the face, tongue, and inner ear.