High-resolution infrared thermography reveals real-time axillary sweat gland activity for advanced physiological insights

Perspiration is a critical mechanism for regulating human core body temperature. In the development and assessment of antiperspirant products, objectively evaluating perspiration is essential for understanding sweat gland physiology and the factors determining sweat excretion onto the skin. This study introduces a novel approach using a FLIR A6750sc infrared thermal camera to capture real-time axillary sweat gland activity. The thermal images are enhanced using a contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization algorithm, which maximizes thermal contrast and improves the visibility of active pore regions exhibiting slightly higher temperatures. To further analyze the data, a multilevel thresholding approach with four quantization levels is applied to segment and quantify individual pores and their activation areas in the projection map. By directly evaluating sweat pore activation in the axilla, this research investigates the impact of antiperspirant products on physiological responses. This non-invasive technique provides a more detailed and dynamic view of sweat gland function in the axilla compared to traditional methods, potentially offering new insights into the efficacy of antiperspirant products and the underlying mechanisms of sweat production.