Dominic Stone
The human face has about 20 main facial muscles, which are essential for chewing, making facial expressions, and performing other important daily functions. These muscles are located within the subcutaneous tissue of the face and are the only group of muscles that insert into the skin. They are responsible for controlling movements in the face, such as smiling, pouting, or raising eyebrows in surprise. Facial muscles also play a crucial role in shaping the sound and airstream into recognizable speech. By understanding the various muscles and their functions, actors can learn to isolate specific muscles to eliminate extraneous movement and improve their craft.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of facial muscles | 20 main facial muscles, with 30 muscles on each side of the face |
| Functions | Chewing, making facial expressions, shaping speech |
| Types | Mimetic (facial expression) muscles, mastication (chewing) muscles |
| Muscle Groups | Orbital, nasal, oral |
| Orbital Muscles | Corrugator supercilii (frowning), orbicularis oculi (closing eyelids, draining tears) |
| Nasal Muscles | Nasalis (snarling), depressor septi (pulling down nasal tip), dilator naris (flaring nostrils) |
| Oral Muscles | Buccinator (compressing cheek during chewing), risorius (variable muscle around mouth), mentalis (pouting, shaping lips) |
| Other Muscles | Platysma (in neck, but can aid facial expression), procerus (between eyebrows) |
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What You'll Learn
- The role of the buccinator muscle in whistling and playing wind instruments
- How the mentalis muscle helps shape the lips while drinking?
- The risorius muscle: an inconsistent muscle of the buccolabial group
- The nasal muscle group and their role in respiration
- How the nasalis muscle creates bunny lines on the nasal sidewalls?
The role of the buccinator muscle in whistling and playing wind instruments
The human face has about 20 main facial muscles, which are essential for chewing and making facial expressions. Facial muscles are located throughout the face, including the ears, mouth, forehead, nose, and eyes. They are typically paired, with one on the left side of the face and one on the right.
One of these muscles is the buccinator muscle, which is Latin for "trumpeter". It is the widest and most powerful muscle of the mouth, positioned on a deeper plane compared to the others. It is located on the sides of the mouth within the cheek region and is attached to both jaws. Its fibres extend horizontally towards the mouth's commissures, where they blend with other muscles to form a dense fibromuscular mass called the modiolus.
The buccinator muscle has several functions. Firstly, it compresses the cheek against the molar teeth, preventing the person from biting their cheek while eating. Secondly, it helps to control airflow through the mouth, which is essential for whistling and playing some musical instruments, particularly wind instruments. When air is blown into the mouth, the buccinator muscle contracts to compress the cheeks and expel the air forcefully. This function has earned the buccinator muscle the nickname "trumpeter's muscle".
In addition to the buccinator muscle, other facial muscles also play a role in whistling and playing wind instruments. For example, the orbicularis oris helps to release air from the mouth forcibly, which is necessary for whistling and playing instruments like the trumpet. The levator anguli oris, meanwhile, helps to raise the upper lip and pull it back, exposing the teeth and creating expressions of contempt and disdain.
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How the mentalis muscle helps shape the lips while drinking
The human face has about 20 main facial muscles, which are essential for chewing and making facial expressions. These muscles are typically paired, meaning there is one on the left side of the face and one on the right side.
The mentalis muscle is an unpaired chin muscle that helps control the lower lip. It depresses and everts the base of the lower lip, causing protrusion and eversion. These movements contribute to shaping the lips while drinking and creating facial expressions to convey feelings of sadness, contempt, and doubt.
The mentalis muscle is responsible for depressing, or pulling down, the lower lip. This movement is important when drinking, as it helps to guide the liquid into the mouth and prevent spills. The mentalis muscle also helps to evert the lower lip, which means it turns the lip outward. This eversion helps to create a seal between the lips and the container, further preventing spills.
In addition to its functional role in drinking, the mentalis muscle also contributes to facial expressions. By depressing and everting the lower lip, it can help convey feelings of sadness, contempt, or doubt. This muscle is often activated when we pout, as the lip protrusion and eversion associated with pouting are similar to the movements made while drinking.
The mentalis muscle is just one of many facial muscles that contribute to our daily activities and expressions. These muscles work together to produce a wide range of movements and emotions, showcasing the complexity and adaptability of our facial anatomy.
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The risorius muscle: an inconsistent muscle of the buccolabial group
The human face has about 20 main facial muscles on each side, which are essential for chewing and making facial expressions. These muscles are typically paired, meaning there is one on the left side of the face and one on the right side.
The risorius muscle is a highly variable and inconsistent muscle of the buccolabial group. It is deemed the 'smiling muscle' as its contraction pulls the angles of the mouth laterally and slightly superiorly, producing a smile. The risorius muscle ranges in form from one or more slender bundles to a wide yet thin fan. It may be absent in a significant minority of people and may be asymmetrical. It is superficial to the masseter muscle, partially overlying it. The risorius muscle is innervated by the buccal branch of the facial nerve (CN VII) and vascularized by the superior labial branch of the facial artery.
The risorius muscle's function is to aid in facial expression by pulling the corner of the mouth laterally via its contraction in an outward and upward motion. In conjunction with other facial muscles, this helps to create a smile or a frown, and myriad other expressions in between. The risorius muscle, along with its arterial supply, arises from the second pharyngeal arch mesoderm, which forms approximately during the fourth week of gestation. The motor and sensory innervation to the risorius come from the facial and trigeminal nerves, respectively. The risorius muscle receives its arterial blood supply via the facial artery and the transverse facial artery at its origin.
The risorius muscle is believed to be unique to African apes and humans. It arises from several origin points that may include the fascia of the parotid gland, fascia of the masseter and platysma muscles, and occasionally the zygomatic arch. The fibres of the risorius converge medially and course horizontally towards the angles of the mouth, where they blend with other facial muscles to create the modiolus.
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The nasal muscle group and their role in respiration
The human face has about 20 main facial muscles, which are essential for chewing and making facial expressions. These muscles are responsible for controlling movements like smiling, pouting, or raising eyebrows in surprise. They are located throughout the face, including the ears, mouth, forehead, nose, and eyes. The facial nerve (cranial nerve or CN VII) innervates the facial expression muscles.
The nasal muscle group includes the nasalis, procerus, and depressor septi muscles. These muscles are primarily involved in creating facial expressions, such as wrinkling the nose in response to a bad smell, or widening the nostrils when flaring the nostrils. The nasalis muscle, in particular, is responsible for the "'bunny lines' that appear on the nasal sidewalls when a person snarls. The procerus muscle pulls the medial angle of the eyebrows downward, wrinkling the skin over the bridge of the nose.
In addition to their role in facial expressions, the nasal muscles also contribute to respiration. The nasal cavity, which houses these muscles, is the most cephalic part of the respiratory tract. It is divided into two separate cavities by the septum, and each cavity has a roof, floor, medial wall, and lateral wall. The respiratory region of the nasal cavity serves to humidify, warm, filter, protect, and eliminate debris from the air we breathe. As air passes through the nasal cavity, it warms to body temperature and reaches near-100% humidity.
The nasal muscles help regulate the size of the nostrils and, by extension, control airflow through the nasal cavity. For example, the alar part of the nasalis muscle widens the nares (nostrils) and elongates the nose, while the depressor septi pulls down the nasal tip. The dilator naris flares the nostrils, and the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi muscle, which some sources consider part of the nasal muscle group, also contributes to widening the nostrils.
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How the nasalis muscle creates bunny lines on the nasal sidewalls
The human face has about 20 main facial muscles, which are essential for chewing and making facial expressions. Facial muscles are located throughout the face, including the ears, mouth, forehead, nose and eyes. They are typically paired, meaning there is one on the left side of the face and one on the right side.
The nasalis is a small muscle found on each side of the dorsum of the nose. According to its point of origin, it consists of two parts: the alar and transverse parts. The alar part is found in the area of the nostrils, while the transverse part is found in the area over the dorsum of the nose. The nasalis is part of the nasal muscle group, which also includes the procerus muscle. These muscles are primarily involved in creating facial expressions, but they also contribute to respiration.
When the nasalis muscle contracts, it can create vertical "bunny lines" on the nasal sidewalls. These lines are formed when a person snarls, laughs, smiles, or grimaces. While these expressions are normal, the lines can become etched in the skin as a person ages, giving the impression of anger or disgust, especially when the face is at rest.
Botox injections can be used to treat bunny lines by relaxing the nasalis muscle, blocking nerve signals that allow the muscle to contract, and stopping the lines from forming. With a few injections, the bunny lines can smooth away, resulting in a more pleasant and youthful appearance.
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Frequently asked questions
The levator anguli oris, levator labii superioris, and levator labii superioris alaeque nasi muscles help us smile.
The depressor anguli oris, depressor labii inferioris, and corrugator supercilii muscles are responsible for frowning.
The orbicularis oculi muscle, which is divided into three parts, is responsible for closing the eyelids. The palpebral part closes the eyelid, the orbital part closes the eyelids, and the lacrimal part drains tears.
The oral muscles, which include the orbicularis oris, buccinators, depressor anguli oris, levator anguli oris, risorius, zygomaticus major and minor, levator labii superioris, levator labii superioris alaeque nasi, depressor labii inferioris, and mentalis muscles, are responsible for moving the lips and mouth.
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