Anatomy of the Head

Prof. Dr. Abdelrazek

A. Sheta

Professor of Anatomy &

Embryology
 THE FACE

Layers of the face:

1-Skin, 2- Superficial fascia, 3-Deep
fascia:
There is NO deep fascia in the face except in:
- The parotid fascia surrounding the parotid gland
- The buccopharyngeal fascia over the buccinator
muscle
 Muscles of the face

- They are known as muscles of

facial expression.
-They lie in the superficial fascia
and have no tendons.
-They have a bony origin and are
inserted into skin
-All are supplied by the facial nerve
- They Arrange themselves around
the openings of the face ( orbits,
nose, mouth).
 Muscles of the face
Orbicularis Oculi

 It surrounds the
margins of the
orbit and is
formed of 3 parts
 Orbital part:
 Palpebral part:
 Lacrimal part:
 Nerve supply:-
branches of the
facial nerve.
 Orbicularis occuli

 Functions of orbicularis occuli muscle:

Orbital part: it surrounds the orbital margin and
responsible for tight closure of the eye.
Palpebral part: it forms a part of the structure of the eye
lids. It is responsible for light closure of the eye
(blinking).
Lacrimal part: it surrounds the lacrimal sac at the medial
angle of the eye. By its intermittent contractions it help
drainage of tears from the eye to nose through the
nasolacrimal duct.
 Buccinator muscle

Origin: Oblique line of mandible, alveolar process of

maxilla opposite the molar teeth and from the
pterygomandibular raphe behind.
Insertion:
* The upper fibers pass to the upper lip.
* The lower fibers pass to the lower lip.
* The middle fibers decussate at the angle of the mouth.
Nerve supply: Buccal branch of the facial nerve.
Action: It compresses the cheek and lips against the
teeth .
Relations of
buccinator
muscle:
The muscle is
covered by
buccopharyngeal
fascia- buccal pad
of fat, buccal
branches of facial
nerve, facial artery
& vein. It is pierced
by parotid duct.
 NERVE SUPPLY of THE FACE

Motor: Facial nerve (7th cranial): Motor to all

muscles of the face.
Sensory:
1- Trigeminal nerve (5th cranial): Sensory to
most of the face except the area over the angle
of the mandible.
2- Great auricular nerve: to the area of the skin
over the angle of the mandible.
 Facial nerve in the face

 It leaves the skull through the stylomastoid

foramen and enter the parotid gland.
 As it comes out from the skull it gives the
posterior auricular nerve and branches to
posterior belly of digastric & stylohyoid
muscles
 It enters the parotid gland and divides into its 5
terminal branches : Temporal, zygomatic ,
buccal, mandibular & cervical
Terminal
branches of the
facial nerve in
the face:
1- Temporal
2- Zygomatic
3- Buccal
4- Mandibular
5- Cervical
 Trigeminal Nerve In The Face

Trigeminal nerve has 3

divisions; ophthalmic,
maxillary and
mandibular
- Ophthalmic nerve
supplies the skin over the
upper 1/3 of the face,
maxillary nerve supplies
the middle 1/3 while
mandibular nerve
supplies the lower 1/3.
 Trigeminal Nerve In The Face

Sensory nerves in
the face:
1- Supratrochlear
and supraorbital
(ophthalmic).
2- Infraorbital,
zygomaticofacial,
Zygomaticotemporal
(maxillary).
3- Auriculotemporal,
buccal, mental
(mandibular).
 ARTERIAL SUPPLY OF THE FACE

 Supratrochlear
 Supra-orbital
 Superficial
temporal
 Infra-orbital
 Facial artery
 Buccal artery
 Mental artery
 Zygomatico-
facial
 ARTERIAL SUPPLY OF THE FACE
Facial artery

 Arises from the external carotid

artery
- It ascends to the face in a wavy
course and ends at the medial
angle of the eye
 Branches in the face:
1- Inferior labial
2- Superior labial
3- Lateral nasal
4- Angular
◘ In the lower part of the face the Course of facial artery
facial artery rests on the in the face
mandible covered only by skin
and fascia; its pulsations can be
easily felt at the antero-inferior
angle of masseter.
◘ It ascends upwards and
forwards to a point about one
cm. behind the angle of the
mouth.
◘ It then ascends vertically along
the side of the nose to end at the
medial angle of the eye by
becoming the angular artery.
 Superficial temporal artery

 It is a branch of the external

carotid artery.
- Ascends upwards in front the
auricle of the ear and ends
by becoming anterior and
posterior terminal branches:
the anterior branch passes
forwards towards the
frontal eminence of the
skull while the posterior
branch passes backwards
towards the parietal
eminence.
 Venous drainage of the Face & Scalp

 Anterior facial vein

- It is formed at the medial angle of the eye by the union
of the supratrochlear and supraorbital veins.
- It descends downwards and backwards behind the
facial artery and joins the anterior division of posterior
facial to form the common facial vein.
Connections: It is connected to the cavernous sinus
inside the skull by 2 routes, the superior ophthalmic vein
and the deep facial vein.
 Venous drainage of the Face & Scalp

Posterior facial vein: It is formed by the union of the

superficial temporal and maxillary veins.
- At the lower end of the parotid gland it divides into
Anterior and Posterior branches.
-The anterior branch unites with the anterior facial
vein to form the common facial vein which drains into
the internal jugular vein.
-The Posterior branch unites with the posterior
auricular vein to form the external jugular v.
 Lymphatic drainage of the face & scalp

Anterior part of the face:

Submandibular LNs (along
the facial vessels.
Lateral part:
Preauricular LNs (along
the superficial temporal
vessels.)
Central part of the lower
Lip and chin: submental
lymph nodes.
 Applied anatomy

 The skin of the face receives its sensory nerve

supply from the trigeminal nerve except small
area over the angle of the jaw, supplied by the
great auricular nerve.
 Trigeminal neuralgia is a relatively common
condition in which the patient experiences
severe pain along the distribution of the
mandibular or maxillary division, with the
ophthalmic division usually escaping.
 Applied anatomy

 The superficial temporal artery, as it crosses the

zygomatic arch in front of the ear, and the facial
artery, as it crosses the body of the mandible at
the antero-inferior corner of the masseter muscle,
may be used to take the patient's pulse and to
stop bleeding.
 Applied anatomy

 Dangerous triangle of the face: The skin of the

nose and upper lip is a potentially dangerous zone
to have an infection. Infection in this triangle may be
transmited through the facial vein to the cavernous
sinus, which may be fatal.
Facial palsy: The facial muscles are innervated by
the facial nerve. Damage to the facial nerve will
cause distortion of the face, with drooping of the
lower eyelid, and deviation of the angle of the
mouth.