Levator labii superioris

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Levator labii superioris
Muscles of the head, face, and neck.
Latin	musculus levator labii superioris
Gray's	subject #108 383
Origin:	Medial infra-orbital margin
Insertion:	Skin and muscle of the upper lip (labii superioris)
Artery:	facial artery
Nerve:	buccal branch of the facial nerve (C.N. VII)
Action:	Elevates the upper lip
Dorlands/Elsevier	m_22/12549597

The levator labii superioris (or quadratus labii superioris) is a broad sheet, the origin of which extends from the side of the nose to the zygomatic bone.

Its medial fibers form the angular head, which arises by a pointed extremity from the upper part of the frontal process of the maxilla and passing obliquely downward and lateralward divides into two slips.

One of these is inserted into the greater alar cartilage and skin of the nose; the other is prolonged into the lateral part of the upper lip, blending with the infraorbital head and with the Orbicularis oris.

The intermediate portion or infraorbital head arises from the lower margin of the orbit immediately above the infraorbital foramen, some of its fibers being attached to the maxilla, others to the zygomatic bone.

Its fibers converge, to be inserted into the muscular substance of the upper lip between the angular head and the Caninus.

The lateral fibers, forming the zygomatic head, arise from the malar surface of the zygomatic bone immediately behind the zygomaticomaxillary suture and pass downward and medialward to the upper lip.

[edit] See also

• facial expression
• levator labii superioris alaeque nasi

[edit] Additional images

Left maxilla. Outer surface.

Left zygomatic bone. Malar surface.

The arteries of the face and scalp.

[edit] External links

• LUC lls
• GPnotebook -1993015216
• Dictionary at eMedicine levator+labii+superioris+muscle
• PTCentral

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.