Why do some people sweat like a pig?
Firstly the curious thing about pigs is they have relatively few sweat glands and actually don’t sweat much at all.
Unlike us humans who manage to produce over a thousand litres of sweat a year! True. Our bodies have four million sweat glands over our bodies except for the ears, lips and nails.
Our feet alone are packed with 250,000 sweat glands between them giving off half a pint (300mls) of liquid a day! Wear them socks guys, and if you need them, get breathable footwear.
Why some of us sweat more than others depends on age (we sweat less as we grow older), fitness, muscle mass (fat produces less heat than muscle), health status and body size.
The bigger we are the more we sweat because more energy is required to move a larger mass, which creates more heat. Plus larger bodies have a greater surface area, requiring more perspiration to cool.
And cooling is what sweats all about. An increase in body heat and anxiety are the primary triggers for the tiny glands — no bigger than a chia seed — to go to work. Sweat is odourless until it mixes with our skin’s bacteria, creating an aroma that is as unique and identifiable as a thumbprint according to the experts.
While surgery is an option for severe cases, most of us can deal with sweating by simpler means. Wear breathable clothing, use anti-perspirants, dry yourself off.
One procedure sometimes used is Botox which was actually developed to inhibit the sweat glands, but went on to freeze millions of faces around the world.
