The Obscure Reason Your Body Can Turn Your Toilet Seat Blue

Sweating is an important bodily function that keeps you cool during hot weather and艰难的锻炼。The end result is usually nothing more than sticky skin and the occasional pit-stained tee — but for a small percentage of people, sweating can also leave behind a blue toilet seat.

这种现象可能归功于染色性疾病，这是一种罕见的皮肤状况，标志着彩色汗液的产生（思考：蓝色，绿色，黄色，红色，红色，棕色或黑色）。

According to theInternational Hyperhidrosis Society，，，，there's very little data on the condition, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly how many people are affected and whether there's a link between chromhidrosis and things like race, sex, occupation, geographic location or the weather.

Here's what experts have managed to suss out about this puzzling skin condition so far:

Apocrine, eccrine and pseudochromhidrosis each show up a bit differently and have their own underlying causes,医学博士Daniel Friedmann，，，，board-certified dermatologist at Westlake Dermatology in Austin, Texas, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

Apocrine chromhidrosis affects the areas of the body that contain apocrine sweat glands. These glands are in the underarm and genital regions, as well as the scalp, torso, eyelid, outer ear canal and nipple areas.

They're the glands that secrete a milky, odorless substance when you're stressed, and when that combines with bacteria on your skin, it引起体味，根据Mayo Clinic。

"All apocrine fluid contains yellow-brown granules called lipofuscin," Dr. Friedmann says. "For people with apocrine chromhidrosis, these secretions contain a greater concentration of highly oxidized lipofuscin granules, giving them a significantly darker green-brown to blue-black color."

Because apocrine glands don't start functioning until puberty (whenhormonal stimulation begins），这种形式的染色性症通常在一个人年轻时会更加突出，随着年龄的增长，症状变得不那么严重（随着息肉的分泌消失）。

在体内几乎到处都发现了肌腺（外耳管，嘴唇和生殖器区域的某些区域除外），它们尤其集中在前额和脸颊，腋下，手掌和脚底上。

They're the sweat glands responsible for controlling body temperature, keeping skin hydrated and protecting the skin barrier.

Friedmann博士说，eccerine染色性可能是由于内部感染或过量胆红素（在肝脏中形成的橙黄色颜料）或外部（例如摄入某些物质）引起的。

Those substances might include water-soluble dyes, heavy metals (like copper), excess食用色素or flavoring, as well as certain medications (rifampin, an antibiotic; quinines, an antimalarial; and levodopa, a dopamine precursor used to manage Parkinson's).

It's thought the excess pigments from these internal and external sources make their way to the eccrine glands, where they're excreted along with perspiration, ultimately blending together to create colored sweat.

"Because of its wide range of underlying causes, eccrine chromhidrosis can happen at any age," Dr. Friedmann says.

假性疾病也可以在任何年龄发生，并源于各种原因 - 所有原因本质上都是外部的。

This form ofcolored sweat当皮肤表面的正常出汗与其他化合物相互作用时，可以看到染料（也许是从一条新牛仔裤），化学物质（la naless阳光晒黑喷雾剂）或皮肤上的色素细菌（产生色素的细菌），DR，。弗里德曼说。

换句话说，颜色不是您的汗水 - 颜色来自汗水与体内其他事物的相互作用的方式。

Unfortunately, apocrine chromhidrosis is a chronic skin condition — symptoms can regress as you age, but there's no guarantee they will. The treatment options currently available focus on reducing symptoms as much as possible, but there's no cure.

聚生分泌物可以由情绪（压力和焦虑），摩擦重分泌的区域摩擦（服装摩擦）以及热水淋浴和洗澡来触发，因此，您可以尽力减少这些触发因素 - 练习正念，穿透气的衣服，服用不热烈的阵雨- 可以是坚实的第一步。

基质染色性疾病的主要治疗方法是局部药物 - 抗精神病药（例如Drysol），暂时堵塞毛孔，造成麻烦，辣椒素乳膏耗尽物质p的神经细胞，“一种控制呼吸腺的重要化学物质，”。弗里德曼说。

If topical products are irritating to your skin, another option isBotox injections，，，，which block the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands, with dryness lasting anywhere from four to 12 months.

手动表达叠粉腺（您仔细地挤压腺体清空它们，类似于您的ZIT弹出方式）也可以提供缓解，但结果只能持续up to a few days。同上手动压力（向下表达腺体）以改善受影响区域的外观，结果仅持续24至72小时。

不过，其他两种类型的染色性疾病的治疗选择更为有前途：“一旦避免或治疗原因，e霉和伪血症可能会完全解决，”弗里德曼博士说。“寻找和停止特定原因至关重要。”

This process might involve your doctor testing skin scrapings, secretion smears and extraction samples from clothing. Once the cause has been confirmed, they can help you determine the best course of action: ghosting the culprit, treating it (with antibiotics, for example) or replacing it with another option (say, a different medication) that doesn't trigger colored sweat.

染色性疾病是一种无害的皮肤病，但是由于彩色汗水可能是更严重的症状，因此与您的医生或皮肤科医生一起检查以进行正式诊断很重要。

"Your doctor can run the necessary tests to rule out more serious causes of colored sweat, such as infection, jaundice, hematidrosis (bloody sweat) and poisoning,"医学博士哈德利·金，，，，New York City-based board-certified dermatologist, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

跟踪您的日常活动两到三个星期（例如您所吃的食物和与您接触的任何化学物质），导致医生预约可能有助于确定您的触发因素以及可能的罪魁祸首。

It's also important to talk to your doctor about any emotional distress you're experiencing in relation to your chromhidrosis, as feeling self-conscious about it is totally normal, Dr. King says: "Although it's a rare condition, you're not alone — there are therapists and counseling available to help you out."