Study on the occurrence of double or bifid zygomaticus major: a muscle of facial expression

Address for Correspondence: Dr. Mary Antony Praba, Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Tagore Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. E-Mail: fio7rio@yahoo.co.in Background: Zygomaticus major is one of the muscles of facial expressions and is also known as musculus zygomaticus major, the greater zygomatic muscle, as well as musculus zygomaticus. There are so many variations in the insertion of this muscles and may leads to the formation of dimple in the cheek region. This particular property of this muscle is quiet interesting and became the background of this study. Materials and Methods: Present study was done among 10 cadaveric hemi faces belongs to the department of anatomy Tagore Medical College to find the occurrence of bifid zygomaticus major which is responsible for dimple formation in cheeks. Result: Among the 10 hemi faces we found only 2 faces with bifid zygomaticus major along its insertion. Conclusion: Even though bifid zygomaticus major is considered as a developmental defect, the dimple in cheek formed by it is always measured as a mark of beauty. So learning more about the muscle and its variation paved ways to produce artificial dimples in the face to beautify it.