In human anatomy, the forehead is an area of the head bounded by three features, two of the skull and one of the scalp. The top of the forehead is marked by the hairline, the edge of the area where hair on the scalp grows. The bottom of the forehead is marked by the supraorbital ridge, the bone feature of the skull above the eyes. The two sides of the forehead are marked by the temporal ridge, a bone feature that links the supraorbital ridge to the coronal suture line and beyond.[1][2] However, the eyebrows do not form part of the forehead.
The bone of the forehead is the squamous part of the frontal bone.[4][5] The overlying muscles are the occipitofrontalis, procerus, and corrugator supercilii muscles, all of which are controlled by the temporal branch of the facial nerve.[2]
The sensory nerves of the forehead connect to the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve and to the cervical plexus, and lie within the subcutaneous fat. The motor nerves of the forehead connect to the facial nerve.[2] The ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve, the supraorbital nerve, divides at the orbital rim into two parts in the forehead. One part, the superficial division, runs over the surface of the occipitofrontalis muscle. This provides sensation for the skin of the forehead, and for the front edge of the scalp. The other part, the deep division, runs into the occipitofrontalis muscle and provides frontoparietal sensation.[1]
The muscles of the forehead help to form facial expressions. There are four basic motions, which can occur individually or in combination to form different expressions. The occipitofrontalis muscles can raise the eyebrows, either together or individually, forming expressions of surprise and quizzicality. The corrugator supercilii muscles can pull the eyebrows inwards and down, forming a frown. The procerus muscles can pull down the centre portions of the eyebrows.[6]
The movements of the muscles in the forehead produce characteristic wrinkles in the skin. The occipitofrontalis muscles produce the transverse wrinkles across the width of the forehead, and the corrugator supercilii muscles produce vertical wrinkles between the eyebrows above the nose. The procerus muscles cause the nose to wrinkle.[6]
In physiognomy and phrenology, the shape of the forehead was taken to symbolise intellect and intelligence. "Animals, even the most intelligent of them,", wrote Samuel R. Wells in 1942, "can hardly be said to have any forehead at all, and in natural total idiots it is very diminished".[7]
Pseudo-Aristotle, in Physiognomica, stated that the forehead is governed by Mars.[8] A low and little forehead denoted magnanimity, boldness, and confidence; a fleshy and wrinkle-free forehead, litigiousness, vanity, deceit, and contentiousness; a sharp forehead, weakness and fickleness; a wrinkled forehead, great spirit and wit yet poor fortune; a round forehead, virtue and good understanding; a full large forehead, boldness, malice, boundary issues, and high spirit; and a long high forehead, honesty, weakness, simplicity, and poor fortune.[8]
Ashes can be purchased, but some churches make their own by burning the palms from prior years. For example, several parishes and schools in the Chicago Catholic Archdiocese plan to hold palm burning ceremonies this year.
Lent is the annual period of Christian observance that precedes Easter. The dates of Lent are defined by the date of Easter, which is a moveable feast, meaning that it falls on a different date each year. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, and its observance lasts for 40 days, excluding Sundays. Lent ends this year on Thursday, April 6.
Catholics started the tradition of Lent around the year 325, during the Council of Nicea, but it has spread through other Christian denominations, including Western Orthodox churches, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Anglicans, among others.
Dr. Debra Sullivan is a nurse educator with over 20 years of teaching experience. Her expertise includes cardiology, psoriasis and dermatology, pediatrics, complementary medicine, and workplace burnout syndrome. She has held many leadership roles in her nursing career.
Ann Pietrangelo is freelance writer and health reporter with bylines on a variety of consumer health publications and leading health information websites. Through her books No More Secs! Living, Laughing & Loving Despite Multiple Sclerosis and Catch That Look: Living, Laughing & Loving Despite Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, she shares her experiences in the hope that others will feel less alone in their health struggles. Learn more at her website.
Catherine Lovering holds a law degree (LLB) from the University of Victoria. She has been a freelance writer since 2010 writing about health and other people-focused issues. Catherine is currently completing a Philosophy and Psychology combined degree at UBC in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Steph Coelho is a writer, editor, and ACE-certified personal trainer with intimate knowledge of living with a mental health condition and chronic illness. She has bylines with Healthline, Everyday Health, Medical News Today, and more. You can find her on Twitter.
Jessica Timmons has been working as a freelance writer since 2007, covering everything from pregnancy and parenting to cannabis, chiropractic, stand-up paddling, fitness, martial arts, home decor, and much more. Her work has appeared in mindbodygreen, Pregnancy & Newborn, Modern Parents Messy Kids, and Coffee + Crumbs. She loves weight lifting, really great lattes, and family time. You can connect with her on her web page, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
No matter where acne forms on your face, the cause is the same. Oil called sebum normally lubricates and protects your skin. Sebum is produced in tiny oil glands called sebaceous glands. Oil gets to the surface of your skin through small holes called pores.
Irritation from clothing or the chemicals in makeup can also cause forehead acne, especially if your skin is sensitive. You may get a breakout after you use a new makeup brand or if you wear a hat or headband that irritates your skin.
Zawn is a writer who covers medical, legal, and social justice topics. Her work has been published in dozens of publications and websites. She lives with her husband, daughter, six tortoises, a dog, and 500 orchids. In her spare time, she runs a local maternal health nonprofit.
These glands, known as sebaceous glands, produce an oily substance called sebum. They can become blocked by too much sebum, dead skin cells, or bacteria. When this happens, the glands may become inflamed, and a pimple can develop.
Maintaining a good standard of personal hygiene is the best way for someone to prevent acne on the forehead. While some pimples may be inevitable, especially during puberty, washing regularly will help to minimize the risk of a significant outbreak occurring.
People with milder acne can often treat their symptoms at home with a variety of OTC gels, soaps, lotions, and creams. Someone with more severe acne should speak to their doctor, who will be able to prescribe stronger and more effective medications if they feel it might be necessary.
I recently had a bride of Indian heritage ask me about using the "dot" on the forehead for her wedding ceremony. I knew a bit about this but realized it was time to learn more and, of course, share it in this column.
The tika can be more than a dot, sometimes it can be a line or other shape, and signifies a deeper meaning than a bindi. The tika is a sign of blessings or greetings, while the bindi can simply be decorative. Another small difference is the tika is applied with paste or power, but a bindi may be a paste as well as a jewel. I find them both to be very attractive. The bindi is worn only by women, but a tika is worn by both men and women
Lois Heckman is a certified Life-Cycle Celebrant officiating weddings, funerals, memorials and other milestones in the Pocono Mountains. She can be reached through her website: LoisHeckman.com and follow her on Pinterest at celebrantlois, Google+, and Instagram.
As you probably know, the point between your eyebrows (including that area of your forehead) is the location of your spiritual eye and also an of the sixth chakra, the place of spiritual enlightenment and the place where we are taught by Paramhansa Yogananda to concentrate when we meditate.
There is no way to know exactly why your parents would see a glow there when you were a child, but my guess is that they were seeing a remnant of a past lifetime, during which you meditated a lot and kept your attention at that point as much as possible.
Keep in mind, though, that different types of headaches can show up in similar places. And locations for a particular type of headache, such as migraine or tension headaches, may vary from person to person.
There are two main types of headaches: primary and secondary. With the primary type, the headache is the main issue and it has no specific cause. A secondary headache is triggered by pain or inflammation due to another condition.
Common primary headaches include tension headaches, migraines, and cluster headaches. Headaches tied to infection, blood vessel problems, or injury are common secondary headaches. Headaches caused by mental health disorders are also considered secondary headaches.
Pain that's throbbing and lasts a while, or that comes with nausea or changes in your vision or other senses, probably means a migraine. Light and noise make it worse. A migraine could hurt on just one side, but it's not this way for everyone. In some cases, a migraine might make your nose runny or stuffy and your eyes watery, so you could mistake it for a sinus infection. When you get migraines, they're typically triggered by the same things each time. Recognizing the pattern is key to avoiding them.
Sharp, searing, one-sided pain that comes on quickly but doesn't last long is probably a cluster headache, especially if it happens again and again at the same time for several days. This type tends to run in families. These headaches can also give you a stuffy, runny nose and make you sweat and tear up. You probably won't be able to sit still.
c80f0f1006