Scalp and hair

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The scalp is a region of the head which covers the top of the skull and is specialized for hair growth. Similar to skin found elsewhere on the body, the scalp consists of an epidermis, dermis and underlying subcutaneous tissue. The epidermis formed of multilayered, keratinized stratified squamous epithelium while the dermis contains numerous blood vessels, nerve endings as well as appendages such as hair follicles, sebaceous and sweat glands. The scalp skin is thicker than the skin on most other parts of the body.

The hair shaft is a fine, keratinized, cylindrical (and usually pigmented) epidermal outgrowth, which is composed of a cuticle, cortex and medulla. It grows from tubelike invaginations (pits) of the epidermis, known as hair follicles. Each follicle is surrounded by an outer connective sheath of dermis which surrounds external and internal root sheaths. The proximal, expanded part of the hair follicle in which the hair shaft is generated is known as the hair bulb. It features a knoblike indentation of dermis known as a hair papilla, which contains blood vessels to nourish the growing hair. 

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