Perspiration

Perspiration, evaporation through the skin. The physiological purpose of perspiration is to control body temperature—as perspiration evaporates, the surface of the skin is cooled. Perspiration can also be triggered by emotions, such as fear, excitement, or anxiety.

For information on:

• control of body temperature through perspiration, Body Temperature; Skin
• perspiration as a symptom, see Fever; First Aid: Heat Illness; First Aid: Fainting, Seizures, and Coma; Heat Exhaustion; Phobia; Snakebite; Stress (psychology): The Stress Response
• effect of humidity on the ability to perspire, see Humidity
• reducing or eliminating the odor of perspiration, see Deodorant