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by Daydreamer on May 24th, 2005

Daydreamer

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Why does our skin wrinkle when we've been in the bath, shower, etc? Why does it only seem to affect the skin on our palms and the soles of our feet?

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  • by kanjalid on May 26th, 2005

    kanjalid

    When you are immersed in water for prolonged periods the dead, keratin-filled cells from the outer most layer of your epidermis (called the stratum corneum, which acts as a barrier between the body and the environment) absorbs the water. This, of course, causes the stratum corneum to occupy a greater surface area. Because it is attached thoroughly to the tissues below (and they haven't changed), it must wrinkle to account for the greater surface area.

    The stratum corneum on the palms and soles is much thicker than that on other parts of the body and so absorbs more water and makes the wrinkling more evident. When you see your fingers and toes wrinkle up after long exposure to water rest assured that the skin is just doing its job of intercepting water that would otherwise invade your body by an inappropriate route.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratum_corneum
    http://biowww.clemson.edu/biolab/wrinkle.html

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