Why Do Some People Sweat Like Pigs?
And yet others barely perspire. Plus: What to do about it.
Ever wondered why the guy shooting hoops next to you is flinging sweat like a sprinkler and your shirt is barely damp? Or maybe you pour waterfalls from your forehead over the slightest effort that doesn’t tax others in the least. Sweat is a highly variable phenomenon, and even though at times embarrassing, it’s necessary. In fact, if your brow doesn’t drip when you exert yourself on a hot day, you might develop heat stroke.
Here’s what happens: Tiny coiled tubular structures called eccrine glands are embedded throughout the skin and produce the colorless liquid we know as sweat. Our bodies are adorned with up to four million sweat glands, though a few glandless areas exist, including the ears, lips, and nails. The feet are packed with 250,000 sweat glands per pair, giving off half a pint (1.2 cups) of liquid daily.
The armpits have an average number of sweat glands, but the moisture is trapped because there’s little ventilation for evaporation, creating the dreaded wet-pit look.
We perspire to help cool down our bodies. An increase in body heat and anxiety are the primary triggers for the tiny glands — no bigger than a chia seed — to go to work. Sweat is odorless until it mixes with our skin’s bacteria…
