Platysma Auricular Ligament as, Lateral View

Description

Running superficially across the anterolateral neck, the platysma is shown as a thin sheet of muscle ascending from the fascia overlying the clavicle and upper thorax toward the inferior border of the mandible and the lower face. Posteriorly and superiorly, wispy fibrous strands of the platysma auricular ligament extend toward the auricular cartilage, tethering the region just anterior to the mastoid part of the temporal bone and close to the external acoustic meatus. Deep to these superficial soft tissues, the lateral skull bones and their sutures are visible, with the mandible articulated at the temporomandibular joint anterior to the ear. Cervical vertebrae and intervertebral discs align inferior to the occiput, and the hyoid sits inferior to the mandible in the anterior neck. Emphasizing the platysma auricular ligament in a true lateral view matters because it clarifies how a superficial mimetic muscle communicates tension to the periauricular soft tissues rather than to bone, which helps explain why skin traction in the lateral neck can translate to subtle changes in auricular position. This is the anatomy encountered during facelift and neck lift dissection when the surgeon works in the subcutaneous plane over the platysma and must preserve periauricular retaining ligaments while avoiding the great auricular nerve as it courses superficially over the sternocleidomastoid toward the lobule. Small structure, real consequences. Use this illustration to teach facial expression musculature and cervical fascial planes in gross anatomy, to support otoplasty or rhytidectomy chapters in surgical texts, or to annotate clinical graphics about periauricular pain and sensory disturbance after lateral neck procedures. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.