The facial vein (or anterior facial vein) is a relatively large

vein Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenat ...

in the human

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

. It commences at the side of the root of the

nose A nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which receive and expel air for respiration alongside the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes ...

and is a direct continuation of the angular vein where it also receives a small nasal branch. It lies behind the

facial artery The facial artery (external maxillary artery in older texts) is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies structures of the superficial face. Structure The facial artery arises in the carotid triangle from the external carotid arte ...

and follows a less tortuous course. It receives blood from the external palatine vein before it either joins the anterior branch of the

retromandibular vein The retromandibular vein (temporomaxillary vein, posterior facial vein) is a major vein of the face. Anatomy Origin The retromandibular vein is formed by the union of the superficial temporal and maxillary veins. Course It descends in th ...

to form the

common facial vein The facial vein usually unites with the anterior branch of the retromandibular vein to form the common facial vein, which crosses the external carotid artery and enters the internal jugular vein at a variable point below the hyoid bone. From ne ...

, or drains directly into the

internal jugular vein The internal jugular vein is a paired jugular vein that collects blood from the brain and the superficial parts of the face and neck. This vein runs in the carotid sheath with the common carotid artery and vagus nerve. It begins in the poste ...

. A common misconception states that the facial vein has no

valves A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...

, but this has been contradicted by recent studies. Its walls are not so flaccid as most superficial veins.

Path

From its origin it runs obliquely downward and backward, beneath the

zygomaticus major muscle The zygomaticus major muscle is a muscle of the human body. It extends from each zygomatic arch ( cheekbone) to the corners of the mouth. It is a muscle of facial expression which draws the angle of the mouth superiorly and posteriorly to allow ...

and zygomatic head of the

quadratus labii superioris The levator labii superioris (pl. ''levatores labii superioris'', also called quadratus labii superioris, pl. ''quadrati labii superioris'') is a muscle of the human body used in facial expression. It is a broad sheet, the origin of which exten ...

, descends along the anterior border and then on the superficial surface of the

masseter In human anatomy, the masseter is one of the muscles of mastication. Found only in mammals, it is particularly powerful in herbivores to facilitate chewing of plant matter. The most obvious muscle of mastication is the masseter muscle, since it ...

, crosses over the body of the mandible, and passes obliquely backward, beneath the

platysma The platysma muscle is a superficial muscle of the human neck that overlaps the sternocleidomastoid. It covers the anterior surface of the neck superficially. When it contracts, it produces a slight wrinkling of the neck, and a "bowstring" effec ...

and cervical fascia, superficial to the submandibular gland, the

digastricus The digastric muscle (also digastricus) (named ''digastric'' as it has two 'bellies') is a small muscle located under the jaw. The term "digastric muscle" refers to this specific muscle. However, other muscles that have two separate muscle belli ...

and

stylohyoideus The stylohyoid muscle is a Gracility, slender muscle, lying anterior and Anatomical terms of location#Superior and inferior, superior of the posterior belly of the digastric muscle. It is one of the suprahyoid muscles. It shares this muscle's inn ...

muscles.

Clinical significance

Thrombophlebitis Thrombophlebitis is a phlebitis (inflammation of a vein) related to a thrombus (blood clot). When it occurs repeatedly in different locations, it is known as thrombophlebitis migrans ( migratory thrombophlebitis). Signs and symptoms The following ...

of the facial vein, (inflammation of the facial vein with secondary clot formation) can result in pieces of an infected clot extending into the

cavernous sinus The cavernous sinus within the human head is one of the dural venous sinuses creating a cavity called the lateral sellar compartment bordered by the temporal bone of the skull and the sphenoid bone, lateral to the sella turcica. Structure The cave ...

, forming thrombophlebitis of the cavernous sinus. Infections may spread from the facial veins into the

dural venous sinuses The dural venous sinuses (also called dural sinuses, cerebral sinuses, or cranial sinuses) are venous channels found between the endosteal and meningeal layers of dura mater in the brain. They receive blood from the cerebral veins, receive cere ...

. Infections may also be introduced by facial lacerations and by bursting pimples in the areas drained by the facial vein.

Additional images

Image:Gray515.png, Bloodvessels of the eyelids seen from the front Image:Lateral head anatomy detail.jpg, Anatomy of the human head seen from the side Image:Head ap anatomy.jpg, Anatomy of the human head seen from the front Image:Slide5yyyy.JPG, Dissected human head (facial vein labeled) Image:Slide5BBB.JPG, Dissected human head (facial vein labeled)

References

External links

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Figure 47-5
{{Authority control Veins of the head and neck

Vein Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenat ...