Face

The face of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, one of the most recognized faces in the world

The face is the front part of the head, in humans from the forehead to chin including the hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyes, nose, cheek, mouth, lips, teeth, skin, and chin. The face is used for facial expressions, appearance and identity amongst others. Faces are also sources of attraction.

The face as a means of recognition

The face is widely recognized as the feature which distinguishes one individual from another, often at first glance, with the exception of identical twins; for example, it is a person's face that often appears on one's driving license, and the faces of famed people or national heroes which are usually depicted on money.

Likewise, caricatures often exaggerate facial features to make a face easily recognizable in association with a pronounced portion of the face of the individual in questionâ€"for example, a caricature of Adolf Hitler might focus on his moustache and hairdo; a caricature of George W. Bush might enlarge his ears, and a caricature of Jay Leno may pronounce his chin and hairdo. Exaggeration of memorable features helps people to recognize others when presented in a non-photographic form.

Anatomy

Woodcut from the Divina Proportione by Luca Pacioli (1509) depicting the face in accommodation with a representation of the Golden Ratio

On the front of the facepiece a line drawn down from the supraorbital notch between the bicuspid teeth to the side of the chin will cut the exit of the second division of the fifth nerve from the infraorbital foramen, a quarter of an inch below the infraorbital margin, and also the exit of the third division of the fifth at the mental foramen, midway between the upper and lower margins of the body of the jaw. In practice it will be found that the angle of the mouth at rest usually corresponds to the interval between the bicuspid teeth.

The Anatomy of the face has also been described in a more Geometric sense by some, in fitting with Vitruvian descriptions of the body, or with the Golden Ratio. These arguments have been used by some as forms of the proof of a God, or natural creator, maintaining that nothing this mathematically advanced could appear without being designed.

Eye

A human face

The skin of the eyelids is very thin, and is separated from the subjacent fibrous tarsal plates by the orbicularis palpebrarum muscle. On the lids, the delicate conjunctival membrane is seen, between this and the tarsal plates lie the meibomian glands, which can be faintly seen as yellowish streaks. From the free edges of the eyelids come the eyelashes, between which many large sweat- glands open, and when one of these is inflamed it causes a stye. Internally the two eyelids form a little recess called the internal canthus, occupied by a small red eminence, the caruncula lachrymalis, just external to which a small vertical fold of conjunctiva may often be seen, called the plica semilunaris, representing the third eyelid of birds and many mammals. By gently drawing down the lower eyelid the lower punctum may be seen close to the caruncula; it is the pinhole opening into the lower of the two canaliculi which carry away the tears to the lachrymal sac and duct.

Jaw

On the side of the face the facial artery may be felt pulsating about an inch in front of the angle of the jaw; it runs a tortuous course to near the angle of the mouth, the angle of the nose and the inner angle of the eye; in the greater part of its course its vein lies some distance behind it. The parotid gland lies between the ramus of the jaw and the mastoid process; anteriorly it overlaps the masseter to form the socia parotidis, and just below this its duct, the duct of Stensen, runs forward to pierce the buccinator and open into the mouth opposite the second upper molar tooth. The line of this duct may be marked out by joining.

The lower margin of the tragus to a point midway between the lower limit of the nose and the mouth. The facial or seventh nerve emerges from the skull at the stylomastoid foramen just in front of the root of the mastoid process; in the parotid gland it forms a network called the pes anserinus, after which it divides into five branches (temporal,zygomatic, buccal, mandibular and cervical) which radiate over the face to supply the muscles of expression.

Face surgery

Cosmetic surgery is often used to alter the appearance of the facepiece features. By using cosmetic surgery almost any aspect of the face can be changed in terms of shape. Many celebrities have cosmetic surgery applied to their face to improve their appearance, however cosmetic surgery is expensive and is more commonly used in dental practice or to repair injuries.

Health

In order to keep a face clean and healthy from disease, healthcare is required such as washing and showering of the face using water and soap with a cloth.

Face diseases

* Erythema
* Erythema infectiosum ("slapped cheek syndrome")

Face: Encyclopedia BETA

Contents