Minor Helical Muscle Under the Skin

Description

Arising on the cranial surface of the auricle, the helicis minor (minor helical muscle) appears as short, fine fascicles deep to the skin along the anterior margin of the helix, close to the crus helicis and the root of the helix. Its fibers lie superficial to the auricular cartilage and run obliquely within the subcutaneous tissue, just anterior to the scapha and superior to the tragus and external acoustic meatus. Adjacent auricular muscles are suggested around the pinna, with slips positioned posteriorly toward the mastoid region and superiorly toward the temporal scalp. Recognition of the helicis minor matters because it sits in the surgical and injection corridor of the anterior auricle, where skin is thin, cartilage is superficial, and small structures cluster tightly. During auricular reconstruction, repair of lacerations involving the helix, or placement of incisions for perichondrial access, this muscle can be encountered and mistaken for scar tissue or fibrous septa. It also frames teaching discussions on vestigial auricular musculature and its innervation by branches of the facial nerve, a frequent point of confusion when learners expect purely trigeminal supply in the external ear region. Use this artwork in head and neck anatomy curricula to clarify the relationship between the helix, crus helicis, auricular cartilage, and superficial muscular slips, or in surgical education materials on otoplasty, auricular laceration repair, and reconstruction following trauma or skin cancer excision of the pinna. It also suits ENT or plastic surgery publications that need a clean side perspective of subcutaneous auricular anatomy in an adult male with realistic skin and hair context. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.