Sensory confusion disrupts thermoregulation

This hypothesis asks whether heat-adapted human skin mistakes cooling evaporation for warm sweat pooling, changing sweat and blood flow enough to damage its barrier. The test separates perception from physics. In a crossover study, each person receives each condition, researchers would sharpen or mismatch faint temperature and touch cues. Skin temperature, evaporation, sweat composition and mechanical load would remain constant. At a separate protected site, they would measure sweat release and vascular conductance, the skin's blood-flow capacity. A remote change before heat balance shifts would support sensory control. A change in perceived wetness alone would refute the causal link. The test could clarify how persistent wet loading with poor heat loss damages skin.