What facial muscles work with emotions. Muscles of the head

Chewing muscles... Masticatory muscles include the temporal, masseter, medial and lateral pterygoid muscles. They differentiate from the muscles of the first visceral (jaw) arch. The combined and varied movements of these muscles cause complex chewing movements.

Muscles of the head and neck; side view... 1 - temporal muscle (m. Temporalis); 2 - occipital-frontal muscle (m. Occipitofrontalis); 3 - circular muscle of the eye (m. Orbicularis oculi); 4 - large zygomatic muscle (m. Zygomaticus major); 5 - muscle lifting the upper lip (m. Levator labii superioris); 6 - muscle lifting the corner of the mouth (m. Levator anguli oris); 7 - buccal muscle (m. Buccinator); 8 - chewing muscle (m. Masseter); 9 - muscle lowering the lower lip (m. Depressor labii inferioris); 10 - chin muscle (m. Mentalis); 11 - muscle lowering the corner of the mouth (m. Depressor anguli oris); 12 - digastric muscle (m. Digastricus); 13 - maxillary-hyoid muscle (m. Mylohyoideus); 14 - hyoid-lingual muscle (m. Hyoglossus); 15 - thyroid hyoid muscle (m. Thyrohyoideus); 16 - scapular-hyoid muscle (m. Omohyoideus); 17 - sternohyoid muscle (m. Sternohyoideus); 18 - sterno-thyroid muscle (m. Sternothyroideus); 19 - sternocleidomastoid muscle (m. Sternocleidomastoideus); 20 - front scalene muscle(m. scalenus anterior); 21 - middle scalenus muscle (m. Scalenus medius); 22 - trapezius muscle (m. Trapezius); 23 - muscle lifting the scapula (m. Levator scapulae); 24 - stylohyoid muscle (m. Stylohyoideus)

Muscles of the head and neck; deep layer... 1 - lateral pterygoid muscle(m. pterygoideus lateralis); 2 - buccal muscle (m. Buccinator); 3 - medial pterygoid muscle (m. Pterygoideus medialis); 4 - thyroid hyoid muscle (m. Thyrohyoideus); 5 - sterno-thyroid muscle (m. Sternothyroideus); 6 - sternohyoid muscle (m. Sternolyoideus); 7 - anterior scalene muscle (m. Scalenus anterior); 8 - middle scalenus muscle (m. Scalenus medius); 9 - back scalenus muscle (m. Scalenus posterior); 10 - trapezius muscle (m. Trapezius)

Temporalis muscle begins fan-shaped from the temporal fossa. Converging downward, the muscle fibers pass under the zygomatic arch and attach to the coronoid process of the lower jaw.

Chewing muscle starts from the zygomatic arch and attaches to the outer roughness of the angle of the lower jaw.

The temporal and masseter muscles have dense fascia, which, attaching to the bones around these muscles, form bone-fibrous sheaths for them.

Medial pterygoid muscle starts from the pterygoid fossa of the sphenoid bone and attaches to the internal roughness of the angle of the lower jaw.

All three described chewing muscles raise the lower jaw. In addition, the chewing and medial pterygoid muscles push the jaw forward a little, and the posterior bundles of the temporal muscles - backward. With a unilateral contraction, the medial pterygoid muscle displaces the lower jaw in the opposite direction.

Lateral pterygoid muscle lies in a horizontal plane, starts from the outer plate of the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone and, going backwards, attaches to the neck of the lower jaw. With a one-sided contraction, the muscle pulls the lower jaw in the opposite direction, with a bilateral one - pushes it forward.

Superficial muscles of the head and neck

Mimic muscles develop from the muscles of the second visceral (hyoid) arch. At one end, they start from the bones of the skull, and at the other end they are attached to the skin of the face. These muscles do not have fascia. With their contractions, they displace the skin and cause facial expressions, that is, expressive facial movements.

The facial muscles are grouped around the natural openings of the face, one of which covers the roof of the skull. Participation in the act of speech led to the differentiation of muscles in the area of the mouth, as well as the eyes. In the area of the nose (since a person's sense of smell does not have a leading value) and especially around the ears (since the person has ceased to alert them), muscle reduction has occurred.

The mimic muscles include the supracranial (with the frontal and occipital abdomens); muscle of the proud; circular muscle of the eye, wrinkling eyebrow; circular mouth; muscle that lifts the corner of the mouth; muscle that lowers the corner of the mouth; buccal; muscle that lifts the upper lip; zygomatic; muscle of laughter; muscle that lowers the lower lip; chin; muscle of the nose and muscles of the ear.

Skull and facial muscles

Facial muscles and integuments

Supracranial muscle is mainly represented by a tendon sprain, covering, like a helmet, the roof of the skull. Tendon stretch passes into small muscle abdomens: behind - occipital, attached to the superior nuchal line; in front - in the more developed frontal, woven into the skin of the brow ridges. If the tendon helmet is fixed by the occipital abdomens, then the contraction of the frontal abdomens lays horizontal folds on the forehead and raises the eyebrows. With sufficient development of the abdomen of the supracranial muscle, their contraction sets the scalp in motion.

Muscle of the proud starts from the bridge of the nose and attaches to the skin above the bridge of the nose. By contracting, the muscle forms horizontal folds here.

Circular muscle of the eye is located in the orbit area and is divided into three parts: orbital, secular and lacrimal. The orbital part is formed by the most peripheral muscle fibers; contracting, they close their eyes. The eyelid part consists of fibers embedded under the skin of the eyelids; contracting, they close their eyes. The lacrimal part is represented by fibers surrounding the lacrimal sac; contracting, they expand it, which promotes the outflow of tear fluid into the lacrimal canal.

Eyebrow puckering muscle, starts from the nasal part of the frontal bone, is directed laterally and, piercing the frontal abdomen of the supracranial muscle, attaches to the skin of the forehead in the region of the eyebrows. By contracting, the muscle creates vertical folds on the forehead.

Circular muscle of the mouth is a complex complex muscle fibers that make up the upper and lower lips. It consists mainly of circular fibers and, contracting, narrows the mouth. Several other facial muscles are woven into the circular muscle of the mouth.

Muscle that lifts the corner of the mouth, originates from the canine fossa of the maxillary bone. Going down to the corner of the mouth, it attaches to the skin and mucous membranes and is woven into the circular muscle of the mouth in the lower lip.

Muscle lowering the corner of the mouth, originates from the edge of the lower jaw. Converging in its bundles to the corner of the mouth, it attaches to the skin and is woven into the circular muscle of the mouth in the upper lip.

The last two muscles, contracting at the same time, close the lips.

Buccal muscle lies and thicker than the cheeks. With its upper bundles, it originates from the maxillary bone above its alveolar process, the lower bundles - from the body of the lower jaw below the alveoli, middle - from the jaw-pterygoid suture - the tendon cord connecting the base of the skull with the lower jaw. Heading towards the corner of the mouth, the upper bundles of the buccal muscle are woven into the lower lip, the lower ones into the upper lip, the middle ones are distributed in the circular muscle of the mouth. The main role of the buccal muscle is to resist intraoral pressure. By pressing the cheeks and lips against the teeth, it helps to retain food between the chewing surfaces of the teeth. Adipose tissue accumulates on the buccal muscle, especially in childhood (it determines the roundness of children's cheeks).

Muscle that lifts the upper lip, begins with three heads: from the frontal process and the inferior orbital edge of the maxillary bone and from the zygomatic bone. The fibers go down and are woven into the skin of the nasolabial fold. As they contract, they deepen this fold by lifting and stretching the upper lip and widening the nostrils.

Big zygomatic muscle goes from the zygomatic bone to the corner of the mouth, which pulls up and to the sides when contracting.

Muscle of laughter unstable, a thin bundle stretches between the corner of the mouth and the skin of the cheek. By contracting, the muscle forms a dimple in the cheek.

Muscle lowering the lower lip, starts from the body of the lower jaw deeper and medial to the muscle that lowers the corner of the mouth; ends in the skin of the lower lip, which, with its contraction, pulls down.

Chin muscle starts from the holes of the lower incisors, goes down and medially; attaches to the skin of the chin. With its contraction, the muscle raises and wrinkles the skin of the chin, causing the formation of pits on it, presses the lower lip to the upper one.

The nasal muscle originates from the sockets of the upper canine and external incisor. Two bundles are distinguished in it: narrowing the nostrils and expanding them. The first rises to the cartilaginous dorsum of the nose, where it passes into the common tendon with the muscle of the opposite side. The second, attaching itself to the cartilage and skin of the wing of the nose, pulls the latter down.

Front, top and back muscles ear fit to the auricle and the cartilaginous part of the external auditory canal. Muscles are rarely developed enough to propel the auricle.

Deep muscles faces(A) and neck(B). (Left anterior scalene muscle removed)

The muscles of the head are quite an important topic in the first course of anatomy. It is necessary to know them as an integral part of myology, firstly. And secondly, some of the masticatory and facial muscles will be excellent topographic landmarks for you when you study the vessels and nerves of the head.

Let's start, of course, with the basic classification. All muscles of the head are divided into two groups:

Mimic. First of all, they form the expression of our emotions - facial expressions. Also, facial muscles are involved in some protective reflexes (blinking, for example), and, in part, help articulation;
Chewable. Their main purpose is to control the movements of the lower jaw in order to chew food and open the mouth. Also, the chewing muscles partly help articulation.

Before we proceed to the analysis of each muscle, it is necessary to consider the most important features of the facial muscles, there are three of them.

The facial muscles do not have fascia;
The mimic muscles attach directly to the skin;
The facial muscles are located around the natural openings of the face.

The most convenient procedure for studying facial muscles is to move from top to bottom, that is, from the forehead to the chin, focusing, of course, on the natural openings of the face - eyes, nostrils, mouth.

Anatomy of facial muscles

I'll make a reservation right away that I will talk about the most basic muscles. What your teachers require of you in full, you will be able to finish your studies knowing the basics. But it is impossible not to know those muscles that will now be discussed, no matter what medical university you study at.

I. Supracranial muscle(musculus epicranius). It has a very wide supracranial aponeurosis (aponeurosis epicranialis), which connects its upper part with the scalp (tight junction), and the lower one with the periosteum of the skull (loose junction). Also, the supracranial muscle has two abdomens - the frontal (venter frontales) and the occipital (venter occipitales).

The frontal abdomen starts from the supracranial aponeurosis and attaches to the skin above the eyebrows. That is why we attribute the supracranial muscle to the facial muscles of the face. The occipital abdomen extends from the superior nuchal line of the skull to the posterior part of the supracranial aponeurosis.

Look, both the aponeurosis and both abdomens are very clear on any tablet. I marked the frontal abdomen in blue, the occipital in red, and the aponeurosis itself in green.

Function: the occipital abdomen of the cranial muscle pulls its entire array towards itself, thus, the scalp is shifted slightly back. The frontal abdomen, when contracted, pulls the supracranial muscle towards itself. If the frontal abdomen contracts, and the supracranial aponeurosis is fixed, then the eyebrows will rise. The most that neither is the facial muscle.

II. Let's go down just below the forehead and see circular muscle of the eye(musculus orbicularis oculi), it is very clearly visible. It is large, and, according to its name, literally surrounds the eye. The orbicular muscle of the eye consists of three parts:

Eyelid part (pars palpebralis). If you close your eyes, your eyeballs will be covered with eyelids. This, in general, is the age-old part of the circular muscle of the eye. Its function is to cover the eye with an eyelid;
The orbital part (pars orbitalis). The largest part of the circular muscle of the eye. It seems to surround both the eye and the age-old part and, of course, the lacrimal part. When this part of the muscle contracts, it tightly closes the eye, tightening the skin around it;
Lacrimal part (pars lacrimalis). Not visible from the outside, located in the lower medial corner of the eye. The lacrimal part opens the lacrimal sac and drains the lacrimal fluid into the lacrimal tubules.

Now let's look at all three parts on a tablet. I highlighted the orbital part in blue and the secular part in green. Remember that the secular part is the eyelids proper, and that the secular part is always inside the orbital, do not confuse them.

The lacrimal part is not visible in the untreated eye. But the approximate location of this part is:

III. Muscle of the proud(musculus procerus). A very cool Latin name, one of my favorites in terms of sound. However, it is quite strange (for me, at least). Let's first find this muscle on our tablet:

And one more picture from Wikipedia, I can't help but post it - it's just beautiful.

And now about the strangeness in the name, it is directly related to the function of this muscle. The name "muscle of the proud" makes me associate with something that makes the head tilt back, lifting the chin. However, the muscle that we are considering now causes a completely different movement. The arrogant muscle creates a frowning expression with vertical folds of skin between the eyes. It is the muscle of the proud that creates the facial expressions of the great Joseph Brodsky in this photo:

IV. Nasal muscle(musculus nasalis). The muscle is notable for having a tendon. It is approximately in the area of this tendon that the proud muscle begins and goes up towards the forehead. But we got distracted.

The nasal muscle starts from the upper jaw in the region of the roots of the lateral incisor and canine. it important point, do not show it on the tip of the nose. This is a fairly common mistake. Then nasal muscle rises a little upward, passes into the tendon. If you look just above the tendon, that is, rise from the bridge of the nose towards the forehead, you will see that very proud muscle.

Here is the nasal muscle in a beautiful illustration from Wikipedia. It is very clearly seen how it, rising up and towards the center, turns into a white aponeurosis:

Well, on our tablet, I also decided to designate it:

The nasal muscle is presented in two parts - external and internal. I decided not to highlight them on the tablet, since it would be difficult to show the internal one.

The outer part, it is also transverse (pars transversa), bends around the wings of the nose from the outside and passes into the aponeurosis;
The inner part, it is also wing (pars alaris), bends around the wings of the nose with inside and attaches to cartilage.

Both parts act interconnected, carrying out one function, namely - a slight compression of the nasal opening.

V. Circular muscle of the mouth(musculus orbicularis oris). Not to be confused with the musculus orbicularis oculi, that is, the orbicularis muscle of the eye. In my group, most of the students were sent to retake the test in myology precisely because of this mistake, the Latin terms are very similar. Musculus orbicularis is a repeating prefix, it translates as "circular muscle". And already to it we add the word oculi (association - "eyepiece", "eye"), that is, the eye, or the word oris (association - "oral", "oral", ie through the mouth) - mouth.

So, now about the muscle itself. It is divided into two parts - labial (pars labialis) and marginal (pars marginalis). The labial part is actually the visible tissue of the lips. The marginal portion is a large circle with the labial portion inside. I decided to show the orbicular muscle of the mouth on this particular tablet, which works great in my opinion. I marked the lip part in blue, and the edge part in green.

The marginal part pulls the lips into a tube.

The labial part, when contracted, tightly closes the mouth gap. The mouth turns out to be closed with tightly closed lips. I couldn't find a picture where only the labial part would be involved, alas.

Vi. Buccal muscle(musculus buccinator). A large facial muscle that occupies a large space on the face.

As you can see, the buccal muscle above and below starts from the outer surfaces of the upper and lower jaws, respectively, and medially is woven into the circular muscle of the mouth. It's pretty easy to spot on any tablet, but I preferred the drawing from Wikipedia. Here, the upper and lower jaws are just white:

Buccal muscle with bilateral contraction (that is, when both the left and right muscle) presses the cheeks to the teeth, pulling them inward; with unilateral contraction, the muscle pulls the corner of the mouth to the lateral side.

It must be understood that the buccal muscle has an internal position, from above it is covered by the more superficial muscles of the face, such as the zygomatic muscles (large and small), as well as the chewing muscle. In addition, from the outer surface, the buccal muscle is covered by the fatty body of the cheek (corpus addiposum buccae ). I marked the buccal muscle itself in red, and the fatty body in blue.

The author's name of this formation is "Bisha's Fat Lumps". Fatty body the cheeks are especially developed in babies, it is this that forms the rounded contours of the cheeks.

Vii. (musculus zygomaticus major / musculus zygomaticus mitor). Highly simple muscles in terms of being on any tablet. If you know where the zygomatic bone is, then finding two zygomatic muscles is easy for you. It is from the front surface of the zygomatic bone that these two muscles begin. See how well they are visible in our main picture:

True, there is a peculiarity here. On our tablet, you can get confused trying to distinguish a small zygomatic muscle from a large one. Remember the rule - the small zygomatic muscle is always closer to the eye.

The algorithm for finding the zygomatic muscles is the same both in the pictures, on the tablets, and on the preparations - first we find the zygomatic bone, immediately on it we find two long similar muscles, and the one closest to the eye is the small zygomatic bone, and that one, that the distant is the large zygomatic muscle.

The large zygomatic muscle is woven into the circular muscle of the mouth, and the small is connected to the skin in the area of the nasolabial fold.

Now all that remains is to parse the function. Both muscles work in concert to perform similar functions. The greater zygomatic muscle pulls the corners of the lips upward and laterally. Small pulls the corners of the lips also upward, outlining the contours of the nasolabial fold. Imagine that you are a wolf and you need to scare someone. Expose the upper dentition, simulating a grin, while leaving the lower lip in place - you will get an illustration of the work of these two muscles.

Of all the pictures on the Internet, I liked this one the most:

The vampire girl's lips are pulled upward and slightly laterally, there are also outlined nasolabial folds (the left one is especially clearly visible, the light falls on her). A great illustration of the workings of the zygomatic muscles, I think.

VIII. Ear muscles - anterior, middle and posterior... Topographically, these muscles should have been on my list between the supracranial and orbital muscles (we move from top to bottom, as you remember). But I decided to put the ear muscles at the end of the list - they are rudimentary, that is, left to people inherited from their distant animal ancestors.

These vestigial muscles have become unnecessary in the process of evolution, so they are not developed at all in most people. However, in the myology test, questions can be asked about them, so let's look at them as well.

- Anterior ear muscle (musculus auricularis anterior). It starts from the temporal fascia and the supracranial aponeurosis, and attaches to the skin of the auricle just above the anterior cartilage. To put it very simply, this muscle lies between the auricle and the circular muscle of the eye. When contracted, it shifts the auricle forward. Who could show it better than pictures from Wikipedia?
- Upper ear muscle (musculus auricularis superior). It is perpendicular to the anterior ear muscle. It starts from the supracranial aponeurosis and attaches to the top of the auricle cartilage. When contracted, in theory, it should raise the ear up, however, it does not fully function due to its, as already mentioned, rudimentarity.
- Back ear muscle (musculus auricularis inferior). We mark the beginning of this muscle on the nuchal fascia, and it is attached to the back of the auricle (more precisely, where the base of the auricle is). If you try very hard to reduce it, then the auricle will be slightly pulled back.

By the way, another cool picture. In many medical universities such a tablet is common. It shows triangles

So, this was an overview of the facial muscles of the face. The review, of course, turned out to be incomplete, but this is usually enough to get at least 4 in the muscles of the head (provided that you know chewing ones). Quite a few muscles were not included in my article:

Muscle lowering the corner of the mouth;
Muscle lowering the upper lip;
Muscle lifting the upper lip;
The chin muscle ...

… And several others. You can learn them using Sinelnikov's atlas, your lectures and Wikipedia. By the way, about Wikipedia. Some muscle groups on this resource are superbly designed and shown, taking into account absolutely correct anatomical classifications. As you may have noticed, I took some pictures from there for my article - they are too good.

The most important question is that there is a lot of text, pictures too, how to teach? You need to learn the anatomy of facial muscles as follows. After reading the information about each muscle, you need to sketch it on a draft sheet and sign vital information, such as topography (start, attachment, function) and some special words that will immediately help you navigate. For example, at the word "grin", everything that needs to be said about the zygomatic muscles immediately pops up in my head.

An important point - the drawings of the muscles must be done not separately from all other anatomical structures, but on them. That is, you sketch out the contours of the skull with a simple pencil, and place the muscles on top of them with a pen.

It is also very useful to strengthen your knowledge on specific topics with the help of videos. You can easily find videos on our today's topic on YouTube, there are a decent number of them. Try to consult authoritative sources (with Sinelnikov's atlas, for example) when watching videos of other teachers, because everyone can make mistakes, even the coolest anatomists.

Lexical minimum

A must-have collection of Latin terms for self-control. If you have learned and consolidated the topic "facial muscles of the head", then you can easily translate each term into Russian and show it in a picture, on a tablet or on yourself. If you find it difficult to show and translate more than two terms, you must go through the topic again.

Musculus epicranius;
Aponeurosis epicranialis;
Venter frontales;
Venter occipitales;
Musculus orbicularis oculi;
Pars palpebralis;
Pars orbitalis;
Pars lacrimalis;
Musculus procerus;
Musculus nasalis;
Pars transversa;
Pars alaris;
Musculus orbicularis oris;
Pars labialis;
Pars marginalis;
Musculus buccinator;
Corpus addiposum buccae;
Musculus zygomaticus major;
Musculus zygomaticus minor;
Musculus auricularis anterior;
Musculus auricularis superior;
Musculus auricularis inferior.

Fundamentals of cosmetology.

Muscles of the head and neck; side view... 1 - temporal muscle (m. Temporalis); 2 - occipital-frontal muscle (m. Occipitofrontalis); 3 - circular muscle of the eye (m. Orbicularis oculi); 4 - large zygomatic muscle (m. Zygomaticus major); 5 - muscle lifting the upper lip (m. Levator labii superioris); 6 - muscle lifting the corner of the mouth (m. Levator anguli oris); 7 - buccal muscle (m. Buccinator); 8 - chewing muscle (m. Masseter); 9 - muscle lowering the lower lip (m. Depressor labii inferioris); 10 - chin muscle (m. Mentalis); 11 - muscle lowering the corner of the mouth (m. Depressor anguli oris); 12 - digastric muscle (m. Digastricus); 13 - maxillary-hyoid muscle (m. Mylohyoideus); 14 - hyoid-lingual muscle (m. Hyoglossus); 15 - thyroid hyoid muscle (m. Thyrohyoideus); 16 - scapular-hyoid muscle (m. Omohyoideus); 17 - sternohyoid muscle (m. Sternohyoideus); 18 - sterno-thyroid muscle (m. Sternothyroideus); 19 - sternocleidomastoid muscle (m. Sternocleidomastoideus); 20 - anterior scalene muscle (m. Scalenus anterior); 21 - middle scalenus muscle (m. Scalenus medius); 22 - trapezius muscle (m. Trapezius); 23 - muscle lifting the scapula (m. Levator scapulae); 24 - stylohyoid muscle (m. Stylohyoideus)

Muscles of the head and neck; deep layer... 1 - lateral pterygoid muscle (m. Pterygoideus lateralis); 2 - buccal muscle (m. Buccinator); 3 - medial pterygoid muscle (m. Pterygoideus medialis); 4 - thyroid hyoid muscle (m. Thyrohyoideus); 5 - sterno-thyroid muscle (m. Sternothyroideus); 6 - sternohyoid muscle (m. Sternolyoideus); 7 - anterior scalene muscle (m. Scalenus anterior); 8 - middle scalenus muscle (m. Scalenus medius); 9 - back scalenus muscle (m. Scalenus posterior); 10 - trapezius muscle (m. Trapezius)

Temporalis muscle begins fan-shaped from the temporal fossa. Converging downward, the muscle fibers pass under the zygomatic arch and attach to the coronoid process of the lower jaw.

Chewing muscle starts from the zygomatic arch and attaches to the outer roughness of the angle of the lower jaw.

The temporal and masseter muscles have dense fascia, which, attaching to the bones around these muscles, form bone-fibrous sheaths for them.

Medial pterygoid muscle starts from the pterygoid fossa of the sphenoid bone and attaches to the internal roughness of the angle of the lower jaw.

Superficial muscles of the head and neck

Skull and facial muscles

Facial muscles and integuments

Muscle of the proud starts from the bridge of the nose and attaches to the skin above the bridge of the nose. By contracting, the muscle forms horizontal folds here.

Circular muscle of the mouth represents a complex complex of muscle fibers that make up the upper and lower lips. It consists mainly of circular fibers and, contracting, narrows the mouth. Several other facial muscles are woven into the circular muscle of the mouth.

The last two muscles, contracting at the same time, close the lips.

Big zygomatic muscle goes from the zygomatic bone to the corner of the mouth, which pulls up and to the sides when contracting.

Muscle of laughter unstable, a thin bundle stretches between the corner of the mouth and the skin of the cheek. By contracting, the muscle forms a dimple in the cheek.

The anterior, superior and posterior muscles of the ear fit to the auricle and the cartilaginous part of the external auditory canal. Muscles are rarely developed enough to propel the auricle.

Deep muscles of the face(A) and neck(B). (Left anterior scalene muscle removed)

Together with bones, muscles are the support of the body. In our body, they are present everywhere, even on the head. What muscles are there? What is the main function of a face? We will find out about this further.

Human muscles

Depending on the method of determination in the human body, there are from 640 to 850 muscles. With their help, we carry out most of the actions: talking, breathing, walking, blinking, etc. Muscles form the body and attach to bones on both sides.

They are made of elastic tissue that can stretch and contract. Their movement provides a connection with nerve endings and is carried out with the help of nerve impulses. Muscle work accompanies all physiological processes in the body.

In the body, they make up three large groups: skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle. A person controls only and can arbitrarily reduce them. The other two groups are vegetatively controlled, have a certain rhythm and do not depend on our consciousness.

The main feature of muscles is the ability to fatigue. This happens due to prolonged and heavy load. However, if you do not use muscles and do not train them, on the contrary, they become decrepit, weaken and poorly perform their functions.

Types of facial muscles

There are 57 muscles on the face. They are divided into chewing and mimic. The chewing gum is attached to the lower jaw and is responsible not only for chewing, but also for swallowing and speaking. The group consists of four muscles:

chewing,
temporal,
lateral,
medial pterygoid.

The facial muscles of a person are somewhat different from the rest. They are thin and arranged in tufts near the eyes, nose, mouth and ears. They are attached to the skull bone only on one side. The other side connects to the tissues of the skin. This allows you to impart great mobility areas of the face. Some of them do not come from the bone, but from the ligaments.

Most of the muscles of the face are paired, with the exception of the supracranial, nasal and circular muscles of the mouth. They are located on different levels and, depending on this, are divided into deep, superficial and medium. Deep, for example, chin, buccal, medium - square muscle lower lip and canine, superficial are the circular muscles of the mouth, zygomatic, square, etc.

What is the function of the facial muscles?

Facial muscles play an important role in human social life. Their contractions form certain expressions of the depth of the skin folds. So, others can distinguish and understand our emotions when communicating. With their help, we express sadness, joy, hatred, smile and laugh.

The main function of the facial muscles is to open, narrow and close the natural openings on the face. Depending on these actions, they are divided into contractors and dilators. The former are placed above the body parts in a circle, the latter radiate away from them.

Some muscles and their functions are presented in the table.


Forehead and eyebrows, nose
	Muscle of the proud	Forms folds over the bridge of the nose
	Brow wrinkle	Pulls eyebrows together
	Nasal muscle	Opens the wings of the nose
	Supracranial	Raises eyebrows, forms horizontal folds on the forehead
Mouth area	Circular muscle of the mouth	Closes the mouth, pulls the lips forward
	Lower lip muscle	Opens, pulls back the lower lip
	Upper lip muscle	Raises the upper lip
	Zygomatic	Pulls the corners of the mouth up and to the sides
Eye area	Circular muscle of the eye	Closes her eyes, closes her eyes
Ear area	Front	Pulls the auricle forward
		Pulls the sink up
		Pulls the sink back

Diseases of the muscles of the face

Muscle dysfunctions are manifested in the loss of their tone and ability to contract. Pathologies arise for various reasons, for example, due to trauma, infection, disorders of humoral regulation and work nervous system, cellular changes.

Stretching, tearing, as well as various diseases, sometimes not directly related to their activity, can affect the work of muscles: heart attack, stroke, paralysis of facial muscles. The pathological condition is congenital, due to genetic abnormalities or mechanical damage during gestation.

It happens that the function of the facial muscles is temporarily impaired. So, a nervous tic may have a temporary form. It can even occur in a healthy body. After a strong emotional stress or severe overstrain, individual muscles begin to quickly and spontaneously contract. At least once in a lifetime, a nervous tic occurs in every person.

Muscle paralysis

One of the most unpleasant diseases is paralysis of facial muscles, which is associated with damage to the facial nerve. The cause of its occurrence is trauma, swelling, inflammation. Paralysis also occurs with congenital abnormalities or nerve damage during surgery.

During this disease, the face becomes asymmetrical, tilts to the healthy side (in the case of unilateral paralysis). The function of the facial muscles is impaired, they lose their tone and the ability to close their jaws and eyes to the end.

The disease is accompanied by pain in the ear, face, back of the head. There is an increased sensitivity to sounds and tearing. The eye on the damaged side rises higher than the healthy one and is more open.

Gymnastics of facial muscles

The muscles of the face are amenable to shaping and training just like any other. Daily gymnastics is able to improve blood circulation in them, increase their tone and elasticity. It is used to prevent wrinkles, skin aging, and helps to restore muscles in pathologies.

There are for a person aimed at different parts of it. One of them is called "Surprise". It consists in opening the eyes wide and looking at one point, while wrinkling and straining the forehead is not worth it.

The cheeks and circular muscle of the mouth are trained in a wide smile with a closed mouth. The lips are stretched as wide as possible, then relaxed. Repeat the exercise about 25 times. The cheeks are also great when puffed out with air in your mouth.

Our perception of a face depends on the shape of the head, the size, shape and color of the eyes, the shape of the ears or nose, and others. anatomical features, data from nature. But there are also very important structures that we can influence ourselves. These are the skin and muscles of the face.

There are more than 100 muscles on the head and neck and they are divided into several groups: facial muscles, oculomotor muscles, chewing muscles, hypoglossal muscles, muscles of the neck and adjacent areas. The division of muscles into groups is rather arbitrary, and sometimes some of them can be attributed to either one or another group. Below we will look at all the main muscles, the state of which determines the condition of the face, using the links below you can go to exercises for each of these muscles.

Expression muscles.

Among the muscle structures that affect the state and perception of the face, it is necessary, first of all, to highlight the facial muscles, which are often simply called the facial muscles. The mimic muscles differ from all the others, first of all, in that only one end (and even then not always) is attached to the bones, and the other end is attached directly to the skin of the face.

In their structure, facial muscles do not differ from others. skeletal muscle: These are striated muscles made up of bundles of fibers through which blood vessels and nerves pass. But there are also differences. These muscles do not have dense membranes (fascia) and are not rigidly attached to the bones. Thin and almost flat mimic muscles lie close to the surface in the subcutaneous fatty tissue and are partially woven into the skin. The main function of the facial muscles is to create emotional facial expressions. This function is performed by stretching the skin and the formation of skin folds. The folds are always formed across the direction of muscle contraction. Poor condition and use of facial muscles leads to accelerated formation of wrinkles on the face and neck.

Most of the facial muscles are paired, that is, of the same name, having the ability to act independently, the muscles are located on the right and left halves of the face. Greater development of one of the muscles in the pair leads to facial asymmetry. The circular muscle of the mouth, the muscle of the chin and the subcutaneous muscle of the neck do not have a pair. All facial muscles are innervated by a separate facial nerve and can be used in a wide variety of combinations.

The pictures below show the location of the head muscles, including all facial muscles.

The facial muscles of the upper part of the face.

Two parts of the frontal muscle through the broad tendon covering the top of the head (aponeurosis or tendon helmet) are connected to the occipital muscle, forming a single occipital-frontal or supracranial muscle. The tendon helmet is formed from connective tissue, it is very durable and practically does not stretch. Starting from the tendon helmet, the fibers of the frontal muscle run vertically from the hairline to the eyebrows, where they are woven into the skin. Muscle contraction occurs when the eyebrows and forehead skin are raised upward with the formation of horizontal folds on the forehead. Depending on the amount of eyebrow lift, the muscle expresses different degrees of surprise, as well as disbelief, if only one eyebrow is raised.

Between the parts of the frontal muscle in the lower part of the forehead and at the top of the nose is the pyramidal muscle of the arrogant, lowering the skin of the forehead down. The muscle attaches to the bone of the nose and is woven into the skin of the forehead. By contracting, the arrogant muscle forms horizontal folds on the bridge of the nose. The tension of this muscle gives the face a stern, angry or threatening expression.

Almost always, simultaneously with the muscle of the proud, the muscle that moves the eyebrows also contracts. The muscle starts from the frontal bone near the bridge of the nose, runs under the eyebrows approximately to their middle and is woven into the skin of the eyebrows. Muscle contraction occurs due to the formation of one or two vertical folds on the forehead. With the help of this muscle, we frown or show our diligence.

The muscles of the auricle in humans are poorly developed. The ability to move the ears is combined with the simultaneous tension of the temporal muscle. The anterior ear muscle pulls the auricle forward. The upper one pulls the auricle up. Better than other ear muscles, the posterior ear muscle is developed, attached to the posterior convex surface of the auricle and pulling the auricle back. Muscle movement appears to reflect attention or fear. With this movement, the skin is shifted from the outer corners of the eyes to the ears.

The external muscles of the eye are combined into a single circular muscle of the eye, in which it is possible to distinguish the annular (orbital) muscle performing separate functions, narrowing the palpebral fissure, the muscle of the upper eyelid that closes the eyes, the muscle of the lower eyelid responsible for squinting and the lacrimal part, which expands the lacrimal sac. The orbicular muscle attaches to the edges of the eye socket and is woven into the skin of the eyelids. Under tension, the annular part of the circular muscle decreases its diameter, creating folds of skin at the outer edges of the eyes (crow's feet) and on the nose, and is also able to push the eyeball forward, creating the effect of bulging eyes. Our vision significantly depends on the condition of these muscles.

The mimic muscles of the middle part of the face.

In the cartilaginous part of the nose, there are several facial muscles, which are usually almost never used. The nasal muscle covering the wings of the nose pulls down the wing of the nose and narrows the nostrils. Narrowing of the nostrils occurs due to the formation of folds over the upper lip. The muscle that lowers the nasal septum pushes down the nasal septum and the middle of the upper lip. Perhaps this is how the face expresses anger. It is also possible to distinguish small muscles that widen the nostrils by increasing the nasolabial fold. Weakness of the muscles in the nose leads to poor breathing through the nose and colds.

The largest and deepest of the muscles of the middle part of the face is the buccal. This muscle makes up the bulk of the cheeks and determines their shape. The buccal muscle starts from the upper and lower jaws and is woven with a narrow end into the circular muscle of the mouth and the skin of the corner of the mouth. By contracting, the buccal muscle pulls the corners of the mouth back, pressing the lips and cheeks against the teeth and causing a skeptical or displeased expression on the face. The main function of the muscle, sucking, is used intensively in infancy, then the muscle weakens, which can cause the appearance of "sunken cheeks" and contribute to an increase in the layer of subcutaneous fat in which it is located.

Above the buccal muscle, the large and small are located diagonally of the cheek zygomatic muscles acting together. Starting from the zygomatic bone, the large zygomatic bone is woven into the skin of the corner of the mouth, and the small one into the skin of the nasolabial fold. The main function of these muscles is to express joy with a closed mouth and laughter, laughter with an open mouth. This function is performed by deepening the nasolabial fold, creating folds on the cheeks and around the eyes. With muscle tension, the skin of the face moves from the corners of the mouth towards the temples.

In the other direction, from the corners of the mouth towards the earlobes, the skin moves as the collateral laughing muscle contracts. This superficial muscle is capable of producing many different forms of smiles due to its extremely flexible attachment. The side muscle of laughter starts from the fascia (membrane) of the masseter muscle and is woven into the skin of the corner of the mouth. Muscle contraction occurs by lengthening the nasolabial fold and creating folds near the corner of the mouth and below the cheek, as well as under the eyes.

The third muscle whose contraction creates a smile on the face is the muscle that lifts the corner of the mouth. This muscle starts from the bone under the lower edge of the eye socket and above the canines, then weaves into the skin of the corner of the mouth, and lifts the corners of the mouth up and towards the nose. Muscle contraction occurs due to the deepening of the nasolabial fold, the creation of skin folds above the corners of the mouth and under the eyes.

The muscle that lifts the upper lip is often called the crying muscle. By contracting, the muscle simultaneously raises the wing of the nose, creating an expression of disgust and discontent on the face. The muscle is attached to the bone of the edge of the eye socket under the eyes, with the largest bundles attached at the inner corner of the eye, the smaller ones in the middle and at the outer corner of the eye. The muscle fibers are located almost vertically from top to bottom, woven down into the skin of the upper lip. Muscle contraction occurs due to the formation of nasolabial folds and folds of the skin of the nose and under the eyes.

The expression muscles of the lower part of the face and neck.

The orbicularis muscle of the mouth surrounds the oral cavity and includes the lips. Deeply lying muscle bundles are located radially, superficial - arcuate. The bundles of the circular muscle of the mouth are intertwined with the fibers of the buccal muscle, the muscle that lowers the lower lip, subcutaneous muscle neck and tightly adhered to the skin of the upper and lower lips, as well as the corners of the mouth. The muscle is the basis of the structure of the lips, it closes and opens the mouth, pulls forward or compresses the lips. When the muscle contracts (pressing or pulling the lips forward), the skin above the upper and below the lower lip gathers in vertical folds.

The muscle that lowers the corner of the mouth is rarely used in facial gymnastics, since with age, the corners of the mouth fall under the influence of gravity, and this tendency is tried not to increase. Her training is important only if there is a desire to make your chin more impressive. Mimically, this triangular muscle is used to express extreme dissatisfaction. The wide base of the triangle of the muscle that lowers the corner of the mouth is fixed at the edge of the lower jaw, and the apex is woven into the circular muscle of the mouth near the corner of the mouth. Muscle contraction occurs by deepening the nasolabial fold and creating folds downward from the corners of the mouth.

The muscle that lowers the lower lip begins on the lateral parts of the lower jaw bone and attaches to the skin of the lower lip closer to the surface than the muscle that lowers the corner of the mouth. The lowering of the lower lip, giving the face an expression of disgust, occurs due to the contraction of the skin of the chin and the formation of a horizontal fold under the lower lip.

The chin muscle is unpaired. This muscle, starting from the bone between the canines of the lower jaw, forms a bulge in the center of the chin and is woven into the skin of the center of the chin. Since ancient times, the massiveness of this muscle has been associated with determination and self-confidence, its contraction will cause an expression of arrogance on the face. By contracting, the muscle pulls the skin and tissues of the chin upward, lifting and protruding the lower lip due to the formation of a sharp fold of skin under the lower lip and lowering of the corners of the mouth.

The subcutaneous muscle of the neck is the only muscle that covers the front and sides of the neck. Its condition mainly determines the quality of the neck skin. The muscle starts from the center of the lower jaw, lower lip and corners of the mouth, attaching down to the fascia of the pectoral muscle at the level of the second rib. The fibers of this broad and thin muscle cover the top of the muscles under the lower jaw, and have a noticeable effect on the shape of this area (the so-called "double chin" zone). Contraction of the subcutaneous muscle of the neck gives the face an intimidating, vicious, or, conversely, extremely frightened look. By contracting, the muscle creates folds of skin in the corners of the mouth or on the cheeks, it can also deepen the nasolabial fold, and help lower the corners of the mouth down.

Other facial muscles.

The muscle that lifts the upper eyelid, one of the muscles of the eyeball, opens the eye and is in upper eyelid under the pillow of subcutaneous adipose tissue. This muscle is similar to facial muscles in that the skin of the upper eyelid is usually attached to the muscle, and a fold forms in the upper eyelid at the attachment site with an open eye, which increases with age and turns into an overhang.

The jaw-hyoid and digastric muscles are located under the lower jaw, their main function is to lower the lower jaw when eating or talking. The good condition of these muscles, the absence of chronic stress is extremely important for normal breathing and articulate speech. However, they attach to the movable hyoid bone, so their position is less fixed than the position of other skeletal muscles, resulting in a gradual sagging downward due to gravity. These muscles, when contracted, do not shift the skin, but their weakness and sagging leads to stretching of the skin under the lower jaw and the formation of a double chin.

Least impact on appearance facial muscles have chewing muscles. The powerful chewing muscle that lifts the lower jaw does not need training, as it is constantly used when eating and talking. However, it often has spasms, often associated with the habit of clenching the teeth. Spasms that turn into chronic tension can significantly impair blood supply and accelerate the aging of the facial skin. The same can be said about the pterygoid chewing muscles ah, which move the lower jaw to the right and left to grind tough food. Our modern food has left these muscles out of work, and chronic stress in them is very common. Eliminating these tensions is important not only for skin improvement, but even more so for the health of teeth and gums.

The condition of the strongest of the masticatory muscles, the temporal lobe, can contribute to the formation of wrinkles on the face. The fan-shaped temporal muscle fills the temporal fossa, then the muscle bundles, heading down, form a powerful tendon that attaches to the process of the lower jaw. Above the temporal muscle in the layer of subcutaneous fatty tissue, the facial muscles of the auricle are located. In the temporal muscle, zones of tension are often formed, which are felt like a headache in the temples. Therefore, the temporalis muscle needs to be trained periodically. The temporalis muscle can be trained together with the muscles of the auricle associated with it, the weakness of which with age leads to the formation of crow's feet at the outer corners of the eyes.