Chromhidrosis causes pigmented sweat from lipofuscin buildup

In 1954 Walter Shelley and Harry Hurley determined that lipofuscin granules are responsible for the pigmentation of the sweat seen in apocrine chromhidrosis. Lipofuscin is a yellow-brown pigment that is usually found in the cytoplasm of cells of various organs and is not specific to apocrine ...

These benign melanin- and lipofuscin-rich areas are colloquially known as "age spots" or "liver spots" and have no clinical significance.[3] However, another skin-related disease in which lipofuscin abundance clearly indicates its role in pathology is apocrine chromhidrosis, a rare condition in which the patient’s sweat appears red.

The histology of the skin biopsy taken from the axilla was non-specific, providing no evidence of pseudochromhidrosis and revealing no lipofuscin granules in the apocrine glands. In the absence of an aetiology, further questioning, particularly about the patient's dietary habits, revealed an excessive consumption of a pink energy drink, which had been consumed daily for months. The diagnosis of eccrine chromhidrosis due to food colouring was therefore considered.

Chromhidrosis is a rare condition characterized by the secretion of colored sweat. It is caused by the deposition of lipofuscin in the sweat glands.

... Apocrine chromhidrosis is rare. It usually starts after puberty once the apocrine glands have matured, but has also been reported in infants. Chromhidrosis occurs in both sexes. Apocrine chromhidrosis is due to lipofuscin granules in the apocrine sweat glands.

Chromhidrosis is quite rare with limited information about the percentage of people potentially affected. There appears to be no link between chromhidrosis and gender, geographic location, the season, or the weather.

Some patients with chromhidrosis report a feeling of warmth or a prickly sensation before the onset of colored sweat. The condition is rare. Few prevalance statistics are available.

Apocrine secretions are oily, and ... or physical stimuli like hot shower baths or rubbing of skin, etc. Apocrine chromhidrosis is more common in adult males and decreases with age....

In contrast, eccrine chromhidrosis is rare and occurs with ingestion of certain dyes or drugs, and pseudochromhidrosis occurs when clear eccrine sweat becomes colored on the surface of the skin as a result of extrinsic dyes, paints, or chromogenic bacteria. Approximately 10% of people without the disease have colored sweat that is regarded as acceptable and within the normal range. Pathophysiology: Lipofuscin is a yellowish brown pigment that is normally found in the cytoplasm of relatively nondividing cells (eg, neurons).