Muscle Minute TUESDAY – Meet the Orbicularis Oris

I’ve been dying to write about this muscle for two reasons:

It’s fun to say (go ahead, say it three times fast)
Kissing is good

What is a kiss? The anatomical juxaposition of two orbicularis oris muscles in the state of contraction. I learned that in my anatomy class and it stuck.

That’s right. This is the kissing muscle. I was going to wait until Valentine’s day to write about it, but I figure it’s almost time to hang up the mistletoe, so no better time than the present. Let’s dive in and see what we can learn about this very useful, but underused muscle.

Origin	maximal and mandible
Insertion	skin around the lips
Action	puckers the lips
Innervation	facial n (CN VII, buccal branch)
Antagonists	depressor labii inferioris, platysma

The Real World Orbicularis Oris

The muscles of the face are some of the only ones that insert to skin (versus a bone). It is what allows us to create facial expressions. Interestingly enough, the orbicularis oris performs an action that is generally associated with positive feelings (kissing), but an excessive and prolonged contraction of this muscle is often associated with a sad or angry expression.

In this case, more (or longer), isn’t better.

A review of the literature primarily mentions this muscle being affected by Bell’s Palsy, a disease of the facial nerve which may result in hemiparalysis and an inability to pucker the lips. Some people intentionally paralyze this muscle using Botox as it aims to relax the upper lip and soften vertical lip lines. This causes the upper lip to flip up slightly giving a more fuller appearance. Excessive Botox may cause difficulty with speaking or eating.

Here’s my logic:

Just like any other muscle, prolonged contraction of the orbicularis oris creates unwanted effects. No trigger points can be released here. So…
The best prevention of lip lines and angry expressions is regular contraction/relaxation of the orbicularis oris. Pucker. Relax. Pucker. Relax. It’s all about functional exercise, which is good, because…
Kissing gives you a metabolic boost (yes, it burns calories), boosts your oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin levels (the happy hormones), increases your self-esteem, helps you bond with others and decreases stress levels.

Conventional thinking says: Artificially relax this muscle to get rid of lip lines.

Real World Thinking says: Pucker up for health and life. The orbicularis oris, like most other muscles, is designed to move (not stay stuck). So, go find your favorite person and pucker away. You need to kiss for at least six seconds to gain the benefits above. You have your homework. Now, get to it.

Because nobody has time to be in (emotional) pain.

Until next time…