It’s summer, which means it’s hot as balls and almost everything you try to do outside typically results in you being drenched in sweat. At least, that’s how it seems to go for me, given the hot and humid temperatures I have to deal with in North Carolina. There’s nothing more gross feeling than being covered in sticky sweat and having your clothes stick to you because of it. And don’t even get me started on embarrassing pit stains.
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On a positive note, there’s actually a perk to being super sweaty all the time. Laure Rittié, a dermatology researcher at University of Michigan Health System conducted a study that found sweat helps wounds heal. Eccrine sweat glands located throughout our bodies contribute new cells that replace lost cells dues to injury, which is a major component of wound closure. According to Rittié, 100 percent of sweat glands contribute to
According to Rittié, 100 percent of sweat glands contribute to wound healing in young adults. So the next time you get a cut, you can actually thank yourself for sweating so much in order to heal it.
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Unfortunately, however, the healing function of sweat glands decreases as you get older. So your grandparents are sweating way less than you (lucky them), but this means that when you’re an old person, your sweat won’t be helping much to cure your wounds (which is probably why your grandma is covered in bruises from walking into things all the time). However, this isn’t because older people don’t have as many sweat glands, it’s because the environment in aged skin is degrading, and is thus less able to support new cells.
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Even though in your glorious years of youth sweat can be helpful to you, it’s still gross and uncomfortable to be constantly sweaty. To help prevent sweat, start at the source, or the internal part of your body, by drinking plenty of cold water.
Contrary to what you might believe, it helps more than holding an ice pack up to your forehead would because it’s covering only a very small portion of your body. Drinking cold water, however, chills the content of your stomach and therefore reaches all your other internal organs. I would also recommend just staying inside.
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