Sweat gets a bad rap. We call it smelly and it ruins our favorite white tees. But, the truth is we need to sweat.
How Does Sweating Work?
Your body is home to two types of sweat glands, eccrine and apocrine. Eccrine glands regulate the body’s temperature. Your body temperature can rise due to physical activity, stressful environments and external temperatures. As your body’s temperature rises, the nervous system stimulates the eccrine glands to release sweat, allowing it to cool the body down. Apocrine glands are mainly found in the underarms and groin. These particular glands produce bacteria causing body odor. This is why deodorant is put only under the arms instead of all over the body.
Why You Sweat So Much
On average we sweat about 1 liter per day, but most of it evaporates before we notice. Armpit sweat is the common concern, but it only accounts for 2 percent of our body’s perspiration. The average person has two to four million sweat glands throughout the body, but how much we sweat is determined by a variety of factors including gender, genetics, environment, age and fitness level.
If an individual weighs more, the amount of sweat is likely to be higher because the body must exert itself more to cool down. On the flip side, a fit person will start sweating earlier and easier. It may sound unlikely, but as someone becomes fit the body becomes more efficient at regulating the body’s temperature. When you start sweating earlier, the body can cool down faster allowing an individual to work out longer.
Skin Struggles?
If you are struggling with excess sweating or other skin issues and don’t know where to turn, the skin health experts at Forefront Dermatology are ready to help. To find the Forefront dermatologist nearest you, visit the locations page today.
