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The human face has around 30 muscles on each side, or 43 in total, depending on how they are counted. These muscles are striated muscles that link the facial skin to the skull bone, allowing us to perform important daily functions such as eating and expressing emotions. They are divided into several groups, including the oral group, which is responsible for movements of the mouth and lips.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of facial muscles | 43 |
| Number of facial muscles on each side | 30 |
| Number of facial muscles creating movement at the mouth | 11 |
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What You'll Learn
There are 43 muscles in the face
The facial muscles are striated muscles that link the facial skin to the skull bone. They are divided into several groups, including the oral group, which is responsible for movements of the mouth and lips. There are a total of eleven facial muscles that create movement at the mouth, including the levator labii superioris, levator labii superioris alaeque nasi, and risorius muscles.
The facial nerve (cranial nerve or CN VII) innervates the facial expression muscles, while the trigeminal nerve's mandibular division (CN V3) innervates the muscles of mastication. Categorisation of these groups is largely dependent on embryonic origin, which does not always precisely correlate with function.
Bell's palsy is a condition that affects the facial muscles, resulting in temporary paralysis for some individuals. This condition is caused by nerve damage and can be a direct result of a brain tumour, stroke, Lyme disease, or viral infections such as herpes simplex 1, chickenpox, German measles, and mononucleosis.
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These muscles control facial expressions
The human face has around 30 muscles on each side, or 43 in total, which control facial expressions. These muscles are striated muscles that link the facial skin to the skull bone and perform important daily life functions, such as mastication and emotion expression. They are often categorised into facial expression (mimetic) and mastication muscles.
The facial nerve (cranial nerve or CN VII) innervates the facial expression muscles, while the trigeminal nerve's mandibular division (CN V3) innervates the muscles of mastication. Categorising these groups based on innervation makes categorisation largely dependent on embryonic origin, which does not always correlate with function. For example, the oral group of muscles are accountable for movements of the mouth and lips, which are necessary for singing and whistling and give emphasis to vocal communication.
The muscles of the face allow for verbal and non-verbal communication. They are tiny muscles that control facial expressions like smiling, smirking and frowning. The loss of control over facial muscles (or any injury to the face) can be extremely intimidating. There is a condition called Bell’s palsy that affects facial muscles, as a direct result of nerve damage. The dysfunction affects a primary cranial nerve that controls facial muscles, resulting in temporary paralysis for some, but others experience lingering effects that can last several years.
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They are divided into several groups
The human face has around 30 muscles on each side, or 43 in total. These muscles are striated muscles that link the facial skin to the skull bone and allow us to perform important daily functions, such as eating and expressing emotions. They are divided into several groups, including the oral group, which is responsible for movements of the mouth and lips, and the facial expression (or mimetic) group, which is innervated by the facial nerve (cranial nerve or CN VII). The oral group includes muscles such as the levator labii superioris, levator labii superioris alaeque nasi, risorius, levator anguli oris, zygomaticus major and zygomaticus minor. These muscles are necessary for singing and whistling and give emphasis to vocal communication.
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They are striated muscles that link the facial skin to the skull bone
The human face has around 30 muscles on each side, or 43 in total, depending on how they are counted. These are striated muscles that link the facial skin to the skull bone. They are responsible for important daily life functions, such as mastication and emotion expression. They are often categorised into facial expression (mimetic) and mastication muscles. The facial nerve (cranial nerve or CN VII) innervates the facial expression muscles, while the trigeminal nerve's mandibular division (CN V3) innervates the muscles of mastication. Categorising these groups based on innervation makes categorisation largely dependent on embryonic origin, which does not always correlate with function.
The facial muscles are located around facial openings (mouth, eye, nose and ear) or extend over the skull and neck. They are therefore divided into several groups. For example, the oral group is accountable for movements of the mouth and lips. These movements are necessary in singing and whistling and give emphasis to vocal communication. There are 11 facial muscles that create movement at the mouth, including the levator labii superioris, levator labii superioris alaeque nasi, risorius, levator anguli oris, zygomaticus major and zygomaticus minor muscles.
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The facial muscles produce various movements
The human face has around 30 muscles on each side, or 43 in total, depending on how they are counted. These muscles are striated muscles that link the facial skin to the skull bone and allow us to perform important daily functions, such as eating and expressing emotions.
The facial muscles are divided into several groups, including the oral group, which is responsible for movements of the mouth and lips. These movements are necessary for singing and whistling and give emphasis to vocal communication. There are 11 facial muscles that create movement at the mouth, including the levator labii superioris, levator labii superioris alaeque nasi, risorius, levator anguli oris, zygomaticus major and zygomaticus minor muscles.
The facial muscles are also often categorised into facial expression (mimetic) and mastication muscles. The facial nerve (cranial nerve or CN VII) innervates the facial expression muscles, while the trigeminal nerve's mandibular division (CN V3) innervates the muscles of mastication. Categorising these groups based on innervation makes categorisation largely dependent on embryonic origin, which does not always precisely correlate with function.
The muscles of the face allow for verbal and non-verbal communication, providing others with insight into our feelings. The loss of control over facial muscles or any injury to the face can be extremely intimidating. Bell's palsy is a condition that affects the facial muscles, causing temporary paralysis for some, while others experience lingering effects that can last several years.
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Frequently asked questions
Humans have around 30 muscles on each side of the face, meaning there are around 60 in total.
Facial muscles allow us to make facial expressions like smiling, smirking and frowning. They also enable us to communicate verbally and non-verbally.
Damage to the facial muscles can result in temporary paralysis, with lingering effects lasting several years in some cases. This condition is known as Bell's palsy and can be caused by nerve damage, brain tumours, strokes, Lyme disease or viral infections.
