A sweat pore is a small opening on the skin, and serves as the passage for fluid from the duct of a sweat gland to the top layer, or dermis. There are millions of these pores all over the body from which sweat is secreted. They allow sweat to leave the skin and evaporate, allowing it to cool off the body by evaporation when someone is outside in the heat or exercising. Human sweat pores can become blocked with dirt or because of an infection, which can cause a person to suffer from rashes and other skin conditions.
Underneath each sweat pore is a gland of one of two types. The human body has eccrine glands from which sweat with potassium, sodium, as well as chlorine is secreted. These are on most skin areas, while apocrine glands on the armpits and genitals also add protein and fatty acids to sweat. In the subcutaneous layer of the skin, sweat glands feature a region where fluids are secreted from, which has a coiled structure leading to the duct. The duct, straight in comparison to the secreting section of the gland, rises through the epidermis in a somewhat spiral shape.
The purpose of sweating is for the body to cool down. Sweat is secreted out of each pore into the air, and begins to smell when it mixes with bacteria on the outside of the skin. A person can sweat a lot when exercising, is sick with a fever, or is nervous, and if too much sweating occurs it is called hyperhidrosis. Various health problems can cause someone to sweat excessively, while a lack of sweat from each sweat pore, called anhidrosis, can result from dehydration in addition to various other disorders. The body can easily overheat if sweating stops and dangerous conditions can be the result.
Each sweat pore is located underneath the skin’s surface, in close proximity to the hair follicles, sebaceous glands which secrete oil, and the small blood vessels and nerve endings. Dead skin cells that coat the outer layer of the dermis surround each pore, which can vary in both size and shape depending on where on the body it is located. Large sweat pores can be sometimes seen with the naked eye but almost every sweat pore requires a microscope to see clearly. By taking showers often, one can keep the pores and skin clean, while deodorants and substances that help to lessen the amount of sweating can take away undesirable odors.
