Elimination is a process of utter importance for the human organism. Occurring with specific patterns, which are individual for every person, it helps to control, organize, regulate, and finally remove the by-products and wastes from the organism (Sharma & Bhutta, 2021). Any malfunction in the excretion process might lead to serious medical issues and psychosocially contribute to the decrease in the patient’s quality of life. By analyzing wastes and elimination patterns – or, instead, patterns’ abnormalities – specialists can identify the cause and develop a proper treatment strategy. There are several ways of wastes’ and by-products’ excretion, and the integumentary system is responsible for one of such. This system is responsible for the organisms’ interaction with the environment, resembling the outer-most organs of the human body. Thus, the skin plays an essential role in integumentary elimination.
The skin excretes by-products and metabolic wastes, referred to as sweat, through the sweat glands. Sweat is a critical element in the skin’s homeostasis – an automated process of an organism to adjust stably to the current conditions (Murota et al., 2018). Sweat plays three prominent roles: firstly, it helps regulate the body temperature; secondly, it strengthens the organisms’ biological defense; lastly, it moisturizes the skin itself (Murota et al., 2018). Consequently, if an organism’s elimination patterns are violated, every process mentioned loses its stability. On the one hand, insufficient sweat can cause skin dehydration, which will, in turn, result in an increased temperature. On the other hand, excessive sweat’s danger lies in the sweat pores’ occlusion, which might lead to anhidrosis – the inability to sweat – or hypohidrosis – the failure to lower the temperature by sweating (Murota et al., 2018). Both ways, however, signalize a medical issue that requires attention and treatment.
References
Murota, H., Yamaga, K., Ono, E., & Katayama, I. (2018). Sweat in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis.Allergology International, 67(4), 455-459.
Sharma, P., Bhutta, B. S. (2021). Assisting patients with elimination. National Library of Medicine.