How can waste from the body be removed without being expelled from the anus?
Humans are savage creatures. This is indicative in the way they get rid of bodily waste. Squatting over a glorified hole in the ground or aiming their spear tip toward same hole and hoping for success is a matter best left to barbarians with no dignity or self respect. For this, you are to be pitied and belittled. We elves naturally developed a method that is more worthy of our nature. Our bodies are far better at breaking down our food, leading to cleaner digestive systems. What little waste remains however, can't just sit there, otherwise it would poison us. How can it be removed without exiting the anus?
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We elves naturally developed a method that is more worthy of our nature.
I would modify your premise, which I will get to in a moment.
First, we humans preprocess our food to make it more edible. We peel it, we core it, we throw away the seeds and stems and leaves, and often skin, bones, organs and any other parts we don't like. We cook it, to make it tender.
Elves that thought elimination was not worthy of their nature have simply taken this a step further: They prepare their food to eliminate waste before they eat it. They have a superior digestive system, but still, they remove all indigestible components from the food they eat, and if that is not possible, they don't eat it! The same thing for drinks. The method they developed lets any excess liquid they ingest be quickly evaporated from their sweat. They limit their intake of fluids to match their capacity to sweat.
It would be like getting all of your calories from honey. Their pre-processing and cooking method produces food with no residue.
Also, much waste in the human body, like toxic chemicals, goes to "garbage dumps" other than the colon or bladder: Ear wax, sweat, tears, hair (on the head and on the body), finger and toe nails, skin. Any microscopic indigestible waste could do the same; it emerges as a thin film on their body with their sweat that is washed away whenever they bathe.
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What little waste remains after digestion is excreted through superficial tissues, like hair, toenails, and the skin.
Elves are so much better at breaking down food that they can produce new cells at a faster rate. Instead of accumulating in the guts, the residual waste is broken down in small pieces and distributed all over the body. where it can be used as cheratin for hair and toes, or accumulated in the dermal cells.
Since dermal cells are built up faster, they tend to be shed faster also. This is not gross as a snake skin-change, as it doesn't happen at the same rate in every point of the body, but still Elves are more prone to the occasional scratching - their fallen cells tend to itch more easily, and maybe, despite their long, beautiful hair, they are more subject to dandruff also.
Have you noticed how Elves seem to be obsessed with hygiene? I mean, I bathe myself once every two weeks, and they still look down at me! Anyway, I suspect that their regular baths (one a day to keep the darkness at bay) helps them get rid of the excess skin, that is, after all, waste material.
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