Regional Rates of Evaporation From the Skin at Various Environmental Temperatures

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Abstract
Rates of evaporation of water from the skin of the face, hand, foot, arm, leg and trunk were separately measured by the desiccating capsule technic, in resting nude men exposed to air temp. in the range of 24[degree]-38[degree]C. At temps. below the sweating thresholds, insensible perspiration proceeded at 6-10g./sq. m./hr. from the skin of the arm, leg and trunk. Palmar, plantar and facial rates were higher (up to 100 g./sq. m./hr. for the palm). The onset of sweating occurred in the various skin regions at different environmental temps., thus implying a recruitment of sweating which ascended from the distal portion of the extremities to the higher levels of the body as the evaporative demands increased. The regional fractions of the total cutaneous evaporation demonstrated domination of evaporative regulation by the legs at temps. slightly above the sweating thresholds. At temps. above 340C, increases in sweating were linear with the rise in temp. and about equal over the body surface. The continued domination of evaporative heat losses by the leg and trunk represented the mass effect of their extensive surfaces.

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