Facial muscles

Structure

The facial muscles are just under the skin (subcutaneous) muscles that control facial expression. They generally originate from the surface of the skull bone (rarely the fascia), and insert on the skin of the face. When they contract, the skin moves. These muscles also cause wrinkles at right angles to the muscles’ action line.

Nerve supply

The facial muscles are supplied by the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII), with each nerve serving one side of the face. In contrast, the nearby masticatory muscles are supplied by the mandibular nerve, a branch of the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V).

List of muscles

The facial muscles include:

• Occipitofrontalis muscle
• Temporoparietalis muscle
• Procerus muscle
• Nasalis muscle
• Depressor septi nasi muscle
• Orbicularis oculi muscle
• Corrugator supercilii muscle
• Depressor supercilii muscle
• Auricular muscles (anterior, superior and posterior)
• Orbicularis oris muscle
• Depressor anguli oris muscle
• Risorius
• Zygomaticus major muscle
• Zygomaticus minor muscle
• Levator labii superioris
• Levator labii superioris alaeque nasi muscle
• Depressor labii inferioris muscle
• Levator anguli oris
• Buccinator muscle
• Mentalis

The platysma muscle is supplied by the facial nerve. Although it is mostly in the neck and can be grouped with the neck muscles by location, it can be considered a muscle of facial expression due to its common nerve supply.

The stylohyoid muscle, stapedius and posterior belly of the digastric muscle are also supplied by the facial nerve, but are not considered muscles of facial expression.

Facial muscles by type of movement