We’ve all been there—finishing a workout drenched in sweat, feeling hugely grateful for all those exercise endorphins. Then I look over at the Gisele Bündchen look-alike next to me who was spinning harder than I was, and she’s barely glistening.
While medical resources assure us that all humans do perspire (despite what the supermodel-esque woman would have me believe), some people seem to simply develop a dewy mist, while others … well, we make the whole sweat-like-pigs connection clear. What determines this? Does the way we sweat say something about our health? Is there anything we can do to lessen excessive perspiration?
What Lies Beneath
Sweating is the body’s release of salty liquid through its sweat glands. According to the National Institutes of Health, it’s an essential function that helps us stay cool, which is why we do it more during activities that heighten our body temperature. Just like air conditioning, the body has to work harder when it’s hotter, meaning our sweat glands respond to higher temperatures by kicking in—whether we’re exercising or just anxious to the point that our internal temperature rises.
We have two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine. Eccrine glands are the most common, opening right onto the skin’s surface. Apocrine glands, on the other hand, are found in areas where we have a lot of hair; they develop along with hair follicles, on the scalp and groin and in the armpits. These are a little different, as they secrete a fatty sweat that our bodies push to the surface, where it meets with bacteria and creates unpleasant body odor, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
Glisten Versus Globs
The amount of sweat we experience is determined by how many sweat glands we have—usually around two to four million. Women have more than men, but men’s tend to be more active. We ladies sweat less (sugar and spice, right?) because we can better regulate the amount of water we’re losing (that would explain the bloating). We also take longer to start sweating as our body temperature rises.
