Underarm Sweat, What Is It All About?

Underarms are seldom discussed but that doesn't mean they're often neglected. Look around at the women folk and you'll notice that a majority of them have shaven underarms. That's underarm care within women on display right there. Men too are catching on and many a scent on them indeed emanates from their underarm deodorant.

At puberty, the underarm areas become loaded with hair follicles and sweat glands. The functions that hair and sweat serve are subtle but complex. Both basic types of sweat glands (Eccrine and Apocrine) are present and the hair works in partnership with sweat to provide protection and defense mechanism against knocks, bruises and overheating.

The two main functions of Underarm Sweat are the following: 1) to regulate the temperature in the region when it gets heated up through physical exertion or surrounding factors and 2) to provide lubrication so as to lower friction when arms rub against the body. The underarm hair plays a role in increasing the surface area for the sweat (eccrine) to evaporate over thereby making it cooling better. The sweat brought through by the Aprocrine sweat glands has no known purpose. What is known about it though is that bacteria feed upon the milky secretion and subsequently discharge waste which is the cause of odor associated with underarms.

The generation of Underarm Sweat is thus normal and necessary when it's in good working order. It's only a problem when there's excessive (Axillary Hyperhidrosis) or inadequate (Axillary Anhydrosis) underarm sweat. Between the two extremes, Axillary Anhydrosis is far more serious as apart from the resultant discomfort, it is also potentially life-threatening.

Although Excessive Underarm Sweat is not as serious, it is far more common. Around 1 % of people are estimated to have this problem to some degree. That works out to millions of sufferers in the US alone. It is not uncommon also that other parts of the body are simultaneously afflicted with this kind of problem such as the face (Facial), hands (Palmar) and feet (Plantar).

There are two categories of Excessive Underarm Sweat. The first category is Primary Axillary Hyperhidrosis and the second one is Secondary Hyperhidrosis. The former is direct and straightforward in both effect and treatment while the latter is as depicted by name related to another underlying medical problem. Having that said, it's not necessarily sticky as when the root cause such as diabetes, thyroid and so forth is eradicated, the associated Secondary Excessive Underarm Sweat will recede in tandem.

Like other diseases or illnesses, prevention is better than cure and healthy basics go a long way in providing a sound platform in combating underarm sweat problems. A good diet, exercise and habit routine will keep you in good stead with your underarm sweat. We can't do without underarm sweat, but we can't do with too much of it either.