The facial artery
Facial artery · arteria facialis
An artery that winds across your face from the jaw to the corner of the eye.
What it does
The facial artery branches from the external carotid, loops over the lower edge of the jaw just in front of the masseter, and winds tortuously up past the corner of the mouth and nose towards the eye, supplying the lips and face.
Surprising fact
You can feel its pulse where it crosses the lower jaw, just in front of the chewing muscle.
Why it matters
Its winding path lets it stretch when you open your mouth wide or smile, and its many branches are why cuts to the face and lips bleed so much.
Nearby
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.