Nasalis muscle


The nasalis is a sphincter-like muscle of the nose whose function is to compress the nasal cartilages. It is the muscle responsible for "flaring" of the nostrils. Some people can use it to close the nostrils to prevent entry of water when underwater.
It consists of two parts, transverse and alar:
Like all the other muscles of facial expression, nasalis muscle is innervated by the seventh cranial nerve: the facial nerve.

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