page_title: Platysma muscle
hierarchical_section_title: Platysma muscle
caption_attribution_description: English: The superficial layer of the facial muscles and the neighboring muscles of the neck seen from the side and slightly from in front.
context_page_description: The platysma is a superficial muscle that overlaps the sternocleidomastoid.
  It is a broad sheet arising from the fascia covering the upper parts of the pectoralis major and deltoid; its fibers cross the clavicle, and proceed obliquely upward and medially along the side of the neck.
  Fibres at the front of the muscle from the left and right sides intermingle together below and behind the symphysis menti; the junction where the two lateral halves of the mandible are fused at an early period of life. It is not a true symphysis as there is no cartilage between the two sides of the mandible. Fibres at the back of the muscle cross the mandible, some being inserted into the bone below the oblique line, others into the skin and subcutaneous tissue of the lower part of the face. Many of these fibers blend with the muscles about the angle and lower part of the mouth.
  Sometimes fibers can be traced to the zygomaticus, or to the margin of the orbicularis oris. Beneath the platysma, the external jugular vein descends from the angle of the mandible to the clavicle.
context_section_description: The platysma is a superficial muscle that overlaps the sternocleidomastoid.
  It is a broad sheet arising from the fascia covering the upper parts of the pectoralis major and deltoid; its fibers cross the clavicle, and proceed obliquely upward and medially along the side  of the neck.
  Fibres at the front of the muscle from the left and right sides intermingle together below and behind the symphysis menti; the junction where the two lateral halves of the mandible are fused at an early period of life. It is not a true symphysis as there is no cartilage between the two sides of the mandible. Fibres at the back of the muscle cross the mandible, some being inserted into the bone below the oblique line, others into the skin and subcutaneous tissue of the lower part of the face.  Many of these fibers blend with the muscles about the angle and lower part of the mouth.
  Sometimes fibers can be traced to the zygomaticus, or to the margin of the orbicularis oris. Beneath the platysma, the external jugular vein descends from the angle of the mandible to the clavicle.
caption: The muscles of the face, platysma visible at bottom right.
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