Sweat glands

Sweat glands represent small unbranched structures of a tubular form whose task in a human body and other mammals consists in development and release of sweat on a skin surface.

The human body contains about 2-2,5 million sweat glands located on all body unevenly: their density on square centimeter of skin can vary from 45-400 elements. The greatest density of sweat glands is observed on soles of legs, dorsums of brushes and feet, skin of palms. In particular, stalemate structures do not occur on a balanus and a prepuce at men, and also on the interior of big and small vulvar lips, a clitoris at women.

Structure of sweat glands rather simple: they consist of the secretory balls lying at various depth in a hypodermic fatty tissue and deeper layers of a derma and output channels.

Functions of sweat glands

Allocate two types of sweat glands essentially excellent from each other:

• Ekkrinny (exocrine) sweat glands;
• Apocrenic sweat glands.

Ekkrinny or small sweat glands for 99% consist of water, 1% of structures contains the organic and inorganic matters giving to the surface of skin acid reaction. The total amount of sweat made by ekkrinny glands is regulated by a hormonal and nervous system and depends on density of sweat glands and intensity of their work. On average, exocrine sweat glands of the person excrete about 250-800 ml of sweat a day.

Ekkrinny sweat glands promote maintenance of stable body temperature, and also a conclusion of toxins and harmful substances from an organism. They are responsible for creation on the surfaces of skin hydro - an acid and lipidic film – the natural moistening factor preventing drying of skin.

Apocrenic sweat glands are located, preferential, in axillary hollows, on nose wings, centuries, in the field of generative organs. They do not participate in thermal control processes, however, are capable to react to a stress by means of the viscous secret possessing a specific smell which is formed due to merge of fat and cholesterol. Function of sweat glands of this type – to regulate saprophytic microflora of epidermis, preventing emergence of inflammations of skin.

It is considered that the secret of apocrenic sweat glands excitingly affects representatives of an opposite sex – therefore they are called still glands of a sexual smell.

The peak of activity of work of apocrenic sweat glands is observed at teenage age, and in process of a growing of the person – weakens.

Distinguish several functions of sweat glands of the person. Treat them:

• Sweating or implementation of protective function of a sweat gland;
• Thermoregulatory sweating. It is reached due to evaporation of sweat from the surface of skin;
• Psychogenic sweating. Has fundamental differences from thermoregulatory as it arises only in case of mental tension and after elimination of an irritant instantly stops. As a rule, has local character, being formed on palms, soles of legs, axillary hollows, some sites of the person;
• Besides, sweat glands support secretory function of an organism, exempting it from a number of toxic products of metabolism.

Diseases of sweat glands

The majority of pathologies, work-related sweat glands are caused by existence in a human body of associated diseases. Allocate such disturbances of this body as:

• Anhidrosis;
• Hyperhidrosis;
• Oligogidroz;
• Osmidrosis;
• Hydradenitis.

Anhidrosis – lack of sweating. This disease is caused by either insufficient activity of sweat glands, or defective development of nervous elements. The anhidrosis is one of syndromes of an acute form of cancer of lung.

Oligogidroz – the disease having the general roots with an anhidrosis: it is characterized by insufficient release of sweat and shown, most often, at advanced age due to aging of skin.

Hyperhidrosis – a disease of the increased sweating. She reckons the general and localized. The general hyperhidrosis is shown by uncontrolled release of sweat on all body surface, localized is characterized by the increased perspiration of separate parts of a body – axillary hollows, palms, soles of legs. The hyperhidrosis is observed at the people having a bazedovy disease, tuberculosis, a neurasthenia, psoriasis and neurodermatitis.

Osmidrosis – a disease which is characterized by the unpleasant smell caused by decomposition of sweat under the influence of some bacteria. The osmidrosis can be caused by endocrine disturbances, the increased perspiration, an intertrigo, non-compliance with personal hygiene.

Hydradenitis (inflammation of sweat glands) – a disease which in the people is called "we roll out an udder". It is characterized by a purulent inflammation of sweat glands in axillary hollows, area of vulvar lips and an anus. The hydradenitis symptomatology is as follows: in a hypodermic and fatty layer appears small and painful consolidation which increases further. Skin in the struck place reddens, bulks up, there is a tumor which, when opening, allocates a significant amount of pus.

Hormonal disturbances of an organism (especially, in the period of a climax), and also the obstruction of a sweat gland caused by an intertrigo, grazes, a bacterial infection (streptococci, stafilokokka), frequent use of antiperspirants, insufficient hygiene of skin can be the reasons of a hydradenitis.

Obstruction of a sweat gland, undesirable to organism, can be prevented due to strengthening of immunity, the normal drinking mode, respect for personal hygiene, refusal of the antiperspirants containing aluminum and zinc in favor of usual deodorants.

Removal of sweat glands

Removal of sweat glands is understood as the surgery designed to stabilize process of sweating at the people suffering from a hyperhidrosis.

Distinguish several ways of treatment of a hyperhidrosis in the surgical way:

• Endoscopic sympathectomy. This procedure consists in introduction through a small puncture on a back or a breast of the person of a tube with the video camera by which the surgeon determines the site, "guilty" in the strengthened sweating and cuts the corresponding sympathetic trunk;
• Liposuction of sweat glands. Removal of sweat glands is carried out by introduction to a cannula hypodermic fatty tissue – a hollow needle which as if sucks away sweat glands;
• Curettage. On the site of the increased sweating the small section then under the influence of local anesthesia, there is a scraping of sweat glands by means of special tools becomes.

Removal of stalemate glands is a radical method of a solution of the problem of the increased sweating which result remains for the rest of life.