A hairy cell is an abnormal lymphocyte that occurs in hairy cell leukemia. These abnormal cells have a relatively large, oval nucleus and gray-blue cytoplasm with ragged/hairy outgrowths. Another variant looks more like a fried egg, with a round, central nucleus and flared pale cytoplasm. Hairy protrusion can also occur in lymphocytes as an artifact in old blood. In this case, the lymphocytes are often of normal size.