Contents
What are the functions of the 3 parts of the hair shaft?
The hair shaft is formed of three layers:
- The medulla – the deepest layer of the hair shaft, only seen in large and thick hairs.
- The cortex – the middle layer of the hair shaft which provides the strength, colour and texture of a hair fibre.
- The cuticle – the outer layer of the hair shaft is thin and colourless.
What is the cortex of the hair shaft?
The cortex of the hair shaft is located between the hair cuticle and medulla and is the thickest hair layer. It also contains most of the hair’s pigment, giving the hair its color. The pigment in the cortex is melanin, which is also found in skin.
What does the hair shaft consist of?
Each hair shaft is made up of two or three layers: the cuticle, the cortex, and sometimes the medulla. The cuticle is the outermost layer. Made of flattened cells that overlap like the tiles on a terra-cotta roof, the cuticle protects the inside of the hair shaft from damage.
What is the first layer of hair?
Each hair has three layers: the medulla (pronounced: meh-DULL-uh) at the center, which is soft. the cortex, which surrounds the medulla and is the main part of the hair. the cuticle (pronounced: KYOO-tuh-kull), the hard outer layer that protects the shaft.
Why can’t a hair shaft be used to collect an individual’s DNA?
Answer: A hair w/out the follicle and its nuclear DNA, or genetic material in its nucleus, cannot provide individual evidence. Physical examination of the hair can only yield class evidence.
What is the medulla in the hair?
Medulla (hair) The medulla is the innermost layer of the hair shaft. This nearly invisible layer is the most soft and fragile, and serves as the pith or marrow of the hair.
Which is the middle layer of the hair shaft?
The middle layer of the hair shaft is called the cortex, made of keratin fibers. The strength, color and texture of a hair fiber are provided by the cortex layer of the hair shaft. The outermost layer of the hair shaft is the cuticle.
Is the cortex the cuticle or the medulla?
Generally speaking, there are 3 layers, which every hair is made up of. The cuticle is an outside layer. It is flat and thin. The cortex, or the middle layer, is the main part of the hair. It is usually thick and firm. The medulla is a inner layer that goes thinly through the middle of the hair. Let’s have a look at all three layers in more detail.
Where does moisture come from in the hair shaft?
Hair shaft moisture is actually in the medulla and is held in the central part of the hair shaft. The cuticle (the outer layer of the hair shaft), serves among other things to allow moisture to come in and out of the medulla. The cuticle protects the medulla from harmful environmental agents , sun, wind, pollution chemicals and other toxin.