Chromhidrosis

Most cases involve apocrine glands, where a pigment can tint the secretion, though a related form can follow substances that reach eccrine sweat. The discoloration may mark clothing or skin in the affected area. Because it is uncommon and can be mistaken for other causes of staining, it is often puzzling when first noticed. Anyone seeing genuinely colored sweat should have it assessed to confirm the cause. Distinguishing it from dye transfer or other sources of stain is part of that evaluation. It is generally harmless, but its rarity makes confirmation worthwhile. The name joins a root for color to the root for sweating. The apocrine form tends to affect areas like the underarms or face, where those glands cluster. Because true colored sweat is so unusual, simpler explanations are usually checked first.

Faint bluish marks on a shirt from underarm sweat, without any dye source, could reflect chromhidrosis and merit evaluation. Ruling out simpler explanations, such as color rubbing off from clothing, is part of confirming that the sweat itself is genuinely pigmented. A person noticing yellowish staining only in areas rich in apocrine glands would fit the more common apocrine form.

It is a rare sweat condition distinct from ordinary bromhidrosis, centers on pigment within apocrine gland secretions, and shares the hidrosis root with related terms.