Human Hair Cross-Section — Cortex and Cuticle Structure
58.96 £
A cross-section of human hair photographed at 15:1 macro — the circular cross-section showing the outer cuticle scale ring, the cortex layer, and the medulla channel in a geological section through the hair shaft.
Description
Human hair cross-section photography at high magnification requires a freshly cut hair section mounted on a glass slide and photographed using a combination of transmitted and reflected illumination that renders both the surface cuticle scales and the internal cortex structure simultaneously. This image was made at 15:1 magnification using a combination of a 5:1 macro lens and a 3× teleconverter, the cross-section illuminated by a transmitted backlight and a surface ring flash. The resulting image shows the hair’s internal architecture in geological section: the outermost cuticle scale layer as a regular sequence of overlapping plates; the cortex — comprising approximately 80% of the hair volume — as the main structural matrix; and the medulla channel at the hair’s central axis, visible as a paler region in the cross-section. The elliptical cross-section shape characteristic of curly hair, and the round cross-section of straight hair, are recognisable at this scale.
