great auricular nerve

This usually is the great auricular nerve or sural nerve.

Injury to the greater auricular nerve is the most seen nerve injury after rhytidectomy.

As an sensory nerve, the great auricular nerve is the most common nerve to get injured at a facelift procedure.

The great auricular nerve originates from the cervical plexus, composed of branches of spinal nerves C2 and C3.

Mostly the great auricular nerve or sural nerve is used as a graft between the two facial nerve stumps.

The sensory innervation involves the front and back (anterior and posterior) branches of the greater auricular nerve, and is reinforced by the auricular temporal and lesser occipital nerves.

Superficial fascia, superficial lamina of investing layer of deep cervical fascia and Great auricular nerve (anterior ramus of C2 and C3)

The Great auricular nerve runs posteriorly to the ear, and is "greater" since it provides most of the innervation to the ear: the back of the ear, front of the ear and earlobe.

These include the greater occipital nerve which provides sensation to the back of the head, the lesser occipital nerve which provides sensation to the area behind the ears, the greater auricular nerve and the lesser auricular nerve.

It is separated from the sternocleidomastoideus by the investing layer of the deep cervical fascia, and is covered by the platysma, the superficial fascia, and the integument; it crosses the cutaneous cervical nerve, and its upper half runs parallel with the great auricular nerve.