JULY/AUGUST 2019 EATINGWELL 67
The average person has 4
million sweat glands. And, fun
fact: The vast majority of these
glands are on your hands and feet.
Some people have more than oth-
ers, but that doesn’t always equal
more sweat. You can have fewer
sweat glands that are more active.
Excessive perspiration affects
nearly 1 in 50 Americans. (Feel like
you’re constantly sweating? Speak
with a dermatologist about treat-
ments, such as special antiperspi-
rants or Botox injections.)
You are born with a fixed
number of sweat glands—but
you don’t sweat the same
over your lifespan. As you age,
you’ll likely sweat less. (Well, with
the exception of menopause-
induced hot flashes.) Papri Sarkar,
M.D., a dermatologist in Boston,
explains, “Our skin becomes less
metabolically active later in life
and sweat glands shrink in size.”
The result: less schvitzing.
Sweat isn’t always salty.
Perspiration is mostly water with
scant amounts of electrolytes—
namely sodium chloride (salt),
potassium and bicarbonate. “The
body will try to hold on to as
much sodium as it can because
this nutrient plays a key role in
many biological processes, like
maintaining blood pressure and
making muscles contract,” says
Sarkar. “There are mechanisms in
your sweat glands to pull the salt
back in before sweat is secreted.
But, if you sweat a lot or sweat
quickly, your body doesn’t have
enough time to absorb the so-
dium and it will be saltier in these
situations.” If you lose 5-plus
pounds of water during a long,
hard workout or a sweltering day
outside you’ll need to replenish
more than just H 2 O, so have
a drink or snack that contains
potassium and sodium.
Sweat is odorless. Stink only
happens when sweat mixes with
bacteria on your skin. Exfoliating
a few times a week helps, but
switching up your antiperspirant
routine can also reduce the P.U.
factor. Jennifer Deaver Peterson,
M.D., a dermatologist in Houston,
recommends applying it at night
and washing it off in the morning.
Because you sweat less at night,
this strategy more effectively
plugs up your glands—and re-
duces sweat production the next
day. (Heads up: This only works
with antiperspirant, not deodor-
ant, so check your labels.)
Get red-faced when you
sweat? It’s about your blood
vessels. Why does your friend
look cool as a cucumber after hot
yoga and you look like a cooked
lobster? When your body gets
hot, the blood vessels under
the surface of your skin expand,
allowing more blood flow to
help cool you off. This is true for
everyone but in some people,
these vessels are more visible
through the skin—particularly
if you have a fair complexion,
explains Los Angeles-based
dermatologist Jeanette M. Black,
M.D. If this happens to you, give
yourself more time to cool down
post-workout, which will help
those blood vessels relax.
Sweat Isn’t Stinky
AND FOUR OTHER COOL FACTS TO GET YOU THROUGH THE STICKIEST TIME OF YEAR. BY LINDSAY TIGAR
PAULA WINKLER/GETTY IMAGES
FIT
