Abstract
The importance of the head in dissipating body heat under hot conditions is well recognised, although very little is known about local differences in sweat secretion across the surface of the head. In this study, we focused on the intra-segmental distribution of head sweating. Ten healthy males were exposed to passive heating and exercise-induced hyperthermia (36°C, 60% relative humidity, water-perfusion suit: 46°C), with ventilated sweat capsules (3.16 cm2) used to measure sweat rates from the forehead and nine sites inside the hairline. Sweat secretion from both non-hairy (glabrous) and hairy areas of the head increased linearly with increments in work rate and core temperature, with heart rate and core temperature peaking at 175 b min−1 (±6) b min−1 and 39.2°C (±0.1). The mean sweat rate during exercise for sites within the hairline was 1.95 mg cm−2 min−1. However, the evolution of this secretion pattern was not uniformly distributed within the head, with the average sweat rate for the top of the head being significantly lower than at the anterior lateral aspect of the head (P < 0.05), and representing only 30% of the forehead sweat rate (P < 0.05). It is hypothesised that these intra-segmental observations may reflect variations in the local adaptation of eccrine glands to differences in local evaporation associated either with bipedal locomotion, which will influence forehead sweating, or the hidromeiotic suppression of sweating, which impacts upon sweat glands within the hairline.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brühwiler PA (2003) Heated, perspiring manikin headform for the measurement of headgear ventilation characteristics. Meas Sci Technol 14:217–227
Cabanac M, Brinnel H (1988) Beards, baldness, and sweat secretion. Eur J Appl Physiol 58:39–46
Clark RP, Toy N (1975) Forced convection around the human head. J Physiol 244:295–302
Cotter JD, Taylor NAS (2005) The distribution of cutaneous sudomotor and alliesthesial thermosensitivity in mildly heat-stressed humans: an open-loop approach. J Physiol 565:335–345
Cotter JD, Patterson MJ, Taylor NAS (1995) Topography of eccrine sweating in humans during exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 71(6):549–554
Desruelle AV, Candas V (2000) Thermoregulatory effects of three different types of head cooling in humans during a mild hyperthermia. Eur J Appl Physiol 81:33–39
Froese G, Burton AC (1957) Heat losses from the human head. J Appl Physiol 10:235–241
Hardy JD, DuBois EF (1938) The technic of measuring radiation and convection. J Nutr 15:461–475
Hertzman AB (1957) Individual differences in regional sweating. J Appl Physiol 10:242–248
Hertzman AB, Randall WC, Peiss CN, Seckendorf R (1952) Regional rates of evaporation from the skin at various environmental temperaures. J Appl Physiol 5:153–161
Hwang K, Baik SH (1997) Distribution of hairs and sweat glands on the bodies of Korean adults: a morphometric study. Acta Anat 158:112–120
ISO 9886 (1992) Evaluation of thermal strain by physiological measurements. International Standard Organisation, Geneva
Liu X, Holmér I (1995) Evaporative heat transfer characteristics of industrial safety helmets. Appl Ergon 26:135–140
Nadel ER, Bullard RW, Stolwijki JAJ (1971) Importance of skin temperature in the regulation of sweating. J Appl Physiol 31(l):80–87
Nunneley SA, Reader DC, Maldonado RJ (1982) Head-temperature effects on physiology, comfort and performance during hyperthermia. Aviat Space Environ Med 53:623–628
Ogawa T (1984) Regional differences in sweating activity. In: Hales JRS (eds) Thermal physiology. Raven Press, New York, pp 229–234
Ogawa T, Asayama M, Ito M (1977) Comparison of sudomotor neural activities between palmar and non palmar sweating. In: Proceedings of XVIII international congress of neurovegetative research, Tokyo, Japan, 4–6 Nov, pp 236–238
Patterson MJ, Stocks JM, Taylor NAS (2004) Humid heat acclimation does not elicit a preferential sweat redistribution towards the limbs. Am J Physiol 286(3):R512–R518
Rasch W, Samsom P, Cote J, Cabanac M (1991) Heat loss from the human head during exercise. J Appl Physiol 71(2):590–595
Saad AR, Stephens DP, Bennett LAT, Charkoudian N, Kosiba W, Johnson J (2001) Influence of isometric exercise on blood flow and sweating in glabrous and nonglabrous human skin. J Appl Physiol 91(6):2487–2492
Szabo G (1962) The number of eccrine sweat glands in human skin. Adv Biol Skin 3:1–5
Szabo G (1967) The regional anatomy of the human integument with special reference to the distribution of hair follicles, sweat glands and melanocytes. Phil Trans R Soc Lond B 252:447–485
Taylor NAS, Patterson MJ, Cotter JD, Macfarlane DJ (1997) Effects of artificially-induced anaemia on sudomotor and cutaneous blood flow responses to heat stress. Eur J Appl Physiol 76:380–386
Taylor NAS, Caldwell JN, Mekjavic IB (2006) The sweating foot: local differences in sweat secretion during exercise-induced hyperthermia. Aviat Space Environ Med 77:1020–1027
Weiner JS (1945) The regional distribution of sweating. J Physiol 104:32–40
Werner J, Reents T (1980) A contribution to the topography of temperature regulation in man. Eur J Appl Physiol 45:87–94
Acknowledgments
This project was supported, in part, by a grant from the Ministry of Defence (Republic of Slovenia). It was also supported by a Doctoral scholarship from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior––CAPES (Ministry of Education, Brazil).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Machado-Moreira, C.A., Wilmink, F., Meijer, A. et al. Local differences in sweat secretion from the head during rest and exercise in the heat. Eur J Appl Physiol 104, 257–264 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-007-0645-y
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-007-0645-y