Face: Structure, Function & Diseases

The human face is capable of illustrating expressions of emotion through facial expressions, which is made possible with the multitude of muscles found in the face. Because of the versatile features and the many sensitive parts that the face contains, various forms of disease can occur. The medical aspects of the face are outlined below.

What is the face?

The face is understood to be that part of the head where the senses are gathered to perceive the external world. Only sensing is also active outside the face. In addition, the many facial muscles as well as the mandibular joint enable the fulfillment of the need for communication in the form of facial expressions and the pronunciation of words. The face also serves to absorb food through the mouth. It quickly becomes clear that the face accommodates a multitude of functions that go far beyond those described here. In medical terminology, the face is also called the “facies.” The German word refers to the main sense of the face, namely seeing. However, seeing can also be formed with the synonym “sifting”. Objects are “sighted”, and this is done with the eyes located in the face.

Anatomy and structure

The face comprises the front of the head. It runs vertically from the bottom of the forehead, that is, from the bases of the eyebrows, to the chin; horizontally from one ear to the other. In terms of structure, it consists mainly of two horizontally paired eyes and ears, a nose and a mouth. If one were to separate the halves of the face vertically, there is no absolute symmetry in any human being, because the eyes are positioned differently in each half of the face due to the varying degrees of cheekbone curvature. Due to the curvature differences alone, there is a strong difference in the shape of both halves of the face. The nose runs vertically elongated and ends from the lower side usually at the level of the earlobes. The mouth, on the other hand, runs horizontally in width and consists of a pair of lips on the outside and a mouth cavity on the inside, in which the tongue is centrally located, as well as a row of teeth at the top and bottom of each. The lower half of the mouth is made mobile by the mandibular joint, which is necessary for food processing and for speech.

Functions and tasks

Because of its location on the head, the face is very close to the brain, which is necessary because the tasks of the important senses must be accomplished quickly, i.e., a short pathway is required for sensory stimuli to be transmitted to the brain. Primarily, the face fulfills the functions of the senses, i.e. seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting. Feeling is not specifically mentioned here because it is functional on the entire body. The parallelism of the two eyes enables three-dimensional vision; the same applies to the ears and hearing. The position of the nose between both eyes and the cheekbones does not fulfill a special function. Rather, it is the result of evolution, because in most other mammals, the nose makes up most of the face and is considered the most important sense to them. In humans, it has receded, as vision and hearing have come to the fore. The sense of smell has thus become less significant. The mouth area serves mainly for the admission and processing of food. In connection with this function, the sense of taste becomes active. By means of the tongue, food can be savored or checked to see if it is edible. The front teeth and fangs fulfill the function of biting off food particles in morsels, which are chewed with the molars. The face is rich in fine muscles so that facial expressions can be formed to express a person’s current state of mind as well as momentary affects. In addition, the face is considered the most concise recognition feature of a person.

Diseases and ailments

As versatile as the functions of the face are, the range of disease possibilities is also pronounced. Therefore, only the most important diseases and complaints are described here. Dysfunction of a cranial nerve can cause paralysis of the facial muscles. This often manifests itself in the fact that mimetic processes are restricted or become completely non-functional. There may also be problems closing the mouth. In addition, various skin diseases appear on the face.As part of the face, the eyes can also be affected by diseases or functional impairments; for example, in the form of nearsightedness or farsightedness as well as astigmatism. Severe cases are covered by cataracts, which can lead to blindness. The ears can be limited in their function by a hearing loss or tinnitus, the former resulting in hearing loss and the latter in a permanently audible beeping. Furthermore, there are middle or ear canal infections that can stress the ears. The mucous membranes of the nose can be affected by polyps, which make breathing difficult and can only be removed surgically. Herpes can form on the lips of the mouth, which deprives them of moisture and can make them dry. Likewise, there are various dental diseases, such as caries and periodontal disease.