Massage Therapy Journal Spring 2026

32 • Massage Therapy Journal

AMTA Continuing Education

Sphenoid . Located behind the eye sockets. This bone stretches from one side of the cranium to the other and is sometimes not included in the list of facial bones because it’s also part of the neurocranium. The sphenoid articulates with the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, ethmoid, zygomatic, palatine and vomer bones. Frontal . The flat bone that makes up your forehead and forms the upper portion of your eye sockets. Parietal . A pair of flat bones located on either side of your head, behind the frontal bone. Temporal . A pair of irregular bones located under each of the parietal bones. Occipital . A flat bone located in the very back of your skull. This bone has an opening that allows your spinal cord to connect to your brain. The Basics of Facial Massage What to Know About Facial Structure As mentioned earlier in this course, there are 43 muscles and 14 bones in the face. Most facial muscles are

controlled by the seventh cranial nerve (CN VII) . Facial muscles differ from the rest of the muscles in the body in the sense that skeletal muscles move joints, whereas facial muscles move skin. Did you know it takes 100 facial muscles to speak? Facial skin is thin, and repeated movement of muscles can cause creases and wrinkles, such as crow’s feet, which can develop due to repeated movement of the eye muscles, like when we squint. Inactivity of facial muscles helps reduce wrinkling. When someone has paralysis on one side of their face, for example, there are often fewer visible wrinkles. How Blood Flow Affects Collagen and Elastin Production During Facial Massage The foundation of facial massage is acupressure, lymph massage and some expanded face-specific massage techniques. A facial massage is extremely relaxing. More than simply relieving stress, however, facial massage has

Did you know it takes 100 facial muscles to speak?

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