Where is the frontalis muscle?

[LookingToLearn]

Where, precisely is the frontalis muslce on the forehead? And how can one gauge where exactly a "normal" mature hair line should be?

[Blake Bloxham]

Attached is an image of the frontalis muscle. It connects (via connective tissue over the scalp) to the occipitalis muscle in the back of the head to make the occipitofrontalis muscle that moves the scalp (though some anatomists classify this a bit differently).

 

Normal hairline height is relative to the patient. Most physicians like to refer to da Vinci's "rule of thirds" to determine natural hairline height. The rule of third refers to the idea that the face is split into three equal parts: the section between the chin and the bottom of the nose, the bottom of the nose to the glabella (space between the eyebrows), and the section between the glabella and hairline. Obviously, this doesn't always hold true in hair restoration surgery (as hairlines are sometimes not lowered to anatomic position), but it's a good rule of thumb for "normal" hairline height.

 

However, if you're looking for rough figures, most natural hairlines are around 6.5 - 7.5 cm (roughly) from the glabella.

 

Hope this helps!

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Look in a mirror. Raise your eyebrows as high as you can. See the wrinkles...that entire area is your frontalis muscle. From the brow skin to just above the highest wrinkle. Pull it up permanently and your eyebrows come too. Botox it, and they'll fall for a few months.

Irregardless of that, the normal anterior hairline is usually about where the skull goes from vertical to horizontal. Often similar to the upper edge of the frontalis but not always so. About 3 weeks ago on Jay Leno, they had an audience member who could wiggle his frontalis and move his hair all the way back to the crown. I think he got a free dinner for his "talent". Perhaps someone more computer saavy than me can find it and post it from youtube.

 

Thanks

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA