Eyelash hairs and skin. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of eyelash hairs growing from the surface of human skin. The shafts of hair (green) are anchored in their individual hair follicles in the surface of the skin (blue). Hair is made up of a fibrous protein called keratin. The outermost skin layer, the stratum corneum, also consists of keratinized dead cells that detach from the body. The squamous (flattened) cells that make up the stratum corneum arise from the lower, living layers of skin. The tails of eyelash mites (Demodex folliculorum) are seen protruding from the base of several eyelashes. Magnification: x50 at 6x7cm size.