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Humans are capable of making 10,000 unique facial expressions, and the muscles that control these expressions are located within the subcutaneous tissue of the face. There are about 20 flat skeletal muscles that attach to different places on the skull, and they are essential for chewing and making facial expressions. These muscles can be categorised into three groups: orbital, nasal, and oral. The facial nerve (CN VII) innervates the facial expression muscles, while the trigeminal nerve's mandibular division (CN V3) innervates the muscles of mastication. The facial muscles produce various movements, including raising the eyebrows, smiling, frowning, and pouting.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of facial muscles | 20-30 |
| Muscle type | Flat skeletal |
| Muscle location | Underneath the skin of the face and scalp |
| Muscle origin | Bones or fibrous structures of the skull |
| Muscle insertion | Skin |
| Embryonic origin | Second pharyngeal arch |
| Innervation | Facial nerve (CN VII) |
| Blood supply | Facial artery |
| Muscle groups | Orbital, nasal, oral, auricular, buccolabial |
| Muscle functions | Raising eyebrows, smiling, pouting, frowning, opening nostrils, moving lips |
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What You'll Learn
- The human face has around 20-30 muscles on each side, which enable facial expressions
- The facial muscles can be categorised into three groups: orbital, nasal and oral
- The buccolabial muscles are in and around the mouth, helping to produce expressions like frowning and smiling
- The mentalis is an unpaired chin muscle, permitting lower lip protrusion
- The procerus is the most superior of the nasal muscles, producing frown lines
The human face has around 20-30 muscles on each side, which enable facial expressions
The human face has around 20 to 30 muscles on each side, which enable facial expressions. These muscles are known as craniofacial muscles and are flat and skeletal. They are located in the subcutaneous tissue, underneath the skin of the face and scalp, and are responsible for two major tasks: chewing (or masticating) and making facial expressions.
Facial muscles are typically paired, with one on each side of the face. They originate from bone or fascia and insert into the skin. As they contract, they pull on the skin to create facial expressions. These muscles all develop from the second pharyngeal arch, which is why they share the same main source of innervation: the facial nerve.
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, which close the eyelids and depress the brows. The nasal group includes the procerus muscle, which pulls the eyebrows downward to produce transverse wrinkles over the nose, and the depressor septi nasi muscle, which assists in opening the nostrils.
The oral group, or buccolabial muscles, is a broad group of 11 muscles that control the shape and movements of the mouth and lips. These include the levator labii superioris, which assists in elevating and everting the upper lip, and the depressor labii inferioris, which depresses the lower lip. Other oral muscles include the orbicularis oris, which closes the lips, and the buccinator, which compresses the cheek.
These facial muscles work together to enable a wide range of facial expressions, from smiling and grinning to frowning and showing disgust.
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The facial muscles can be categorised into three groups: orbital, nasal and oral
The human face has about 20 facial muscles that enable us to chew and make facial expressions. 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 also found around the facial openings of the mouth, eyes, nose, and ears.
The facial muscles can be categorised into three groups: orbital, nasal, and oral. The orbital group of facial muscles contains two muscles associated with the eye socket. These muscles control the movements of the eyelids, which are important in protecting the cornea from damage. The orbicularis oculi muscle surrounds the eye socket and extends into the eyelid. It has three distinct parts: palpebral, lacrimal, and orbital. If the facial nerve becomes damaged, the orbital muscles will cease to function, and the eye cannot shut, causing the cornea to dry out.
The nasal group of facial muscles are associated with movements of the nose and the skin surrounding it. The procerus is the most superior of the nasal muscles and lies superficially to the other muscles of facial expression. It originates from the nasal bone and inserts into the skin of the lower medial forehead. It pulls the eyebrows downward to produce transverse wrinkles over the nose, which is associated with frowning. The depressor septi nasi muscle assists the alar part of the nasalis in opening the nostrils.
The oral muscles of facial expression are responsible for the movements of the mouth and lips. They are required in singing and whistling and add emphasis to vocal communication. The orbicularis oris is the main sphincter muscle of the lips. It arises from the maxilla and the other muscles of the cheek and inserts into the skin and mucous membrane of the lips. A bilateral contraction of the entire muscle brings the lips together and closes the mouth. The buccinator muscle forms the muscular basis of the cheek, filling the interval between the maxilla and mandible. It is composed of three parts: superior, inferior, and posterior.
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The buccolabial muscles are in and around the mouth, helping to produce expressions like frowning and smiling
The human face has about 20 facial muscles that enable functions such as chewing and making facial expressions. These 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.
The buccolabial muscles are a subgroup of the facial muscles found in and around the mouth. They consist of 11 muscles that control the shape and movements of the mouth and lips. These muscles include the orbicularis oris, which closes the lips, and the buccinator, which compresses the cheek. The buccolabial muscles also include a set of muscles that elevate, depress, and retract the upper and lower lips and corners of the mouth.
The levator labii superioris, for instance, assists other buccolabial muscles in elevating and everting the upper lip, exposing the maxillary teeth, and deepening the nasolabial lines. This action is significant in making facial expressions such as smiling, grinning, and expressing contempt. The risorius, also known as the "smiling muscle," pulls the angles of the mouth laterally and superiorly to produce a smile.
The buccolabial muscles also include the depressor anguli oris, which is involved in frowning, and the levator anguli oris, which helps to produce a smile. These muscles work together with others in the face to enable a wide range of facial expressions.
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The mentalis is an unpaired chin muscle, permitting lower lip protrusion
The human face has about 20 facial muscles that enable us to chew and make facial expressions. These muscles are typically paired, with one on the left side of the face and one on the right side. However, the mentalis muscle is an exception, as it is an unpaired chin muscle located at the tip of the chin.
The mentalis muscle is responsible for lower lip protrusion and controlling the central portion of the lower lip. It originates from the mental protuberance of the mandible near the midline and inserts into the soft tissue and skin of the chin. This muscle causes a weak upward-inward movement of the chin, raising the central portion of the lower lip. In conjunction with the orbicularis oris muscle, which controls the upper lip, the mentalis muscle allows for lip pouting.
The orbicularis oris muscle produces movements of the lips. A bilateral contraction of this muscle brings the lips together and closes the mouth. Isolated contractions of certain parts of the muscle can result in different movements, such as lip pouting, puckering, and twisting, all of which contribute to various facial expressions and facilitate speech.
The mentalis muscle is sometimes referred to as the "pouting muscle" because of its role in raising the lower lip and causing chin wrinkles. This muscle is essential for proper chin and lower lip positioning, and its function can be affected by surgical procedures in this area. For example, in cases of lip incompetence, where the upper and lower lips do not touch at rest, the contraction of the mentalis muscle can restore oral competence, albeit temporarily and with strain.
The facial muscles involved in chewing and making facial expressions can be categorized into three groups: orbital, nasal, and oral. The mentalis muscle falls into the oral group, which includes muscles that control the movements of the mouth and lips. Other oral muscles include the buccinator, which forms the muscular basis of the cheek, and the depressor labii inferioris, which is involved in depressing and everting the lower lip.
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The procerus is the most superior of the nasal muscles, producing frown lines
The human face has about 20 facial muscles that enable us to make facial expressions and chew. These muscles are located anywhere from behind the skin of your face, from your scalp to your neck, and are categorised into three groups: orbital, nasal, and oral.
The procerus muscle is of clinical importance in cosmetic and surgical procedures, such as botulinum toxin injection, injectable fillers, and blepharoplasty. Botulinum toxin is often injected into the glabella, including the procerus muscle, to paralyse its function and prevent cutaneous furrows and associated wrinkling.
The oral muscles of facial expression are responsible for the movements of the mouth and lips, such as smiling, pouting, or raising the eyebrows in surprise. The buccolabial muscles, for instance, are a group of muscles in and around the mouth that control the shape and movements of the mouth and lips.
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Frequently asked questions
There are about 20 facial muscles that enable humans to make 10,000 unique facial expressions.
The facial muscles can be categorised into three groups: orbital, nasal, and oral. The orbital muscles control the eye socket, the nasal muscles control the nostrils, and the oral muscles control the movements of the mouth and lips.
Some examples of oral facial expression muscles include the orbicularis oris, which closes the mouth and enables puckering, pouting, and twisting of the lips, and the buccinator muscle, which forms the muscular basis of the cheek.
Some examples of non-oral facial expression muscles include the procerus, which pulls the eyebrows downward, and the frontalis, which raises the eyebrows.
