Face (Human Anatomy): Image, Function, Diseases, and Treatments

Every individual we have ever met is remembered to us via their looks. The front of our head is made up of our face. It stretches from the chin to the superior edge of the forehead, and from one ear to the other.

The facial skeleton, facial muscles, and the quantity of subcutaneous tissue in the area all contribute to the fundamental contour of the human face. There are three sections to our face. The frontal area, orbital region, and temporal region make up the superior portion, which is the first one. The second component is the middle section, which includes the nasal, infraorbital, zygomatic, and auricular regions.

The third area is the inferior region, which includes the buccal, oral, mental, and parotideomasseteric regions. The nasal conchae, nasal bones, maxillae, palatine, lacrimal, zygomatic, mandibular, and vomer are just a few of the bones that make up our face. There are 14 facial bones.

It is essential for communication as well as the expression of emotions and mood. Everybody has an outward identity thanks to their fundamental face shape and other facial characteristics. In order to sculpt the human face and shield its interior systems from harm, facial bones serve two basic purposes.

Additionally, these bones provide bony characteristics for the attachment of face muscles as well as apertures for the passage of neurovascular processes. The bony and fibrous components of the skull are the source of all face muscles, which enter into the skin.

The primary purpose of the facial muscles is to produce a variety of expressions that are crucial for conveying emotions and mood. These muscles also assist in opening and shutting the lips and eyes, protecting the face's delicate features.

• Cleft Lip: On one or both sides, the maxillary prominence and the medial nasal prominence fail to fuse completely or even partially. A partial or full, unilateral or bilateral cleft lip may arise from the degree of the absence of fusion.
• Cleft Palate: Depending on whether they are in front of or behind the incisive foramen, primary and secondary cleft palates are distinguished. The main cleft abnormalities include a cleft between the primary and secondary palates, an upper cleft jaw, and a lateral cleft lip. The posterior secondary palate is often referred to as a cleft uvula. Lack of fusion between the palatine shelves leads to cleft palates. The lip and secondary palate may sometimes be separated by a cleft. Oblique facial clefts: They are caused when the maxillary prominence fails to converge with the lateral nasal prominence, exposing the nasolacrimal duct.
• Median cleft: Cleft in the middle of the nose caused by the partial union of the two medial nasal prominences is known as a median cleft. This specific abnormality, which is linked to cognitive impairments and brain abnormalities, may have considerably more severe effects than the others.
• Bell's palsy: This condition, which may result in facial weakness or paralysis on one or both sides of the face, develops when swelling presses against the facial nerve. It nearly invariably results in a total loss of the capacity to frown. Bell's palsy occurs unexpectedly but often lasts just a short time.
• Head and neck cancer: As a tumour grows, it may eventually affect how well the facial muscles work. A pain or lump that won't go away, a chronic sore throat, difficulty swallowing, and voice changes are just a few of the symptoms that may be detected in the mouth, sinuses, nose, or throat.
• Infection: A bacterial or viral infection may result in facial nerve irritation and issues with the face's muscles. Examples include Ramsay-Hunt syndrome, Lyme illness, and ear infections: damage to the face or head, The facial nerve and face muscles may be harmed by facial trauma, such as a head injury or vehicle accident.
• Facial paralysis: A cerebral blood artery that is blocked or bursts causes a stroke. It may result in an instant facial paralysis or weakening. Other symptoms might include difficulty talking, disorientation, memory loss, and paralysis on one side of the body. In contrast to Bell's palsy, a person who has had a stroke may often still wrinkle their forehead.
• Cold sore: A cold sore is a red, uncomfortable, fluid-filled blister that develops close to the lips and mouth.Frequently, the affected region may tingle or burn before the sore is evident. Additionally, flu-like symptoms including a low temperature, body pains, and enlarged lymph nodes may appear during outbreaks.
• Blister: They may be identified by watery, transparent, fluid-filled spots on the skin that can range in size from less than 1 cm to more than 1 cm, appear alone or in clusters, and are easy to identify. Along with the face, they may be found anyplace on the body.
• Hives: Raised, itchy welts that develop after being exposed to an allergen. It might be tiny, ring-shaped, heated, and somewhat uncomfortable to the touch, or it can be huge and haphazardly formed.
• Actinic keratosis: Usually little larger than a pencil eraser, or less than 2 cm. It is a thick, scaly, or crusty skin patch that may be pink in colour but can also have a brown, tan, or grey base and is seen on sections of the body that are exposed to a lot of sunlight.
• Rosacea: Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that passes through remission and recurrence cycles.Spicy meals, alcoholic drinks, sunshine, stress, and gut microbes may all cause relapses.Face flushing, raised, red pimples, facial redness, skin dryness, and skin sensitivity are typical symptoms.
• Cleft Lip1: Craniofacial abnormalities, such as craniosynostosis, are caused by a baby's skull or facial bones fusing together prematurely or in an unnatural manner. The brain may be injured as it develops and cannot properly expand when the bones fuse together too early, and the newborn may have neurological issues.
• Apert Syndrome: Apert syndrome is a craniofacial anomaly characterised by a fusion of the fingers and toes, a tiny upper jaw, and an atypical head shape.
• Brachycephaly: Birth disorder known as brachycephaly is characterised by an abnormally small head. It results from the coronal suture's early fusion. Apert, Crouzon, Pfeiffer, and other disorders are often linked to brachycephaly.
• Crouzon Syndrome: A birth condition brought on by the fusion of both sides of the coronal suture and marked by anomalies in the skull and facial bones. The skull is often short in the front and rear as a result of this disease. Flat noses and flat cheekbones are other symptoms of this condition.
• Encephalocele: A condition in which the brain or its coverings protrude through the skull.
• Kleeblattschadel Syndrome: A relatively unusual birth abnormality known as Kleeblattschadel syndrome is characterised by anomalies of the skull and facial bones. Almost all of the fibrous sutures fuse prematurely, which is the reason behind it. Its other name is cloverleaf skull.
• Oxycephaly: Birth disorder known as oxycephaly is characterised by anomalies in the skull and face bones. The top of the skull becomes pointed or conical as a result of this disease. It results from the coronal and sagittal sutures fusing together too soon. Turricephaly or high-head syndrome are other names for it.
• Pfeiffer Syndrome: It is a congenital abnormality that is distinguished by anomalies of the hands, foot, and cranium. Due to the head's inability to grow properly, this disease causes wide-set, protruding eyes, an undeveloped upper jaw, and a beaked nose.
• Pierre Robin Syndrome: A congenital abnormality known as Pierre Robin syndrome causes anomalies in the facial bones, which may lead to a smaller-than-normal lower jaw or a retracted chin. Breathing becomes difficult because the tongue often slides back into the throat.
• Plagiocephaly: An ongoing flat area on a baby's head on one side or the back brought on by sleeping in the same posture the majority of the time. With repositioning and exercises, the majority of newborns show improvement. Plagiocephaly may sometimes begin before birth and is more frequent in twins.
• Saethre-Chotzen Syndrome: A birth abnormality known as Saethre-Chotzen syndrome is distinguished by an extremely small or wide head. Additionally, the fingers may be excessively small and webbed, the eyes may be widely spread apart, and the eyelids may droop.
• Scaphocephaly: Early fusion of the sagittal suture, which runs front to back through the centre of the top of the head, results in scaphocephaly, a long, narrow head shape.
• Torticollis: A twisting of the neck resulting in an abnormal rotation and tilt of the head. It usually happens as a consequence of a stiff neck muscle. Exercises for the neck are highly effective in treating torticollis. It is also called wry neck.
• Trigonocephaly: Trigonocephaly is the term for the triangular shape of the skull that results from the early fusion of the frontal bones' two halves at the metopic suture, which runs from the centre of the forehead toward the nose.
• Ingrown hairs: Dead skin cells may sometimes obstruct a hair follicle, causing ingrown hairs. Its internal hair is compelled to grow horizontally under the skin as opposed to upward and outward as a result.
• Pustules: A pustule is a protruding area of skin that is filled with pus, a yellowish fluid. In essence, it is a large pimple. Pustules may be brought on by a variety of disorders, from something as simple as acne to the once lethal illness smallpox.

• Skin Scrapings: Skin scrapings are used to diagnose scabies and fungus diseases. Scale is collected from the lesion's edge and put on a microscope slide in the case of a fungus infection. Then 20% KOH is dropped in. Tinea or candidiasis are confirmed as a diagnosis by hyphae, budding yeast, or both. Scrapings from suspicious burrows are collected and immediately put under a coverslip with mineral oil to test for scabies. The diagnosis is confirmed by eggs, faeces, or mites. A negative scraping does not, however, exclude scabies.
• Tzanck Testing: When active intact vesicles are present, it may be utilised to identify viral diseases like herpes simplex and herpes zoster. The best lesion to examine is an intact blister.
• Diascopy: Diascopy is used to ascertain if the erythema of a lesion is caused by bleeding from superficial blood vessels or by haemorrhage (petechiae or purpura). A lesion is placed up against a microscope slide to examine whether it blanchs. Inflammatory and vascular lesions blanch, but hemorrhagic lesions do not. Diascopy may also aid in the detection of sarcoid skin lesions, which when examined take on the appearance of apple jelly.
• Facial X-Ray: A facial X-ray is a collection of images showing the face's bones. The air-filled cavities that surround the nose and eyes are examined by a particular form of face X-ray called the paranasal sinus X-ray series. It is used to detect infections, abnormal growths, bone fractures, tumours, and changes in bone size or structure. If the eye has been hurt, an X-ray of the eye may be taken.
• CT Scan: To examine any issues noted on an X-ray, a computed tomography, CT scan may be required.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging: MRI is useful for both locating soft tissue anomalies and bony facial canals.

• Cleft Palate Surgery: Cleft lip and palate repair surgery is very personalised. The procedure is designed not just to heal the cleft deformity, but also to improve your child's talents. When a newborn is 10-12 months old, a cleft palate is commonly corrected by palatoplasty (PAL-eh-tuh-plass-tee).
• Cheiloplasty (Cleft Lip Repair): When the infant is around 3 months old, a plastic surgeon will correct the cleft lip first. This is accomplished by a procedure known as cheiloplasty (KY-lo-plass-tee). It is performed in the hospital while the infant is sedated.
• Antiepileptic Infusion for Facial Palsy: the anticonvulsants that are known to be beneficial for epileptic conditions such as bell's palsy, which can result in partial or total facial palsy Lamotrigine, Phenytoin, and Gabapentin are all examples of carbamazepine.
• Surgical Correction Of Apert Syndrome: The typical therapy is a major incision surgery to remove the fused suture and restructure the skull bones. There is no known cure for Apert syndrome. The main therapy for Apert syndrome is surgery to fix the faulty bone connections.

• Analgesics for relieving pain in the facial region: Analgesics such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen are all examples of medications that are able to provide at least some relief from the discomfort caused by inflammation of the diaphragm. A further example of an analgesic is paracetamol, and naproxen is another.
• Antibiotics for infection of the facial muscles: If the physician determines that an infection is the major cause of the patient's suffering, antibacterial medicine will most likely be ordered to treat the condition. The most prevalent antibiotics are amoxicillin, ampicillin, and penicillin.
• Antibiotics for Mastitis And Rhinosinusitis: Some of the essential drugs used to treat infections, such as doxycycline, metronidazole, azithromycin, clindamycin, levofloxacin, ceftriaxone, and zithromax, do have some unwanted side effects.
• Muscle relaxants for Facial Stiffness and Spasm: A patient may be given muscle relaxants like metaxalone, methocarbamol, orphenadrine, or carisoprodol by a specialist who is treating them for muscular tension.
• Steroids for Nasal Congestion: Anti-inflammatory steroid nasal sprays, commonly known as corticosteroid nasal sprays, are medications that are sprayed into the nose and function by inhibiting steroid hormone release. Beclomethasone, budesonide, and fluticasone are anti-inflammatory medications.