Let’s face it. The gym has become more than just a place to burn off calories and strengthen your core. More and more of us dress for the gym. And sure, the workout outfits are cute, but hair and makeup have also found their way into pre-boot camp preparations.
Whether you’re a professional people watcher or smoothie bar socializer, people now want to look their best everywhere they go, including the gym! But most are not excited about the damp feeling that accompanies gym sweat. Have you ever pondered why we sweat? Or if it is even truly necessary?
Why Do We Sweat?
“Sweating is our body’s way of regulating our temperature, more formally known as thermoregulation,” explains Dr. Adam Mamelak, a board certified Dermatologist at Sanova Dermatology. Exercise and physical activity increases our body’s internal temperature. With perspiration, water evaporates from the skin taking heat with it.
Interestingly, the sweatiest person at the gym may not be working any harder than the driest. “There are multiple factors that can correlate with the amount of sweat someone produces,” Dr. Mamelak states. These would include humidity, temperature, our internal homeostat, and how athletic a person is. “Many patients want to know if this is a necessary evil,” says Dr. Mamelak. “They understand keeping cool, but want to avoid sweat stains and odor.”
Can I Avoid Sweating?
Maybe you’ve tried loose-fitting clothing or working out in a really, really cold room? As long as you need to regulate our body temperature, you’re going to sweat. But aside from wearing black, dousing yourself with baby powder or pouring water over your entire body so everything “matches,” there are other options to avoid embarrassing sweat stains.
- Cotton undergarments can help to absorb some of the moisture before it hits your workout attire.
- Try quick dry clothing. “Innovations in workout clothes have minimized the amount of heat trapped between the fabric and your body, keeping you cooler and potentially, cutting down sweat,” shares Dr. Mamelak.
- Antiperspirants are clinically proven minimize perspiration by closing sweat and odor glands when applied to specific areas like the underarms.
- miraDry is a procedure that targets and destroys sweat and odor glands with a heat technology, eliminating sweat and odor in the treated area permanently and painlessly in a single treatment.
Contact Us
Are you experiencing irritation due to excessive sweating or looking for a treatment to control unwanted sweat? Contact us to set up your consultation today!
