Underarms are an interesting region in our body. Many refer to it colloquially as gross while others are attracted to it in a sexy way. They even have a term for that - axillism. They’re ticklish too, so they can be a source of play-fun when in the mood especially with children. But seriously, underarms are by nature vulnerable and prone to problems.
A distinctive feature about underarms is its sweatiness. This is actually not surprising, given the amount of sweat glands and hair follicles that are endowed in abundance in that region of the anatomy. With the onset of underarm hair by puberty, both basic types of sweat glands (eccrine and apocrine) are found in the underarm areas.
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.
Excessive Underarm Sweat is a lot more common and affects millions of Americans. It is estimated that 1% of people has this condition in varying degrees. It can be quite mild and some sufferers are actually oblivious to their problem with underarm sweat. On the other hand, it can also be quite serious, especially when it’s accompanied by excessive sweat in other parts of the body like the hands (Palmar), feet (Plantar) and face (Facial).
Excessive Underarm Sweat can be further broken down into 2 categories, namely Primary and Secondary Axillary Hyperhidrosis. This applies to other types of excessive sweating also (face, hands, feet). Primary Excessive Underarm Sweat is straightforward in that it is not attached to any other medical condition while Secondary Excessive Underarm Sweat involves an underlying ailment such as diabetes, fever, tuberculosis, hyperthyroidism and so forth.
Yes, underarm sweat is not a bad thing. By and large if we are on-the-ball with our diet, exercise and lifestyle habits so to speak, chances are we will have no issues with underarm sweat. Even if indeed there’s a problem brought on hereditarily, simply staying honest with our hygiene can prove to be the greatest remedy.
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