Sebaceous glands are found in the skin. They are connected to hair follicles. They release their secretory products inside the hair follicle.

A photomicrograph of a cross section through a hair follicle and its sebaceous glands has been taken (see bottom left photo). The hair follicle and the hair inside it are clearly visible. Two sebaceous glands connect with the follicle.

You can see that sebaceous glands have all the characteristics pertaining to simple branched alveolar exocrine glands:

The secretory parts of these glands are shaped like small bags (alveoli or ascini). The section goes through two of the ascini of the left gland and one of the ascini of the right gland.

The two ascini of the left gland are attached to the same duct - this duct does not ramify in two.

Click on the left sebaceous gland to have a close up.

A: skin

B1 & B2: two ascini (little secretory bags)

C: duct

Note that the secretory cells of the wall of the ascini are large and clear. Their contour is clearly defined. The dark purple dot inside the cells is the nuclei. The cells making the ducts are smaller (because the dots are closer to each others) and it is impossible to distinguish their contour.