Hello, summer. Cue hot days at the beach, the pool, the park, or a classic backyard barbecue. Another unforgettable and less enjoyable staple of summer? More sweat. You may feel like those sweat-drenched shirts and sweat stains are an embarrassment, but sweating actually serves a purpose. “The primary reason we sweat is thermoregulation, the control of body temperature,” explains dermatologist, Dr Brian Ginsberg. “When we get too hot, sweating helps to cool the body down,” he says. While sweating also helps to hydrate the skin and maintain our fluid-electrolyte balance, according to Dr Ginsberg, the end result – those wet patches all over your body – can cause embarrassment and discomfort.
General practitioner, Dr Shahinaz Soliman, explains that “The body has two to four million sweat glands in the underarms, feet, palms, groin, and forehead. When you sweat and it evaporates, it takes the heat with it.”