Muscle · Head

Nasalis

Musculus nasalis

The muscle of the nostril, and it works in two directions at once. A transverse part runs from the maxilla up over the bridge of the nose and squeezes the nostril narrower; an alar part runs from the maxilla into the flexible cartilage of the nostril wing and pulls it down and outward, flaring the nostril open. Because the nose has no bone below its bridge, this muscle acts almost entirely on cartilage and skin — which is why nostril flaring is visible from across a room while the muscle itself is impossible to feel. It is the muscle that widens the airway when breathing is hard work.