Dominic Stone
The human face has around 20 skeletal muscles on each side, which are essential for chewing and making facial expressions. These muscles are located around the mouth, eyes, nose, and ears, stretching across the skull and neck. They originate from bone or fascia and attach to the skin, enabling movements such as smiling, grinning, and frowning. These muscles are commonly known as mimetic muscles or muscles of facial expression. They are innervated by the facial nerve (CN VII) and vascularized by the facial artery. The specific attachments of these muscles vary depending on their location and function, such as the depressor anguli oris, which depresses the corner of the mouth, and the orbicularis oculi, which surrounds the eye socket and controls blinking and winking.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of facial muscles | 20-30 |
| Muscle groups | Orbital, nasal, oral, buccolabial, mimetic, mastication |
| Muscle functions | Chewing, making facial expressions, whistling, singing, speaking, playing wind instruments |
| Muscle attachments | Originate from bone or fascia, attach to skin |
| Muscle locations | Forehead, nose, mouth, eyes, ears, neck, scalp |
| Innervation | Facial nerve (CN VII), temporal nerve, zygomatic nerve, buccal branch of the facial nerve, trigeminal nerve |
| Vascularization | Facial artery, superior labial branch of the facial artery, infraorbital branch of the maxillary artery, buccal branch of the maxillary artery |
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What You'll Learn
Facial muscles are attached to the skull bone and facial skin
The human face has about 20 facial muscles on each side, which are essential for 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 facial muscles involved in chewing are the lateral pterygoid, masseter, medial pterygoid, and temporalis. These muscles help with opening and closing the jaw. The muscles that control facial expressions can be divided into groups based on their location on the face. For example, the orbital group contains muscles associated with the eye socket, while the nasal group includes muscles that move the nostrils and upper lip.
The muscles of the mouth, or the buccolabial group, form a functional compound that controls the shape and movements of the mouth and lips. These muscles include the risorius, which pulls the angles of the mouth upwards and laterally to produce a smile, and the levator anguli oris, which elevates the angles of the lips. The depressor anguli oris, on the other hand, depresses the angle of the mouth, contributing to expressions of sadness or anger.
The facial muscles originate from bone or fascia and insert into the skin. They are the only group of muscles that insert into the skin. By contracting, they pull on the skin and create facial movements.
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They are innervated by the facial nerve (CN VII)
The human face has about 20 facial muscles on each side, which are essential for chewing and making facial expressions. These muscles are innervated by the facial nerve, also known as cranial nerve 7 or CN VII. The facial nerve is a nerve in the head that sends signals from the brain to the face and vice versa. It controls several muscles in the face, allowing us to smile, frown, wrinkle our nose, and raise our eyebrows.
The facial nerve has two parts: the proper facial nerve, which contains motor and general somatic afferent components, and the intermediate nerve, which carries sensory and parasympathetic visceromotor components. The facial nerve also provides special taste sensations to the anterior two-thirds of the tongue via the chorda tympani branch. The chorda tympani 'hitchhikes' on the lingual nerve, providing taste sensation to the tongue.
The facial nerve has five branches with distinct motor functions:
- Frontal (temporal) branch: Controls the forehead muscles.
- Zygomatic branch: Helps with closing the eyes.
- Buccal branch: Allows movement of the nose, blinking, raising the upper lip, and smiling.
- Marginal mandibular branch: Draws the lower lip down and travels through the middle ear to the stapedius muscle, aiding the inner ear in responding to loud noises.
- Cervical branch: Controls the platysma muscle in the neck, allowing movement in the chin and the lower corners of the mouth.
The facial nerve also has sensory nerve fibres that play a role in hearing. They provide innervation to the ear canal, tympanic membrane (eardrum), and outer ear (pinna).
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Facial muscles are categorised into several groups
The human face has about 20 facial muscles, also called craniofacial muscles, that are essential for chewing and making facial expressions. These muscles are categorised into several groups based on their location and function.
The first group is the buccolabial muscles, which are found in and around the mouth. They include the buccinator, a thin muscle in the cheek that holds it toward the teeth, and the depressor anguli oris, which is on the side of the chin and works with other muscles to produce a frown. The buccolabial group also includes the depressor labii inferioris, which controls movement in the lower lip, and the levator anguli oris, which helps to form a smile. The risorius, or the "smiling muscle", is also part of this group, as it pulls the angles of the mouth upwards and laterally to produce a smile. The levator labii superioris and the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi are also muscles that enable smiling. The former can also be used to show disgust, while the latter opens the nostrils and lifts the upper lip. The mentalis, located towards the centre of the chin, helps control the lower lip, and the orbicularis oris closes the lips.
The second group is the auricular muscles, which are found around the ears. These muscles allow some people to move their ears.
The third group is the nasal muscles, which include the nasalis, depressor septi, and dilator naris. The nasalis produces vertical "bunny lines" on the nasal sidewalls when a person snarls, and the depressor septi pulls down the nasal tip when the upper lip moves. The dilator naris flares the nostrils.
The facial muscles are innervated by the facial nerve (CN VII) and vascularised by the facial artery.
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They are responsible for facial expressions and chewing
The human face has about 20 main facial muscles, also called craniofacial muscles, that are responsible for facial expressions and chewing. 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.
Facial muscles are innervated by the facial nerve (CN VII) and vascularized by the facial artery. They originate from bone or fascia and insert into the skin, pulling on it to create facial movements. These muscles are typically paired, with one on the left side of the face and one on the right.
The muscles involved in chewing, or mastication, include the lateral pterygoid, masseter, medial pterygoid, and temporalis. The lateral pterygoid is a fan-shaped muscle that helps open the jaw, while the masseter, medial pterygoid, and temporalis help close the jaw. The buccinator muscle, innervated by the buccal branches of the facial nerve, also plays a role in mastication by compressing the cheek against the molar teeth and preventing them from being bitten during chewing.
The muscles that control facial expressions can be divided into groups based on their location in the face. The orbital group contains two muscles associated with the eye socket: the orbicularis oculi and the corrugator supercilii. The orbicularis oculi has three parts—palpebral, lacrimal, and orbital—and is responsible for closing the eyelids. The corrugator supercilii is a smaller muscle located behind the orbicularis oculi that draws the eyebrows together, creating vertical wrinkles on the bridge of the nose when frowning.
The nasal group includes muscles such as the nasalis, depressor septi, and dilator naris. The nasalis produces "bunny lines" on the nasal sidewalls when a person snarls, while the depressor septi pulls down the nasal tip when the upper lip moves. The dilator naris flares the nostrils.
The oral group of muscles controls the movements of the mouth and lips and includes the risorius, zygomaticus major and minor, levator anguli oris, depressor anguli oris, and buccinator. The risorius, zygomaticus major and minor, and levator anguli oris work together to elevate the corners of the mouth and produce a smile. The depressor anguli oris, also known as the triangularis, pulls down the corners of the mouth, contributing to expressions of sadness or anger. The buccinator, in addition to its role in mastication, is important for playing wind instruments or whistling as it allows for the control of air release.
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Facial muscles can be involved in clinical cases
The human face has about 20 facial muscles on each side, responsible for essential tasks like chewing and making facial expressions. These muscles are located around the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and forehead, stretching across the skull and neck. They are typically paired, with one on each side of the face.
In addition, excessive tone in the depressor anguli oris muscle can cause the corners of the mouth to turn downwards, leading to a chronically angry appearance. This condition can be treated with botulinum toxin injections. Furthermore, damage to the facial nerve can cause facial palsy, resulting in shortened and tightened muscles on the affected side, which can be addressed through specific passive stretches and facial rehabilitation.
The zygomaticus major muscle, which is involved in smiling, is the most commonly replaced muscle in facial reanimation surgery. However, for a more natural result, additional rehabilitation of upper lip elevation and lower lip depression is recommended. The buccinator muscle, which compresses the cheek during mastication, is also functionally involved in oral activities like whistling, playing wind instruments, deglutition, chewing, blowing, and sucking.
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Frequently asked questions
The facial muscles are located throughout the face, including the ears, mouth, forehead, nose, and eyes. There are about 20 facial muscles on each side of the human face, which attach to different places on the skull. These muscles originate from bone or fascia and insert into the skin.
The corrugator supercilii is a small muscle located deep in the eyebrows that pulls the eyebrows together and creates vertical wrinkles on the bridge of the nose when frowning. The depressor anguli oris is a triangular muscle that pulls down on the corner of the mouth, contributing to expressions of sadness or anger. The buccinator muscle compresses the cheek against the molar teeth and prevents them from being bitten during chewing.
The facial muscles are responsible for two major tasks: chewing (or mastication) and making facial expressions. They produce various movements, such as smiling, grinning, and frowning, and are commonly referred to as mimetic muscles.
