Victor Forge
The facial muscles are a group of about 20 flat skeletal muscles that lie just under the skin of the face and scalp. They are the only muscles that attach to the dermis. These muscles are also called mimetic muscles, as they control facial expressions. They originate from the bones or fibrous structures of the skull and radiate to insert on the skin. When they contract, the skin moves, creating expressions such as smiling, grinning, frowning, winking, and raising an eyebrow.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of facial muscles | Almost 20 |
| Type of muscles | Flat skeletal muscles |
| Location of muscles | Underneath the skin of the face and scalp |
| Origin of muscles | Bones or fibrous structures of the skull |
| Insertion of muscles | Skin |
| Control | Facial expressions |
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What You'll Learn
Facial muscles are the only muscles that attach to the dermis
The facial muscles are different from the skeletal muscles of the rest of the body. In the face, many of the skeletal muscles attach directly to the skin or to other skeletal muscles – not to tendons or bones. This means that a tiny contraction in one of the facial muscles will pull the skin of your face and therefore change your expression.
The specific location and attachments of the facial muscles enable them to produce movements of the face, such as smiling, grinning and frowning. They are also essential to chewing.
The frontal belly elevates the eyebrows and skin of the forehead, creating an expression of surprise. When its nuchal attachment is fixed, the occipital part retracts the scalp.
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Facial muscles attach directly to the skin
The facial muscles are a group of about 20 flat skeletal muscles lying just under the skin of the face and scalp. They are the only muscles that attach to the dermis. Facial muscles attach directly to the skin, or to other skeletal muscles, rather than to tendons or bones. They generally originate from the surface of the skull bone, or rarely, the fascia, and insert on the skin of the face. When they contract, the skin moves, creating facial expressions.
The specific location and attachments of the facial muscles enable them to produce movements of the face, such as smiling, grinning, frowning, winking, grimacing, and raising an eyebrow. The frontal belly, for example, elevates the eyebrows and skin of the forehead, creating an expression of surprise. The occipital part, on the other hand, retracts the scalp when its nuchal attachment is fixed.
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Facial muscles are flat and lie underneath the skin
The facial muscles are a group of about 20 flat skeletal muscles lying underneath the skin of the face and scalp. They are also called mimetic muscles and are the only muscles that attach to the dermis. They are just under the skin (subcutaneous) muscles that control facial expression.
Facial muscles are different from the skeletal muscles of the rest of the body. In the face, many of the skeletal muscles attach directly to the skin or to other skeletal muscles – not to tendons or bones. This means that a tiny contraction in one of the facial muscles will pull the skin of your face and therefore change your expression. Because of this unique feature, you can produce countless different expressions, from grinning to smiling, winking, grimacing, raising an eyebrow and so on.
Most facial muscles originate from the bones or fibrous structures of the skull and radiate to insert on the skin. They 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. They are also important for chewing and making facial expressions.
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Facial muscles originate from the skull bone
The facial muscles are a group of striated skeletal muscles supplied by the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII) that, among other things, control facial expression. These muscles are also called mimetic muscles. They are only found in mammals, although they derive from neural crest cells found in all vertebrates. They are the only muscles that attach to the dermis.
The facial muscles are just under the skin (subcutaneous) muscles that control facial expression. They generally originate from the surface of the skull bone (rarely the fascia), and insert on the skin of the face. When they contract, the skin moves. In contrast to the other skeletal muscles in the body, the facial muscles attach directly to the skin or to other skeletal muscles – not to tendons or bones. This means that a tiny contraction in one of the facial muscles will pull the skin of your face and therefore change your expression.
The facial muscles, also called craniofacial muscles, are a group of about 20 flat skeletal muscles lying underneath the skin of the face and scalp. Most of them originate from the bones or fibrous structures of the skull and radiate to insert on the skin. The facial muscles are positioned around facial openings (mouth, eye, nose and ear) or stretch across the skull and neck. Thus, these muscles are categorised into several groups. 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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Facial muscles are supplied by the facial nerve
The facial muscles are a group of about 20 flat skeletal muscles lying just under the skin of the face and scalp. They are supplied by the facial nerve, also known as the seventh cranial nerve (CN VII), which emerges from the pons of the brainstem. The facial nerve controls the muscles of facial expression and functions in the conveyance of taste sensations from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue. It also provides motor innervation of facial muscles, parasympathetic innervation of the glands of the oral cavity and the lacrimal gland, and sensory innervation of the anterior two-thirds of the tongue.
The facial muscles are the only muscles that attach to the dermis. They generally originate from the surface of the skull bone or fibrous structures of the skull and insert on the skin of the face. When they contract, the skin moves, creating facial expressions. This is different from the skeletal muscles of the rest of the body, which attach to tendons or bones.
The facial nerve has several terminal branches, including the temporal, zygomatic, buccal, marginal mandibular and cervical branches. The facial nerve penetrates the parotid gland, but it doesn't innervate it; instead, the gland is innervated by the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX). The facial nerve supplies the flat skeletal muscles of the face and scalp, the stapedius muscle of the middle ear, the posterior belly of the digastric muscle, and the stylohyoid muscle.
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Frequently asked questions
Muscles attach to skin via the dermis.
Muscles that attach to skin are found in the face, where they control facial expressions.
Muscles that attach to skin are called craniofacial muscles or mimetic muscles.
Craniofacial muscles attach directly to the skin or to other skeletal muscles. When they contract, they pull the skin of your face and change your expression.
