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16 November 2009
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You are here: BBC > Science & Nature > Human Body & Mind > The Body > Muscles
Fact files

Muscles - Facial

Attachment: Facial muscles attach to other muscles or to your skin

Expressions: Contraction of your facial muscles changes your facial expression

Expressive muscles

You contract the muscles beneath your skin as a form of non-verbal communication. Unlike your other skeletal muscles which attach to your bones, your facial muscles attach to other muscles or to your skin. This means that a tiny contraction in one of the muscles in your face pulls your facial skin and changes your expression. By contracting your facial muscles in different ways you can produce countless different expressions, from frowning to smiling and winking to raising an eyebrow.

Your frontalis muscle runs vertically along your forehead. It raises your eyebrows and helps you frown.

Your orbicularis oris is sometimes known as the kissing muscle. It is a circular muscle that closes your mouth and puckers your lips when it contracts.

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