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The human face has about 20 flat skeletal muscles, also known as craniofacial muscles, that lie underneath the skin and control facial movements. These muscles are essential for chewing and making facial expressions, such as smiling, pouting, or raising eyebrows in surprise. They are located around facial openings like the mouth, eyes, nose, and ears, and stretch across the skull and neck. The facial muscles can be categorized into several groups, such as the auricular muscles around the ears, the buccolabial muscles around the mouth, and the orbital, nasal, and oral groups of muscles involved in facial expressions. These muscles receive signals from the brain via the facial nerve, allowing us to perform various tasks, from chewing our favorite foods to expressing emotions through facial gestures.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of facial muscles | 20 flat skeletal muscles on each side of the face, totalling around 40 muscles |
| Location | Underneath the skin of the face and scalp, around facial openings (mouth, eyes, nose, and ears) or stretching across the skull and neck |
| Functions | Chewing, making facial expressions, talking, singing, whistling, and adding emphasis to vocal communication |
| Types | Facial expression (mimetic) muscles and mastication muscles |
| Innervation | Branches of the facial nerve (CN VII) |
| Blood supply | Facial artery |
| Appearance | Striated (striped) red and white due to the presence of elastic fibres that allow them to contract |
| Examples of facial expression muscles | Frontalis, corrugator supercilii, procerus, orbicularis oculi, orbicularis oris, buccinator, levator labii superioris, levator anguli oris, depressor anguli oris, mentalis, and risorius |
| Examples of mastication muscles | Lateral pterygoid, masseter, and buccinator |
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What You'll Learn
Facial muscles enable facial expressions and chewing
The human face has about 20 flat skeletal muscles, also known as craniofacial muscles, that control facial movements and expressions and enable functions such as chewing. These muscles are located anywhere behind the skin of the face, from the scalp above the forehead down to the skin on the neck. They are positioned around facial openings, such as the mouth, eyes, nose, and ears, and stretch across the skull and neck.
Facial muscles are essential for chewing, or mastication, and making facial expressions. The lateral pterygoid, a fan-shaped muscle, helps the jaw open, while the masseter muscle, which runs from the cheek to the jaw, helps the jaw close. The buccinator muscle, located in the cheek, holds the cheek toward the teeth and prevents food from passing to the outer surface of the teeth during chewing. The risorius muscle, located around the oral commissure, pulls the corners of the mouth directly outward. The depressor anguli oris muscle, also known as the triangularis, pulls down on the corner of the mouth and works with other muscles to produce a frown. The mentalis muscle, located in the chin, helps control the lower lip and enables movements such as protruding the lower lip or pouting.
The muscles of facial expression can be categorized into three groups: orbital, nasal, and oral. The orbital group contains muscles associated with the eye socket, such as the orbicularis oculi muscle, which surrounds the eye socket and extends into the eyelid, and the corrugator supercilii muscle, which depresses the eyebrows. The nasal group is associated with movements of the nose and the surrounding skin. The oral group includes muscles such as the orbicularis oris, which is the main muscle of the lips, and the buccinator, which compresses the cheek. These muscles enable movements such as smiling, frowning, and raising eyebrows in surprise.
The facial muscles receive signals from the brain via the facial nerve (CN VII) and work together to control the parts of the face. They are essential for everyday functions, including chewing, smiling, and talking.
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Facial muscles are part of the skeletal system
The human face has around 20 flat skeletal muscles, also called craniofacial muscles, that lie underneath the skin of the face and scalp. These muscles are part of the skeletal (or musculoskeletal) system and are essential for chewing, making facial expressions, and performing other tasks. They originate from bone 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.
The facial muscles can be broadly categorized into three groups: orbital, nasal, and oral. The orbital group contains two muscles associated with the eye socket: the palpebral part gently closes the eyelids, the lacrimial part is involved in draining tears, and the orbital part tightly closes the eyelids. The corrugator supercilii is a much smaller muscle located behind the orbicularis oculi, and it depresses the eyebrows. The nasal group is associated with movements of the nose and the surrounding skin. The oral group, or buccolabial muscles, controls the shape and movements of the mouth and lips.
The muscles involved in chewing (muscles of mastication) include the lateral pterygoid, a fan-shaped muscle that helps the jaw open, and the masseter, which helps the jaw close. The buccinator muscle, also known as the 'trumpeter muscle', puffs out the cheeks and prevents food from passing to the outer surface of the teeth during chewing.
The muscles of the face work together to control the various parts of the face, allowing for a wide range of facial expressions, such as smiling, pouting, or raising eyebrows in surprise. The facial nerve (CN VII) innervates the facial expression muscles, while the trigeminal nerve's mandibular division (CN V3) innervates the muscles of mastication.
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Facial muscles are controlled by the brain
The human face possesses around 20-30 muscles on each side, including the ears, mouth, forehead, nose, and eyes. These facial muscles, also called craniofacial muscles, are part of the skeletal system and are responsible for two major tasks: chewing (or masticating) and making facial expressions.
The facial muscles of expression outnumber the mastication muscles and are considered extensions of the face's superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS). The SMAS runs from the neck platysma to the galea aponeurotica and temporoparietal fascia under the scalp. The frontalis muscle, for example, raises the eyebrows, while the corrugator supercilii depresses the eyebrows and causes vertical frown lines. The procerus muscle causes horizontal wrinkles at the nasal root. The orbicularis oculi sphincter muscles close the eyes, depress the brows, and produce "crow's feet" wrinkles at the eyes' corners.
The mentalis is an unpaired chin muscle that permits lower lip protrusion, while the platysma muscles are large sheets in the neck that may aid with lower lip depression. The auricular muscles around the ears allow some people to move their ears. The buccolabial muscles, such as the buccinator and depressor anguli oris, are involved in shaping the mouth and producing expressions such as smiles, pouts, and frowns.
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Facial muscles are categorised by location
The human face has around 20 flat skeletal muscles on each side, which are categorised by location. These muscles are essential for chewing, making facial expressions, and performing other tasks. They can be found anywhere behind the skin of the face, from the scalp above the forehead down to the neck.
The muscles of the face can be broadly divided into three groups: orbital, nasal, and oral. The orbital group of facial muscles contains two muscles associated with the eye socket: the orbicularis oculi and the corrugator supercilii. The former surrounds the eye socket and extends into the eyelid, and the latter is a much smaller muscle located behind the orbicularis oculi.
The nasal group of facial muscles are associated with movements of the nose and the skin surrounding it. The oral group of facial muscles, or the buccolabial group, are responsible for the movements of the mouth and lips. They are also involved in singing and whistling, and they add emphasis to vocal communication. There are 11 of these muscles, including the orbicularis oris, the buccinator, and various smaller muscles.
The muscles around the mouth and lips include the buccinator, a thin muscle in the cheek that holds it toward the teeth; the depressor anguli oris, which is on the side of the chin and works with other muscles to produce a frown; and the levator labii superioris, which can enable smiling or showing disgust. The mentalis is a chin muscle that helps control the lower lip.
The auricular muscles are around the ears and allow some people to move their ears. The platysma muscles are large sheets in the neck that produce vertical bands during contraction and may aid with lower lip depression.
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Facial muscles can be rehabilitated
The human face has about 20 skeletal muscles, which are responsible for two major tasks: chewing and making facial expressions. These muscles are located throughout the face, including the ears, mouth, forehead, nose, and eyes. They run underneath the skin, from the scalp down to the neck.
The efficacy of FMEs for facial rejuvenation is controversial, with most previous studies relying on nonquantitative assessment tools. However, some researchers have concluded that these exercises effectively reduce wrinkles and sagging skin. For example, studies have shown a significant mean improvement in patient satisfaction after skin treatments such as hyaluronic acid and intense-pulsed light therapy. Additionally, specific facial muscles can be targeted for rehabilitation, such as the zygomaticus major, which is the most commonly replaced muscle in facial reanimation surgery.
Facial rehabilitation strategies are also employed for patients with facial nerve injuries or facial paresis. The degree of nerve injury determines the recovery of the facial muscles, and treatments can include neuromuscular reeducation and patient-centered approaches.
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Frequently asked questions
Facial muscles, also called craniofacial muscles, are a group of about 20 flat skeletal muscles that lie underneath the skin of the face and scalp. They are responsible for two major tasks: chewing and making facial expressions.
The muscles involved in chewing (muscles of mastication) are the lateral pterygoid, a fan-shaped muscle that helps your jaw open, and the masseter, a muscle that runs from your cheek to the side of your jaw and helps your jaw close.
The muscles involved in making facial expressions include the buccolabial muscles (in and around your mouth), auricular muscles (around your ears), and the orbicularis oculi sphincter muscles (surrounding the eye socket and extending into the eyelid).
