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# Zygomaticus major

The zygomaticus major is a strap of muscle from the cheekbone to the corner of the mouth; it pulls the corner up and out to smile.

Official name: Zygomaticus major muscle

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## What it is

A strap from the cheekbone to the corner of the mouth.

## What it does

Pulls the mouth corner up and out: the smile.

## Key points

- The main smiling muscle; supplied by the zygomatic and buccal branches of the [facial nerve](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/facial-nerve/) on its deep surface
- The facial artery and vein pass deep to it, so the plane just superficial to it is safe in facelift dissection
- Main target of smile reanimation after long-standing facial palsy

## Key facts

**Origin**
Zygomatic bone (lateral)

**Insertion**
Angle of the mouth (modiolus)

**Action**
Pulls the mouth corner up and out (smile)

**Nerve**
Facial nerve (CN VII): zygomatic and buccal branches

**Blood supply**
Facial artery branches

## Relations

**Superficial**
Malar fat pad and the SMAS of the face, then the [skin](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/skin/) of the cheek

**Deep**
Buccal fat pad, the [buccinator](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/bucinator/), the [masseter](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/superficial-part-of-masseter/) edge, and the [facial artery](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/facial-artery/) and vein; the nerve branches enter from this side

**Medial**
[Zygomaticus minor](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/zygomaticus-minor-muscle/), running more medially into the upper lip

**Above**
[Zygomatic bone](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/zygomatic-bone/), under the lower edge of the [orbicularis oculi](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/orbital-part-of-orbicularis-oculi/)

**Below**
Modiolus at the angle of the mouth

## How to find it

Asked to smile broadly, a band tightens from the zygomatic bone (the cheekbone) down to the mouth corner, lifting the corner up and out.

## Examination

- Smiling broadly: the mouth corner does not rise on the weak side and the nasolabial fold flattens
- A genuine (Duchenne) smile adds the orbicularis oculi around the eye; in some central lesions an emotional smile is spared while a smile on request is weak

## On imaging

Ultrasound and MRI show it as a band running from the zygomatic bone down to the corner of the mouth, superficial to the buccal fat pad and the facial vessels. It is mainly a landmark: ultrasound uses it to map the facial artery and vein before filler injections. In long-standing facial palsy it becomes thin. The muscle itself rarely needs imaging; facial nerve function is judged clinically.

## Clinical notes

- Smile reanimation can join the masseteric nerve (V3) to a zygomatic branch, or transfer a free [gracilis muscle](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/gracilis-muscle/) to act in its place
- The zygomatic branches crossing the cheek are at risk in surgery over the zygoma and in deep-plane facelifts
- Botulinum toxin from neighbouring injections (masseter, lower lid) can spread to it and give an uneven smile

## Anatomical variants

- A bifid zygomaticus major is a proposed cause of cheek dimples

## Development

Second pharyngeal arch muscle; as this arch's muscle sheet splits into the separate muscles of expression, the facial nerve divides with it into the branches that reach each one.

## Memory aid

Zygomaticus major makes the major smile; the minor only lifts the lip.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## What is the action of the zygomaticus major?

It pulls the mouth corner up and out: the main smiling muscle.

## Which branches of the facial nerve supply the zygomaticus major?

The zygomatic and buccal branches, entering on its deep surface.

## Why is the plane just superficial to the zygomaticus major safe in facelift dissection?

The facial artery and vein and the nerve branches lie deep to it.

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Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.

## Its names

**Official Latin (TA2)**
musculus zygomaticus major TA2 2079

**Official Spanish (DeCS)**
Músculo cigomático mayor

**English (TA2)**
Zygomaticus major muscle

**Also called**
musculus zygomaticus

## Related

- [Facial nerve (VII)](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/facial-nerve/)

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [Anatomy, Head and Neck: Facial Muscles](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493209/); [Anatomy, Head and Neck: Face](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551530/); Anatomy of the Human Body (20th ed.): Development of the Muscles (Lea & Febiger (Gray's Anatomy, 1918), 1918) · adapted, Public domain.

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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