Sweat glands: what are they, what are they sick, can they be removed

The sweat glands perform an important function of the body's thermoregulation and the withdrawal of metabolic products and water from it to the surface of the skin. They are similar to the coiled tubules, from which, in fact, the ducts to the surface of the skin. In humans, the number of sweat glands can reach 2.5 million. They are unevenly distributed throughout the body: in some places there is a large accumulation (underarms, on the palms, on the soles of the feet), but there are places where they do not exist at all. In particular, sweat glands are generally absent in men on the head of the penis. Actually, women do not have them in the same place: in the field of large and small labia.

Not only the density of the sweat glands differs (per square centimeter of the skin surface can be from 55 to 400 pieces), but also the depth of bedding. There are sweat glands that are deep in the layers of the dermis, others can be located directly in the subcutaneous fat.

Types of sweat glands

Exocrine sweat glands are responsible for thermoregulation and are found mainly in the subcutaneous and skin layers. In a secret that they produce, 98% of water, the rest, mostly, sodium chloride, obtained from blood plasma. The work of exocrine (eccrine) glands is controlled by the nervous and hormonal systems of man. The amount of sweat produced depends on many circumstances and can vary from 250 to 800 ml per day.

Apocrine sweat glands produce the very secret that can identify each person. It is a viscous substance with a specific odor. Apocrine glands begin to work not immediately, they are activated during puberty. In size, the apocrine glands are larger than the eccrine glands, and are located mainly in the anogenital, axillary and mammary glands. They have a somewhat different mechanism of secretion, although they also take a small part in thermoregulation.

What causes sweat glands

Most often there are two serious diseases: anhidrosis and hyperhidrosis, each of which leads to its unpleasant consequences. Inflammation of the sweat glands can develop , which is usually treated with anti-inflammatory drugs of local action.

Anhidrosis - this is a pathology, when the secretion of sweat generally ceases. The cause may serve as some existing diseases. There are 4 types of anhidrosis:

• Congenital-caused by pathology (aplasia or hypoplasia) glands;
• Acute - can develop due to dehydration of the body, for example, after intoxication;
• Chronic - can be congenital or develop if the nervous system is disturbed;
• Tropical - is called so, because it is more often observed in people living in the tropics, it arises from the clogging of sweat ducts with dust.

Anhidrosis can develop due to skin diseases, aging, diabetes mellitus or spinal injuries (if the spinal cord is damaged ), as a result of hereditary diseases.

Such patients should first of all avoid overheating. As the mechanism of thermoregulation is broken, the probability of a heat stroke increases when a person is in a hot place. Contraindicated physical activity. Treat anhidrosis with polyvitamins, retinol, indifferent ointments with moisturizing characteristics.

Hyperhidrosis is a disease opposite to the previous one. That is, sweat is allocated too much, and this can cause a lot of trouble. Hyperhidrosis can be localized in individual places or spread to the entire body. It can occur during physical exertion or develop due to serious diseases, for example, the nervous system. More often there is a hyperhidrosis localized in the armpits, on the inner surface of the palms and on the soles of the feet.

With hyperhidrosis, it is possible to remove the sweat glands with a minimally invasive subcutaneous curettage. The glands are processed by common salt (solution) and sucked through the incisions with a special cannula.