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# Zygomaticus minor

The zygomaticus minor is a slim muscle from the cheekbone, just inside the zygomaticus major; it lifts the upper lip.

Official name: Zygomaticus minor muscle

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## What it is

A slim strap inside the zygomaticus major.

## What it does

Lifts the upper lip.

## Key points

- One of the three upper-lip elevators with the levator labii superioris and its alaeque nasi part; together they show the upper teeth and deepen the nasolabial fold
- Runs medial and parallel to the zygomaticus major, but inserts into the upper lip rather than the modiolus
- Supplied by the zygomatic and buccal branches of the [facial nerve](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/facial-nerve/)

## Key facts

**Origin**
[Zygomatic bone](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/zygomatic-bone/)

**Insertion**
Upper lip

**Action**
Lifts the upper lip

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

**Blood supply**
[Facial artery](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/facial-artery/) branches

## Relations

**Superficial**
[Skin](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/skin/) and malar fat of the cheek; the lower edge of the [orbicularis oculi](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/orbital-part-of-orbicularis-oculi/) at its origin

**Deep**
[Levator anguli oris](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/levator-anguli-oris/) and the infraorbital region of the [maxilla](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/maxilla/)

**Medial**
[Levator labii superioris](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/levator-labii-superioris/), with which it merges in the upper lip

**Lateral**
[Zygomaticus major](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/zygomaticus-major-muscle/)

**Below**
[Orbicularis oris](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/orbicularis-oris-muscle/) of the upper lip, lateral to the philtrum

## How to find it

Asked to raise the upper lip in a smile that shows the upper teeth, a slim strip tightens between the zygomatic bone and the upper lip, just inside the zygomaticus major.

## Examination

- Showing the upper teeth: the upper lip does not rise on the weak side and the nasolabial fold flattens

## On imaging

Too thin to see reliably on routine imaging. On high-resolution ultrasound it lies medial to and parallel with the zygomaticus major, running into the upper lip. Its action is judged clinically, with the other lip elevators, by asking for a smile. Imaging here mainly maps the facial artery and vein running deep to it before cosmetic injections, and assesses lumps of the cheek.

## Clinical notes

- Its pull, with the other upper-lip elevators, contributes to the depth of the nasolabial fold
- Often fused with the orbicularis oculi or the levator labii superioris, so it is rarely treated or reconstructed on its own

## Anatomical variants

- Absent or merged with neighbouring muscles in some people

## Development

Second pharyngeal arch muscle, separated only incompletely from its neighbours, which fits its frequent fusion with them.

## Test yourself

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

## Where does the zygomaticus minor insert, compared with the zygomaticus major?

Into the upper lip, while the zygomaticus major inserts into the modiolus at the mouth corner.

## Which muscles lift the upper lip together with the zygomaticus minor?

The levator labii superioris and its alaeque nasi part; together they show the upper teeth and deepen the nasolabial fold.

## What sign shows weakness of the zygomaticus minor on showing the upper teeth?

The upper lip does not rise on the weak side and the nasolabial fold flattens (facial nerve).

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

## Its names

**Official Latin (TA2)**
musculus zygomaticus minor TA2 2080

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

**English (TA2)**
Zygomaticus minor muscle

**Also called**
caput zygomaticum musculi quadrati labii superioris

## 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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