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Don't Sweat It

Dec 27, 2006

Most people have 2.6 million sweat glands in their skin. You can find them all over the body except not on the lips, nipples and external genital organs. To put it simply, sweat glands are long, coiled tubes of cells found in the skin. There are two kinds of sweat glands:

  • Eccrine glands: These are the most common. Most of them are on the palms and soles of your feet and on your forehead. They are smaller than apocrine glands and don't produce fatty acids or proteins.
  • Apocrine glands: Found in your armpits, anal and genital area. This type of sweat has protein and carbohydrates, which is why you get that yellow stain on the armpit of your shirts. These glands only become active once you reach puberty.

    Perspiration or sweat is controlled by your sympathetic nervous system which strengthens the sweat glands. Heat is the main reason your eccrine glands kick in but there are other reasons you sweat. When you're nervous or even eating spicy food will make you break out in a sweat. Sweat is how your body gets rid of too much body heat from metabolism or working muscles - like when your running after the bus so you're not late for class.

    Did you know your sweat doesn't smell? It's the bacteria on your skin and hair that create that nasty B.O. smell. That would also explain why you don't roll a stick of deodorant all over your body instead of just your pits. For tips on how to fight body odor, click here.

    Do you have any embarrassing sweaty stories?

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