Why do my fingers wrinkle without water?

When we take a bath, take a shower, or cool off in a river, lake or sea, we notice that our fingers become wrinkled. This fact scares many people, but there is nothing scary about it. There are several hypotheses that explain why fingers wrinkle in water.

First hypothesis

For a long time, scientists thought that folds form on the fingers only because the skin comes into contact with moisture. The answer to the question of why fingers wrinkle in water was the theory that the skin is capable of absorbing liquid. This feature is due to the fact that blood vessels narrow under hot water.

The hypothesis failed because it did not explain why our fingers wrinkle in water when it is tepid or cold. It was also found that if the nerves are cut, the skin also remains smooth. Because of this discovery, the hypothesis was ruled false.

Biological causes of finger wrinkling

There is also a biological explanation for why fingers wrinkle in water. The fact is that upon contact with water, oils are washed off, which are designed to protect the dermis from mechanical damage. As a result, the upper layer of the epithelium is deformed, and deep wrinkles form.

The bottom layer of the skin does not absorb moisture, so it does not swell or change its structure.

Why don't my fingers swell?

But why do fingers quickly wrinkle in water and not swell, because that would be more logical? The fact is that our body is 70% water. Protective oils that are present on the skin ensure the safety of this fluid. Without them, the body would lose moisture, and dehydration would occur much faster when immersed in water.

When we bathe, the oils are washed away. Water begins to seep out. The membranes become empty, so they collapse and... form wrinkles.

We notice that the fingers become like dried fruit when immersed in water, but other parts of the body remain in their normal state. This is due to the fact that the latter have additional sebaceous glands. They produce protective oil almost as quickly as water washes it away. Therefore, the liquid simply does not have time to leave the body, the membranes remain full, and therefore the skin does not wrinkle.

The biological peculiarity of the human body must be supported by a scientific explanation. A recent theory to explain why fingers wrinkle in water has something to do with evolution.

Evolutionary theory of the formation of wrinkles on fingers

English scientists studied this phenomenon for a very long time. As a result, after going through all sorts of hypotheses, they came to the conclusion that fingers wrinkle when in contact with water due to evolution.

After studying photos of many people's wrinkled fingers, scientists discovered that the patterns on them are identical, and the arrangement of the folds is always the same. Later, it was experimentally discovered that this structure helps to hold wet objects much more effectively. That is, when immersed in water, our body adapts to this habitat.

After analyzing the historical aspect, scientists decided that wrinkled fingers were simply necessary for primitive people to survive. Ancient man was constantly in contact with water. He fished, was forced to hunt in rainy weather and swim to escape predators. If the fingers remained smooth, it would complicate the process of hunting and fishing, since the tools would constantly fall out of the hands.

This answer to the question of why fingers wrinkle after drinking water is now the most common.

The soles of your feet also become wrinkled when exposed to moisture. The explanation for this phenomenon is similar to the previous one. To better understand the mechanism of this phenomenon, scientists recommend that we remember. car tires. When it rains, the ground becomes wet. The tread provides good traction. So it is in nature. If the soles of the feet were completely smooth, then primitive man would constantly slip and fall, which in itself dooms him to death while escaping from the enemy.

Unresolved problems

Scientists are still puzzled by the question of why the wrinkles on the fingers, which are so necessary for survival, did not remain permanently, regardless of the influence of water, because this would be logical. Research regarding this phenomenon is still ongoing. But scientists have already put forward one hypothesis. They believe that wrinkles on the fingers dull sensitivity. Determining the properties of objects by touch would be a problematic activity. This theory is indeed plausible, but to prove it, scientists conduct additional research and conduct experiments.

Thus, there is nothing terrible or surprising in the fact that fingers wrinkle when in contact with water. This is a natural reaction of the body to moisture, so you should not be afraid of this phenomenon.

Girls, we really need your help! For the second week, wrinkled fingertips. Not even that, they are wrinkled. They don’t hurt, they don’t itch, there’s no redness, there’s no blisters, and they’re not even dry, they’re quite soft) What could this be? Has anyone encountered this? Thanks in advance for your answers!
p.s.: these are not signs of diabetes, sugar is normal.

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dryness, wrinkling of the fingertips and local hyperkeratosis of the fingers may be one of the dermatological signs of diabetes. In the medical literature, this symptom is called Finger pebbles (shagreen finger or hilly)
You drink very little water, so your fingertips wrinkle.
As for the fact that your sugar is normal, do the test again, but in a different laboratory. It’s time to find out that, alas, two different laboratories often produce completely different blood results from the same person. ALAS

hypovolemia, hypoperfusion, hypoglycemia, initial pellagra, cutaneous borreliosis, subsiding edema after taking antimicrobials or spontaneous healing as an equivalent, sideropenia, prolonged and regular hand washing.
choose what suits you best.

This happens to me in winter, when my hands dry out - and my fingertips also wrinkle from drying out. It’s cold outside, the heating at home is hot, the air is dry, there are sharp contrasts. Sometimes your fingers even get cracked. I use creams and try not to walk outside without gloves, even when my hands are not cold, but the thermometer is about 0 or colder, at home I put jars of water to moisturize, then it goes away.

Eczema. I have so.

Was. Vitamins A and E helped, taken internally and added to hand cream in a liquid oil solution.

dryness, wrinkling of the finger pads and local hyperkeratosis of the fingers can be one of the dermatological signs of diabetes. In the medical literature, this symptom is called Finger pebbles (shagreen finger or hilly finger). You drink very little water, so the finger pads wrinkle. What about the fact that sugar in normal, do the analysis again, but in a different laboratory. It’s time to find out that, alas, two different laboratories often produce completely different blood results from the same person. ALAS

Related topics

Margarita, tell me, did this work for you? I have these symptoms, I don’t understand why it could be.. The pads of my fingers shrink, like after a long bath.. Not much, but it worries me very much.. I apply the cream, it goes away, then again the same..

My fingers became like this during pregnancy

Girls, we really need your help! For the second week, wrinkled fingertips. Not even that, they are wrinkled. They don’t hurt, they don’t itch, there’s no redness, there’s no blisters, and they’re not even dry, they’re quite soft) What could this be? Has anyone encountered this? Thanks in advance for your answers! P.S.: these are not signs of diabetes, sugar is normal.

The same thing happened for about 3 months, usually by nightfall my palms became like that, very unpleasant. General and biochemistry tests are normal and for sugar. I suggested that there is not enough vitamins A and E, or rather they are poorly absorbed from food, I have gastritis, biliary dyskinesia and pancreas is not very good. So I’ve been drinking Aevit 2 a day, for 3 days it’s already been normal, ttt)) so maybe some vitamins are not absorbed by you, check your digestive organs. By the way, my hair is falling out and my skin is dry, so I’m waiting, maybe this will return to normal.

I took the herb for the liver, and it went away. And something like a rash on my hands disappeared.

yes it's something to do with the liver, try karsil

I took the herb for the liver, and it went away. And something like a rash on my hands disappeared.

This has happened to me before, and only now do I know that I have psoriasis, until I was 27 years old it manifested itself in the form of severe dandruff and itching, but then it went away, like these “wrinkles” on my fingers and about once a year on my skin. my fingers generally peeled and itched, I blamed it all on vitamin deficiency, since this happened most often in the spring, my legs itched, most often in winter, I blamed it all on tights. the skin on my face was very dry and flaky, I was constantly smearing myself with cream; in general, there were a lot of signs, but I always chalked them up to something, but now it has shown itself in all its glory, I have been suffering for the second year now and this will last for the rest of my life. ((

Aevit and a huge amount of water. This is dehydration. Plus various oils for the skin of the hands - coconut, grape seed, wheat germ, sea buckthorn. Stop drinking coffee for at least a week, it removes a lot of fluid.

Margarita, you described word for word the problem that befell me now. If you don’t mind, write how you solved it for yourself.

Check Mg levels in your blood.

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Quite often, when leaving a bath or pool, or returning to shore after a long stay in sea water, we notice that the skin on our fingers and toes, and sometimes on our entire palms and soles, becomes wrinkled. A palm with large folds of almost white color looks like the hand of a wise old man, but after a certain time everything passes by itself and disappears without a trace. Since childhood, we have become accustomed to the fact that such a phenomenon is explained by the simple phrase “the skin is steamed,” and we don’t even think about whether this is really so. Scientists have been trying to determine the cause of this phenomenon for decades. And today there are several theories about the appearance of wrinkled skin on the palms and soles after contact with water. MedAboutMe will tell you which versions of skin interaction with water are considered by experts and whether such contact poses any health hazard.

Expansion of the top layer of skin

This theory is the most common. The top layer of skin on the feet and palms is covered with a protein called keratin, which absorbs moisture upon prolonged contact with it. As a result of this interaction, the epidermis expands and shrinks. Folds of different sizes appear due to the fact that the upper layer of skin increases in size, while the lower layers remain unchanged, and the formation of wrinkles helps compensate for the volume of swollen tissues.

Local wrinkling of the skin is explained by the fact that the epidermis on the fingers, toes, feet and palms is thicker than on other parts of the body. It contains more keratin and, accordingly, absorbs moisture much more actively.

Wrinkling of skin in water as a reflex

Back in 1935, experts noted that in people with certain lesions of the nervous system, the skin on the fingers and toes does not wrinkle after a long stay in water. Accordingly, the cause of this phenomenon may be neurological. Scientists believe that specific nerve endings are responsible for skin wrinkling, and if they are “turned off,” this phenomenon will not be observed. After this discovery, there were even proposals to test the work of the sympathetic nervous system in a similar way in those patients who did not respond to other influences.

Having assumed the mechanism of skin wrinkling, it remains to figure out why the body needs such a reaction. But scientists have already prepared an answer to this question, putting forward the following theory.

Skin reaction as a result of evolution

The most recent theory to explain why skin wrinkles in water involves evolutionary mechanisms. According to it, our distant ancestors often had to get from rivers and other bodies of water not only food, but also what could be useful in everyday life. Since there were no special tools yet, they did it with their bare hands. Accordingly, wrinkling the skin on the palms and fingers made this task much easier, and changing the skin on the feet made it easier to move over underwater rocks and other slippery surfaces.

Thus, the creators of such an evolutionary theory argue that wrinkling of the skin on the fingers and toes is intended for better grip on wet objects. The folds that form on the skin have a special arrangement and, like car tires, create channels for the effective drainage of fluid. To confirm this theory, Newcastle University staff conducted a study in which two groups of volunteers took part. Participants in both groups were asked to take turns performing certain manipulations with dry and wet objects of various shapes and sizes. At the same time, volunteers from the first group did this with dry hands, and from the second they first held their hands in water for half an hour. According to the results of the study, it turned out that with wrinkled skin on the hands it is much easier to grasp and hold any objects, both dry and wet.

Prolonged skin contact with water and its health hazards

We will not talk about all the dangers that contact with water poses to human health and life. Let's talk about the consequences of prolonged exposure to moisture on the skin. One of the main dangers is the formation of the so-called trench foot syndrome. This disease is a cold injury that develops as a result of prolonged exposure of the legs and, in rare cases, hands to dampness at low temperatures. The main symptoms of trench foot include:

1. pallor of the skin, local decrease in temperature and weakening of blood circulation;
2. pain and loss of sensitivity, muscle weakness in the fingers;
3. swelling and redness of the skin, as well as the formation of blisters and ulcers.

In the absence of timely treatment, trench foot syndrome may be associated with a secondary infection.

Wrinkled skin and hyperkeratosis

Hyperkeratosis is a dermatological pathology characterized by intense division of cells in the stratum corneum and impaired desquamation. The reasons for its development can be external and internal. These include:

1. some systemic pathologies, including diabetes mellitus;
2. varicose veins and obliterating atherosclerosis;
3. vitamin deficiency and hypovitaminosis, developing for various reasons.

One of the most vulnerable areas of the body for this pathology are the feet. The development of the disease can be triggered by:

1. wearing uncomfortable and tight shoes;
2. excessive stress on the legs (long walking, running, etc.);
3. obesity, foot deformities and some hereditary factors.

Regardless of the factors preceding the disease, the main reason for its development is a violation of the trophism (nutrition) of the epidermis, which is the top layer of the skin. Accelerated cell division leads to proliferation of the epidermis, which, in turn, causes skin wrinkling. Later, cracks and calluses may form on the feet, and if left untreated, a secondary fungal infection may develop.