Chapter List

• Introduction
• Achilles Tendon
• Adrenal Glands
• Ankles
• Appendix
• Arteries
• Back
• Belly Button
• Birth Control
• Birthmarks
• Bladder
• Blood
• Body Hair
• Body Type
• Brain
• Breasts
• Cervix
• Childbirth
• Chin
• Circulatory System
• Clitoris
• Collarbone
• Digestive System
• Ears
• Elbows
• Emotions
• Endocrine System
• Energy
• Esophagus
• Eyes
• Fallopian Tubes
• Fat
• Feet
• Fertility
• Fingernails
• Gallbladder
• Gums
• Gynecological Exam
• Hair
• Hands
• Heart
• Hips
• Hormones
• Intestines
• Jaw
• Joints
• Kidneys
• Knees
• Larynx and Vocal Cords
• Lips
• Liver
• Lungs
• Lymphatic System
• Medical Tests
• Menopause
• Menstrual Cycle
• Moles
• Mouth
• Muscular System
• Neck
• Nervous System
• Nose
• Nutrition
• Ovaries
• Pain Relief
• Pancreas
• Pelvis
• Pregnancy
• Rectum
• Reproductive System
• Respiratory System
• Ribs
• Salivary Glands
• Scalp
• Sex
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Shins
• Shoulders
• Sinuses
• Skeletal System
• Skin
• Skull
• Spine
• Spleen
• Stomach
• Stress
• Sweat Glands
• Tailbone
• Tear Ducts
• Teeth
• Throat
• Thyroid
• Toenails
• Tongue
• Tonsils
• Underarms
• Urinary System
• Urine
• Uterus
• Vagina
• Veins
• Vulva
• Wrists
• Shaping Up
• The Total Body Shaping Workoout
• Abdominals
• Biceps
• Buttocks
• Calves
• Chest
• Forearms
• Neck3
• Shoulders3
• Thighs
• Triceps
• Aerobic Conditioning

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Sweat Glands

Sweat Glands

We''re kind of ambivalent when it comes to sweat. A glistening shine from a Nautilus workout is something to be proud of. Yet a similar sheen on your forehead during a meeting with the Big Cheese can be pure embarrassment. Some folks even use different words to talk about sweat: Men sweat, but women, well, they perspire.

Whether you flaunt sweat or pat on powder, it''s all water under the bridge. In fact, sweat is 99 percent water with a dash of sodium chloride. It all comes from the three million­plus sweat glands scattered throughout your body.

When it comes to sweat production, men have the edge. Women usually produce less sweat than guys do, says Richard L. Dobson, M.D., professor of dermatology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. In women, the amount of sweat can vary at different phases in the menstrual cycle. Sweating tends to be more profuse after ovulation and premenstrually. At menopause, women often experience night sweats and hot flashes as their hormonal milieu shifts.

No Sweat Minutes before standing to speak in public, you may suddenly discover sweat glands that you never knew existed. Ask any new member of Toastmasters International--a club where people regularly practice public speaking--and they''ll know what you''re talking about. One thing that can really help is confidence and experience, says Richard L. Dobson, M.D., professor of dermatology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston who has been doing public speaking for 40 years. "When I first started speaking, I got sweaty palms, but now I can get up in front of three to four thousand people, and my palms are dry." Getting lots of practice and having well-rehearsed presentations are important for increasing confidence. In addition, some form of relaxation technique can make a difference. Try yoga for 10 to 20 minutes a day to see if it makes a difference, suggests Lenise Banse, M.D., a dermatologist at Northeast Family Dermatology Center in Clinton Township, Michigan. Or you can practice progressive relaxation, where you release tension in every part of your body as you concentrate on relaxing stage-by-stage from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

How Your Glands Act

You have sweat glands just about everywhere, but they are particularly abundant in your palms, underarms, forehead and soles of your feet. Each gland consists of a coiled tube, where the sweat is secreted, and a narrow passageway, or duct, that carries the sweat to the surface of the skin.

Not all sweat glands are the same, though. One type, called eccrine glands, is found all over the body and serves as a hidden temperature control system. When the body heats up, these glands release the watery secretion we know as sweat. When the sweat evaporates, that helps cool the skin.

Eccrine glands located in the armpits also respond to emotional stimulation, says Dr. Dobson. That''s why stressful situations such as public speaking can trigger sweating.

The second type of sweat gland, apocrine glands, is found in the armpits, genital area and around the nipples. These glands produce a milky white substance that, when mixed with bacteria, creates that smell known as body odor.

When the Heat Is On

A common sweat gland problem is prickly heat, a rash that forms when the ducts of the glands get plugged up. When sweat can''t escape to the skin''s surface, irritation develops. Here''s what doctors recommend.

Chill out. Since hot, humid weather usually triggers prickly heat, get out of the sun and cool off, says Anita Highton, M.D., medical director of clinical research at Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals in Buffalo. Take a lukewarm shower or bath or apply compresses that are 10 to 20 degrees below body temperature to soothe the itching.

Find an igloo. If you go back into the heat, you might have a flare-up. Stay in air-conditioned rooms as much as possible for at least a day after the rash subsides.

Loosen up. Tight clothing sets you up for prickly heat, because it traps sweat next to your skin and keeps it from evaporating, Dr. Highton says. To avoid that, wear loose-fitting cotton or polypropylene garments and avoid snug nylons or polyesters.

Take a vinegar plunge. To relieve itching, pour a cup of white vinegar into a lukewarm bath and soak in it until you feel comfortable, says Dr. Highton.

Slather up. Over-the-counter moisturizers such as Moisturel that contain dimethicone can help relieve the itching, says Dr. Highton.

Too Much of a Wet Thing

Another problem that some people experience is excessive sweating, referred to by doctors as hyperhidrosis. Only about 1 out of every 100 people has this condition, according to Dr. Dobson.

Excessive sweating can be treated with a prescription medication called Drysol, which contains aluminum chloride. Another effective treatment is iontophoresis, in which a mild electrical current is applied to the skin. Battery-operated devices are available without prescription that allow you to do iontophoresis at home, says Dr. Dobson. For excessive sweating, people generally use these devices to treat the underarms, hands or feet one or two times a day for about ten days. Since these machines may be difficult to find, contact a dermatologist for availability in your area.

See also Underarms