I Wonder Why – Why Fingers And Toes Wrinkle In Water?

Why do fingers and toes wrinkle when left in water?

● Even though you can’t see it, your skin is covered with its special oil called

sebum.

● Sebum is found on the outermost layer of skin. Sebum lubricates and protects

your skin. It also makes your skin a bit waterproof. That’s why water runs off your

skin when you wash your hands, instead of soaking it in as a sponge would.

● But staying in water for a long time washes away the sebum. Then, the water can

penetrate the outer layer of your skin. This causes your skin to become

waterlogged. Since they are anchored to the tissues below, they are forced to

corrugate to accommodate this.

● But it can’t expand evenly in all directions because it is attached to the layer

underneath. As it swells outward in some places, it pinches inward in other

places. That makes wrinkles. But don’t worry. Your skin will smooth out again as

it dries.

● You may wonder why other parts of your body don’t wrinkle up as much as the

fingers and palms. The layer of skin that swells and wrinkles are thicker on the

palms of your hands and the bottoms of your feet than it is on most other body

parts. That’s why the skin on your palm wrinkles more than the skin on the back

of your hand.