Anatomy, Skin Sweat Glands

Excerpt

Sweat glands are appendages of the integument. There are eccrine and apocrine sweat glands. They differ in embryology, distribution, and function. Eccrine sweat glands are simple, coiled, tubular glands present throughout the body, most numerously on the soles of the feet. Thin skin covers most of the body and contains sweat glands, in addition to hair follicles, hair arrector muscles, and sebaceous glands. Exceptions are the vermillion border of the lips, external ear canal, nail beds, glans penis, clitoris, and labia minora, which do not contain sweat glands. The thick skin covering the palms of hands and soles of feet lack all skin appendages except sweat glands. See Image. Cross Section, Layers of the Skin.

Apocrine sweat glands, also referred to as odoriferous sweat glands, are known for producing malodorous perspiration. They are large, branched glands, mostly confined to the axillary and perineal regions, including the perianal region, labia majora in women, and the scrotum and prepuce in men. Apocrine sweat glands are also present in the nipples and areolar tissue surrounding the nipples.