Dominic Stone
The human face has 20 main facial muscles, also known as craniofacial muscles, which are essential for chewing and making facial expressions. These muscles are just under the skin and control facial expressions. They originate from the surface of the skull bone and insert on the skin of the face. When they contract, the skin moves.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of muscles | 20 |
| Type of muscles | Flat skeletal muscles |
| Location | Underneath the skin of the face and scalp |
| Origin | Bones or fibrous structures of the skull |
| Insertion | Skin |
| Function | Control facial expressions, chewing |
| Nerve supply | Facial nerve (cranial nerve VII) |
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What You'll Learn
- The human face has 20 main facial muscles, or craniofacial muscles
- These muscles are essential for chewing and making facial expressions
- Facial muscles are also called mimetic muscles and are only found in mammals
- They are the only muscles that attach to the dermis
- Facial muscles are supplied by the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII)
The human face has 20 main facial muscles, or craniofacial muscles
The facial muscles are supplied by the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII), with each nerve serving one side of the face. They are the only muscles that attach to the dermis. They are also called mimetic muscles and are only found in mammals, although they derive from neural crest cells found in all vertebrates.
The facial muscles are positioned around facial openings (mouth, eye, nose and ear) or stretch across the skull and neck. They are categorised into several groups, including the masticatory muscles, which are supplied by the mandibular nerve, a branch of the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V).
The platysma is supplied by the facial nerve. The specific location and attachments of the facial muscles enable them to produce movements of the face, such as smiling, grinning and frowning.
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These muscles are essential for chewing and making facial expressions
The human face has 20 main facial muscles, also known as craniofacial muscles, which are essential for chewing and making facial expressions. These muscles are just under the skin (subcutaneous) and control facial expressions. They originate from the surface of the skull bone and insert on the skin of the face. When they contract, the skin moves.
Facial muscles are supplied by the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII), with each nerve serving one side of the face. They are the only muscles that attach to the dermis. These muscles are also called mimetic muscles and are only found in mammals, although they derive from neural crest cells found in all vertebrates.
Facial muscles are positioned around facial openings (mouth, eye, nose and ear) or stretch across the skull and neck. The specific location and attachments of the facial muscles enable them to produce movements of the face, such as smiling, grinning and frowning.
An inability to form facial expressions on one side of the face may be the first sign of damage to the nerve of these muscles. Damage to the facial nerve results in facial paralysis of the muscles of facial expression on the involved side. Paralysis is the loss of voluntary muscle action; the facial nerve has become damaged permanently or temporarily. This damage can occur with a stroke, Bell palsy, or parotid salivary gland cancer (malignant neoplasm) because the facial nerve travels through the gland.
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Facial muscles are also called mimetic muscles and are only found in mammals
The human face has 20 main facial muscles, also known as craniofacial muscles. These muscles are striated skeletal muscles supplied by the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII) that control facial expressions. They are also called mimetic muscles and are only found in mammals, although they derive from neural crest cells found in all vertebrates. Facial muscles are just under the skin (subcutaneous) and generally originate from the surface of the skull bone. When they contract, the skin moves, causing wrinkles at right angles to the muscles' action line.
Facial muscles are the only muscles that attach to the dermis. They are positioned around facial openings (mouth, eye, nose and ear) or stretch across the skull and neck. The specific location and attachments of these muscles enable them to produce movements of the face, such as smiling, grinning and frowning. In humans, they typically begin forming around the eighth week of embryonic development.
An inability to form facial expressions on one side of the face may be the first sign of damage to the nerve of these muscles. Damage to the facial nerve results in facial paralysis of the muscles of facial expression on the involved side. Paralysis is the loss of voluntary muscle action and can occur with a stroke, Bell palsy, or parotid salivary gland cancer, as the facial nerve travels through the gland.
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They are the only muscles that attach to the dermis
The human face has 20 main facial muscles, also known as craniofacial muscles, which are essential for chewing and making facial expressions. These muscles are just under the skin (subcutaneous) and control facial expressions. They generally originate from the surface of the skull bone and insert on the skin of the face. When they contract, the skin moves. These muscles are the only muscles that attach to the dermis.
Facial muscles are supplied by the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII), with each nerve serving one side of the face. They are also called mimetic muscles and are only found in mammals, although they derive from neural crest cells found in all vertebrates. In humans, they typically begin forming around the eighth week of embryonic development.
The facial muscles are positioned around facial openings (mouth, eye, nose and ear) or stretch across the skull and neck. They are categorised into several groups based on their location and attachments. The specific location and attachments of the facial muscles enable them to produce movements of the face, such as smiling, grinning and frowning.
An inability to form facial expressions on one side of the face may be the first sign of damage to the nerve of these muscles. Damage to the facial nerve results in facial paralysis of the muscles of facial expression on the involved side. Paralysis is the loss of voluntary muscle action and can occur with a stroke, Bell palsy, or parotid salivary gland cancer.
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Facial muscles are supplied by the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII)
The human face has 20 main facial muscles, or craniofacial muscles, which are essential to chewing and making facial expressions. These muscles are just under the skin and control facial expression. They generally originate from the surface of the skull bone and insert on the skin of the face. When they contract, the skin moves.
The facial muscles are supplied by the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII), which controls the muscles of facial expression and functions in the conveyance of taste sensations from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue. The nerve typically travels from the pons through the facial canal in the temporal bone and exits the skull at the stylomastoid foramen. It arises from the brainstem from an area posterior to the cranial nerve VI (abducens nerve) and anterior to cranial nerve VIII (vestibulocochlear nerve).
The facial nerve also supplies preganglionic parasympathetic fibres to several head and neck ganglia. The digastric and stylohyoid branches of the facial nerve carry motor fibres to the respective muscles. The facial nerve pierces the parotid gland and bifurcates into superior (temporofacial) and inferior (cervicofacial) trunks, which further give rise to its five terminal branches.
The facial nerve is associated with the derivatives of the second pharyngeal arch. Motor functions include the muscles of facial expression, posterior belly of the digastric, stylohyoid and stapedius muscles. Sensory functions include a small area around the concha of the external ear. Special sensory functions include providing special taste sensation to the anterior two-thirds of the tongue via the chorda tympani. Parasympathetic functions include supplying many of the glands of the head and neck, including the submandibular and sublingual salivary glands.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the face has muscles.
There are 20 main facial muscles, also known as craniofacial muscles.
Facial muscles control facial expressions, such as smiling, grinning and frowning. They are also essential for chewing.
Facial muscles are just under the skin of the face and scalp. They generally originate from the surface of the skull bone and insert on the skin of the face.
Facial muscles are striated skeletal muscles. They are the only muscles that attach to the dermis.
