The blood supply of the face is an important section of anatomy for doctors of any speci alty. But it acquires the greatest importance in maxillofacial surgery and cosmetology. Perfect knowledge of the innervation and blood supply of the face in cosmetology guarantees the safety of injection procedures.
Why do you need to know facial anatomy?
Before you start studying the blood supply of the face and its anatomy in general, you should clearly understand why this knowledge is needed at all. For cosmetologists, the following aspects play the greatest role:
- When using botulinum toxin ("Botox"), there must be a clear idea of the location of the facial muscles, their beginning and end, the vessels and nerves that supply them. Only with a clear understanding of the anatomy can successful injections be carried out without any aesthetic disturbance.
- When performing procedures using needles, you also need to have a good understanding of the structure of muscles, and especially nerves. With knowledge of the innervation of the face, the beautician will never damage the nerve.
- Knowing the anatomy of the face is important not only for successful procedures, but alsoin order to recognize a certain disease in time. After all, a person who came to a beautician to correct wrinkles may actually have facial nerve paresis. And such a pathology is treated by a neurologist.
Types of facial muscles and their functions
To understand the blood supply to the muscles of the face, you should understand what they are. They are divided into two large groups:
- chewable;
- mimic.
The main functions of these muscles are already clear from the name. Chewing muscles are necessary for chewing food, facial muscles - for expressing emotions. The cosmetologist works with facial muscles, so it is most important for him to know the structure of this group.
Mimic muscles. Muscles of the eye and nose
This muscle group includes thin bundles of striated muscles that are grouped around natural openings. That is, they are located around the mouth, eyes, nose and ears. By closing or opening these holes, emotions are formed.
Mimic muscles are closely related to the skin. They are woven into it with one or two ends. Over time, the water in the body becomes less and less, and the muscles lose their elasticity. This is how wrinkles appear.
Due to the proximity of the muscles to the skin, the blood supply to the face is also very superficial. Therefore, even the slightest scratch can lead to serious blood loss.
The following main muscles are located around the palpebral fissure:
- The muscle of the proud - it originates from the back of the nose and ends at the bridge of the nose. She lowers the skin of the bridge of her nose down, which forms a "dissatisfied" crease.
- Circular muscle of the eye - completely surrounds the palpebral fissure. Due to it, the eye closes, the eyelids close.
The actual nasal muscle is located around the nose. It is not well developed. One part of it lowers the wing of the nose, and the other part - the cartilaginous part of the nasal septum.
Mimic muscles of the mouth
More muscles surround the mouth. These include:
- The muscle that raises the upper lip.
- Zygomatic minor.
- Zygomaticus major.
- Laughter muscle.
- Muscle that lowers the corner of the mouth.
- The muscle that raises the corner of the mouth.
- The muscle that lowers the lower lip.
- Chin.
- Buccal muscle.
- Circular muscle of the mouth.
Features of blood circulation
The blood supply to the face is very abundant. It consists of a network of arteries, veins and capillaries, which are closely located to each other and the skin, and are constantly intertwined with each other.
Facial arteries are located in subcutaneous fat.
The veins of the face collect blood from both the superficial and deep parts of the facial skull. Ultimately, all blood drains into the internal jugular vein, which is located in the neck along the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
Facial arteries
The largest percentage of blood supply to the face and neck comes from the vessels that branch off from the external carotid artery. Major arterieslisted below:
- front;
- supraorbital;
- superblock;
- infraorbital;
- chin.
The branches of the facial artery guarantee most of the blood supply to the face. It branches off from the external carotid artery at the level of the mandible. From here it goes to the corner of the mouth, and then comes to the corner of the palpebral fissure, closer to the nose. At the level of the mouth, branches that carry blood to the lips depart from the facial artery. When the artery approaches the canthus, it already bears the name of the angular artery. Here it connects with the dorsal artery of the nose. The latter, in turn, departs from the supratrochlear artery - a branch of the ophthalmic artery.
The supraorbital artery supplies blood to the superciliary ridges. The infraorbital vessel, as its name suggests, carries blood to the area of the face under the eyeball.
The mental artery supplies the lower lip and, in fact, the chin.
Facial veins
Through the veins of the face, weakly oxygenated blood is collected in the internal jugular vein, so that it can then reach the heart through the vascular system.
From the superficial layers of the muscles of the face, blood is collected by the facial and retromaxillary veins. From the deeper layers, the maxillary vein carries blood.
The veins of the face also have anastomoses (connections) with veins that go to the cavernous sinus. This is the formation of a hard shell of the brain. Vessels of the face are connected to this structure through the ophthalmic vein. Due to this, an infection from the face canspread to the lining of the brain. Therefore, even a simple boil can cause meningitis (inflammation of the meninges).
Nerves of the face
Blood supply and innervation of the face are inextricably linked. As a rule, the branches of the nerves run along the arterial vessels.
There are sensory and motor nerves. Most of the face receives nerve impulses from two major nerves:
- Facial which is fully motorized.
- Trigeminal, which consists of motor and sensory fibers. But sensory fibers are involved in the innervation of the face, and motor fibers go to the masticatory muscles.
The trigeminal nerve, in turn, branches into three more nerves: ophthalmic, maxillary and mandibular. The first branch is also divided into three: nasociliary, frontal and lacrimal.
The frontal branch passes over the eyeball along the upper wall of the orbit and on the face is divided into the supraorbital and supratrochlear nerves. These branches send nerve impulses to the skin of the forehead and nose, the inner lining of the upper eyelid (conjunctiva), and the mucosa of the frontal sinus.
The lacrimal nerve innervates the temporal part of the palpebral fissure. The ethmoid nerve departs from the nasociliary nerve, the final branch of which passes through the ethmoid labyrinth.
The maxillary nerve has its branches:
- infraorbital;
- zygomatic, which is then divided into zygomatic-facial and zygomatic-temporal.
Innervated areas of the face correspond to the name of these nerves.
The largest branchmandibular nerve - ear-temporal, which provides delivery of nerve impulses to the skin of the auricle and condylar process.
Thus, from this article you have learned the main points of the anatomy of the blood supply to the face. This knowledge will help in further study of the structure of the facial part of the skull.
