A population study on the density of palmar sweat pores.
A study of density of sweat pores in 594 individuals indicated that the average number of pores per cm2 in the hypothenar area was 490.4 for white newborns, 513.6 for black newborns, 652.4 for white children, 629.2 for black children, 519.6 for white adult males, 533.6 for white adult females, 379.2 for black adult males, and 519.2 for black adult females. The present study failed to demonstrate that newborns have the greatest density of pores when compared with children and adults. However, it should be kept in mind that many of the palmar impressions were taken during the first or second day of life. Those impressions did not reproduce the sweat pores clearly. It appears from this study that an optimal time to take palmar impressions on newborns is after the sweat glands are mature and functioning. Figure 1 shows that this occurs 2 weeks after birth. No differences in the density of sweat pores was found between blacks and whites. No differences in the density of sweat pores between the sexes was found in any group except for adult blacks: males had fewer pores than females. A review of the density of sweat pores in subjects with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia is also given.