Why does the skin on the palms and soles of the feet wrinkle in hot water?

How and why does the skin wrinkle

The appearance of wrinkles on the skin in water, regardless of its temperature, modern researchers bindWhy Water Turns You Into a Prune / Cleveland Clinic with the functioning of the sympathetic nervous system. It is activated by a surge of adrenaline and helps the body adapt to emergency situations. In particular, to actions under water or on a damp surface. When wet, nerve endings transmitE. P. v. Wilder-Smith. Water immersion wrinkling / Clinical Autonomic Research signal to the blood vessels to constrict: the volume of blood in the soft tissues decreases, and the skin shrinks, forming wrinkles.

Now such a reaction of the body seems unnecessary, but for ancient people it could be really useful. Scientists have two versions of its appearance.

1. Wrinkled leather provides better grip on wet surfaces. For example, she could help our ancestors to fish with their bare hands or walk on the ground that was wet after rain without falling. Now this feature is also capable
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   come in handyK. Kareklas, D. Nettle and T. v. Smulders. Water-induced finger wrinkles improve handling of wet objects / Biology Letters, for example, so as not to slip when getting out of the shower. However, not all studies confirmJ. Haseleu, D. Omerbasic, H. Frenzel, M. Gross, G. R. Lewin. Water‑Induced Finger Wrinkles Do Not Affect Touch Acuity or Dexterity in Handling Wet Objects / PLOS Onethat wrinkled feet and palms really work that way.
2. Water drains faster from embossed skin. wrinkles createM. Changizi, R. Weber, R. Kotecha, J. Palazzo. Are Wet‑Induced Wrinkled Fingers Primate Rain Treads? / Brain, Behavior and Evolution on the palms and feet are channels that combine drops into a single stream. This way, the protruding parts become dry and ready to work faster.

Perhaps this effect occurs exclusively on the feet and palms due to the peculiarities of physiology. There are no sebaceous glands, which means not producedSebum / DermNet NZ sebum (sebum), one of the tasks of which is protection from moisture. Therefore, the reaction of the nervous system occurs faster.

Alternative version

Before the appearance of wrinkles in the water tied upWhy Do Fingers Wrinkle in Water? / Verywell Health with osmosis, that is, the penetration of water through the skin. This version was supported by the behavior of keratin, one of the proteins in the composition of skin cells. Upon contact with water, it gradually absorbsM. E. Evans, S. T. Hyde. From three-dimensional weavings to swollen corneocytes / Journal of the Royal Society Interface moisture and change shape. When dry, the fibers resemble spirals, and when wet, they gradually straighten out and require more space. Keratin is found in the epidermis, that is, in the outer layer of the skin. It expands, and other layers of the skin retain the same volume - that's why the relief appears. Since the epidermis is thicker on the palms and feet than on other parts of the body, the wrinkling effect is more noticeable there.

However, such a theory is refuted by experiments with nerve endings: if they damagedS. O'Riain. New and Simple Test of Nerve Function in Hand / British Medical Journal, the skin of the palms remains smooth even after a long stay in the water. If the cause of wrinkles was in osmosis, the nerve endings would not affect the result.

When to worry

On average, the skin on the palms and feet should return to normal 10-15 minutes after contact with water. If the smoothing process is delayed, this may indicate aquagenic keratodermaAquagenic wrinkling of the palms / DermNet NZ (aquagenic dermatosis). This is a very rare skin condition that occurs in people with cystic fibrosis or in people who carry the cystic fibrosis gene. It can also be caused by a salt imbalance in the skin cells or a reaction to certain medications. Wrinkles in aquagenic keratoderma can persist for an hour or even longer. Sometimes the symptoms are accompanied by small white or colorless rashes on the palms.

If the skin does not shrink at all, this is also a bad signal. He can speakA. Tindall, R. Dawood, b. Povlsen. Case of the month: The skin wrinkle test: a simple nerve injury test for pediatric and uncooperative patients / Emergency Medicine Journal about disorders in the functioning of the nervous system.

What else happens to the skin in hot water

The palms and feet do not suffer from hot water, unlike other parts of the body. The fact is that along with sweat and dirt, it washes away part of the sebum - doesWhy You Shouldn't Take Hot Showers, According to Dermatologists / Allure dry and dehydrated skin, reduces its protective properties. Therefore, it is better to refuse a piping hot shower or bath. Instead, wash in warm water and, if necessary, apply a moisturizer.

It is especially not advised to get involved in a hot shower or bath for people with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and other skin diseases. High water temperatures can cause exacerbations.

However, hot water also has several advantages. She can relaxA. Mooventhan, L. Nivethitha. Scientific Evidence‑Based Effects of Hydrotherapy on Various Systems of the Body / North American Journal of Medical Sciences muscles after exercise helpE. J. Sung, Y. Tochihara. Effects of bathing and hot footbath on sleep in winter / Journal of Physiological Anthropology and Applied Human Science fall asleep faster. Sometimes, to achieve relaxation, you can take such a shower or bath, the main thing is not to spend more than 5 minutes in them.