A section from the base of the left ovarian cyst demonstrated hair, squamous epithelium (which normally covers the skin), sebaceous (oil) glands, fat, fibrous tissue, smooth muscle, nerves and glial tissue (normally present in the brain). The central cyst is lined by columnar cells. The wall of the cyst shows some normal ovarian tissue, a few hairs and numerous irregular spaces, most of them associated with a "foreign body" (irritant) reaction. There is no evidence of cancer.