Hairy skin. Light micrograph of a thick section of human skin, showing three central hair follicles. The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is the thin, purple band, supported by the deeper, yellow, dermis. Beneath is the subcutaneous layer of connective tissue & fat. The epidermis grows down to form the lining of the hair shaft or follicle. The hair is rooted in an enlarged "hair bulb", where actively dividing cells make the hair grow. Associated with the follicle is smooth muscle, to pull the hair erect in cold or fear, and sebaceous glands that secrete oily sebum. The latter are the orange globules along the follicles. Magnification: x25 when printed at 10 centimetres wide.