Glands Clogged — Armpit Sweat

The doctor smiled patiently. "You know how eccrine glands are your body's air conditioners? All over, watery sweat for cooling. Your apocrine glands are different. They're mostly in your armpits and groin. They produce a thicker, milky sweat full of proteins and fats. It's the stuff that, when bacteria on your skin break it down, creates body odor. In your case, the ducts of these glands have become clogged."

A cold, unfamiliar dread pooled in his stomach. Elias didn't get rashes. He didn't get pimples. He got quarterly physicals and had perfect cholesterol. He dabbed the area with a hypoallergenic wipe and drove himself to a dermatologist, Dr. Alvarez, who had the bedside manner of a kindly grandfather and the diagnostic curiosity of a bloodhound. armpit sweat glands clogged

In the private bathroom, he lifted his arm. The skin was a battlefield. Angry, red lumps the size of peas, some connected by underground tunnels of inflammation, crisscrossed the pale flesh. One had opened into a tiny, weeping sinus tract, oozing a thin, bloody serum. This was no longer a simple clog. This was a system failure. His body was rebelling against its own design. The doctor smiled patiently

"Allergies," he lied, wincing as he reached for a blueprint. The movement caused a nodule in his right armpit to rupture internally. A wave of nausea washed over him. He excused himself and locked his office door. Your apocrine glands are different

The client stopped, deflated by the unexpected admission.

Elias blinked. "In English, please."

That was the irony, and the coming curse.