When we bathe in the bathroom, take a shower, refresh ourselves in a river, lake or sea, we notice that our fingers become wrinkled. Many people are afraid of this fact, but there is nothing wrong with it. There are several hypotheses that explain why fingers wrinkle in the water.

First hypothesis

For a long time, scientists thought that wrinkles formed on the fingers only because the skin was in contact with moisture. The answer to the question of why the fingers wrinkle in the water was the version that the skin can absorb liquid. This feature is due to the fact that blood vessels narrow under hot water.

The hypothesis was defeated because it does not explain why our fingers are wrinkled by water if it is cool or cold. It was also found that if the nerves are cut, the skin also remains smooth. Because of this discovery, the hypothesis was recognized as false.

Biological causes of wrinkling of fingers

There is also a biological explanation for why fingers wrinkle in the water. The fact is that in 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 are formed.

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

Why don't your fingers swell

But why do fingers quickly wrinkle in the water rather than swell, because it 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 when immersed in water, dehydration would be much faster.

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

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

The biological characteristics of the human body must be supported by scientific explanation. A recent theory explaining why fingers wrinkle in water is related to evolution.

The evolutionary theory of finger wrinkles

English scientists have studied this phenomenon for a very long time. As a result, having sorted out all kinds of hypotheses, they came to the conclusion that the fingers wrinkle upon contact with water due to evolution.

Having studied the photos of wrinkled fingers of many people, scientists found that the drawings on them are identical, and the location of the folds is always the same. Later it was experimentally revealed that such a 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 primitive people wrinkled fingers were simply necessary for survival. The ancient man was constantly in contact with water. He fished, was forced to hunt in rainy weather and swim to hide from predators. If the fingers remained smooth, this would complicate the process of hunting and fishing, since the tools would constantly fall out of hand.

Such an answer to the question of why fingers wrinkle after water is now the most common.

Also wrinkled in contact with moisture. The explanation for this phenomenon is similar to the previous one. To better understand the mechanism of this phenomenon, scientists recommend that we recall ... car tires. When it rains, the ground becomes wet. The tread provides good grip. So it is in nature. If the sole of the feet were completely smooth, then the primitive man would constantly slip and fall, which in itself dooms him to death during an escape from the enemy.

Unresolved Tasks

Scientists are still puzzled by the question of why the wrinkles on the fingers, which are so necessary for survival, did not remain forever, regardless of the influence of water, because it would be logical. Studies that address this phenomenon are still ongoing. But scientists have already put forward one hypothesis. They believe that wrinkles on the fingers dull the sensitivity. Determining the properties of objects by touch would be a problematic action. Such a theory is really believable, but to prove it, scientists conduct additional research and experiment.

Thus, there is nothing to worry about when fingers become wrinkled in contact with water. This is a natural reaction of the body to moisture, so do not be afraid of this phenomenon.

Each of us knows from early childhood that from a long stay in the water, the skin on our fingers begins to wrinkle. For example, when I was little, my parents allowed me to bathe in the bathroom until my fingers were wrinkled. They said that since the fingers were already swollen from the water, it was time to get out. But is it really so?

At first, scientists really explained this phenomenon in this way. In their opinion, due to the absorption of moisture, the area of \u200b\u200bthe upper layer of the skin increased, and the lower layers remained the same size. And supposedly because of this, our skin went in waves.

But this version had several flaws. After all, if our skin really absorbed moisture, then our whole body would be covered with wrinkles, and not just our fingers. In addition, as early as 1935, several doctors noticed that in patients with a damaged nervous system, the skin did not wrinkle from the water. Therefore, an explanation for this phenomenon must be sought in the field of neurology.

Doctors concluded that wrinkling of the skin on the fingers and toes is an involuntary reaction of the body to a long stay in the water. But what exactly is this reflex caused by?

Biologists believe that this reaction of the body developed in the process of evolution. Thus, nature has ensured that people have better adhesion to various wet surfaces.

Wrinkled skin plays the role of a kind of tread on the tires. Thanks to wrinkles, the adhesion to the surface increases. So a person is much easier to catch fish in the water or move on wet grass.

And although we don’t walk barefoot for a long time, we take rubber objects with wet gloves (for example, when washing dishes), this reflex is still useful. The next time you take a shower or bath, pay attention to the fact that a piece of wet soap is much easier to hold when your fingers are wrinkled.

So Mother Nature made sure that a person could adapt to different conditions as best as possible. If this information came as a surprise to you, be sure to share it with your friends.

Quite often, leaving the bath or pool, and also returning to the beach after a long stay in sea water, we notice that the skin on the fingers and toes, and sometimes on the palms and feet, 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 are accustomed to the fact that such a phenomenon is explained by the simple phrase “the skin is steamed”, and we don’t even wonder if this is really so. Scientists have been trying to determine the cause of this phenomenon for decades. And today there are several theories for the appearance of wrinkled skin on the palms and feet after contact with water. MedAboutMe will tell you which versions of skin-water interactions are considered by experts and whether such contact poses any health hazard.

This theory is the most common. The upper layer on the feet and palms is covered with keratin protein, which absorbs moisture during 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 the skin increases in size, and the lower layers remain unchanged, and the formation of wrinkles makes it possible to compensate for the volume of swollen tissues.

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

Puckering 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 after a long stay in water does not wrinkle. Accordingly, the cause of this phenomenon may be neurological. Scientists believe that specific nerve endings are responsible for wrinkling of the skin, and if you turn them off, this phenomenon will not be observed. After such a discovery, there were even proposals to check in a similar way the work of the sympathetic nervous system in those patients in whom there was no reaction to other effects.

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

The most recent theory explaining the causes of wrinkling of the skin in water is associated with evolutionary mechanisms. According to her, our distant ancestors often had to get not only food from rivers and other bodies of water, but also something that could be useful in everyday life. Since there were no special tools yet, they did it with their bare hands. Correspondingly, wrinkling of the skin on the palms and fingers of the hands greatly facilitated this task, and changing the cover on the feet made it easier to move along the pitfalls 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 adhesion to wet objects. The folds formed on the skin have a special order of their location and, like automobile tires, create tubules for efficient drainage of fluid. To confirm this theory, researchers at the University of Newcastle conducted a study in which two groups of volunteers took part. Participants of both groups were invited to take turns to perform 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 for half an hour in water. According to the results of the study, it turned out that with wrinkled skin of the hands it is much easier to take and hold any objects, both dry and wet.

Prolonged skin contact with water and its health hazard

We will not talk about all the dangers that contact with water poses for a person’s life. Let's talk about what a long-term effect of moisture on the skin can turn into. One of the main dangers is the formation of the so-called trench foot syndrome. This disease is a cold lesion that develops as a result of prolonged stay of the legs and, in rare cases, of the hands in dampness at low temperatures. The main symptoms of the trench foot include:

• pallor of the skin, local decrease in temperature and weakening of blood circulation;
• pain and impaired sensitivity, muscle weakness in the fingers;
• puffiness and redness of the skin, as well as the formation of blisters and ulcers on it.

In the absence of timely treatment, a secondary infection may join the trench foot syndrome.

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

• some systemic pathologies, including;
• varicose veins and obliterating atherosclerosis;
• vitamin deficiency and hypovitaminosis, developing for various reasons.

One of the most vulnerable parts of the body for this pathology are the feet. Can provoke the development of the disease:

• wearing uncomfortable and tight shoes;
• excessive load on the legs (long walking, running, etc.);
• obesity, foot deformity and some hereditary factors.

Regardless of the factors preceding the disease, the main cause of its development is a violation of the trophism (nutrition) of the epidermis, which is the upper layer of the skin. Accelerated cell division leads to the growth of the epidermis, which, in turn, causes wrinkling of the skin. Later, cracks and corns can form on the feet, and in the absence of treatment, a secondary fungal infection can join.

From childhood we were interested in why the skin wrinkles from water. At times we liked to look at our fingers after the bath. Parents answered simply - fingers absorbed water, and so they became like that. And we believed them. But it turns out that not everything is so simple. After all, for some reason other parts of the skin are not wrinkled? It would be logical that they should absorb water. But this does not happen. In this article we will try to understand the reasons for this behavior of our skin.

So, what are the causes of these changes in our fingers after being in the water for a long time? The reason for everything is evolution. It turns out that this device was very useful to ancient people. In some cases, only it allowed him to survive, or at least just to slightly improve the quality of life.

This theory was proposed by Tom Smulders. This is a person engaged in evolutionary biology. So this topic is not alien to him. He says that no absorption of water by the skin occurs. Rather, it happens. But this is not the cause of wrinkled fingers. Just when we hold our fingers for a long time in a humid environment, the vessels at their ends narrow. This leads to this effect.

How did it help to survive?

The role of this feature has been invaluable. In ancient times, people had to deal with wet objects a lot. And thanks to such wrinkled skin, you can provide a more powerful grip. For example, a man caught a fish. She is very slippery. But thanks to this adaptation, you can hold it in your hand. In general, it helps in many cases:

• When you have to rummage in the wet grass. There you can find a lot of delicious fruits or, for example, pick edible mushrooms.
• Hunting. When a man hunts, he needs to hold a gun. And this device helps to make a successful throw during rain. And getting into the prey is much easier.

That is such a benefit. So this property also helps us now. The example is very simple. When we are in the bathroom, we need to take soap. It’s slippery. And rough skin helps to solve this problem. It does not slip out of our hands, and we can wash ourselves normally. So this feature of the ends of our fingers cannot be called rudimentary.

Why are my fingers not wrinkled all the time?

Why does the skin wrinkle from water, and is not in this state forever? This adaptation is crucial. Here the opinions of scientists differ. But the most likely is only one of them. The fact is that with wrinkling of the fingers, neurons eat much worse, and the receptors located at the ends hide behind the folds of the skin. Consequently, tactile sensitivity decreases significantly, which normally helps us in a huge number of life situations. Here are just a few of them:

• Sensation of temperature.
• Understanding the texture of objects.
• Understanding their acuity.

So if this adaptation would be constant, and not only realized under the influence of water, then blind people could not, for example, read. These are just some of the areas. This adaptation has an exceptionally positive connotation.

Has this issue been fully investigated?

In the meantime, we are waiting for new comments from scientists. But in the near future they will not follow, since there are more important issues than why the skin wrinkles from water. At times, scientists make interesting discoveries along the way. Goals are not set, but we learn something new. Most likely, scientists also found the answer to this question by accident.

So there is still room for improvement. It is important to understand that even though this opinion dominates science, it can change. Previously, people believed that it was just the water absorbed by the fingers.

Taking advantage of wrinkled fingers in science and industry

The identified feature has already helped in science and in the production of ordinary things. However, it is hardly the information about why the hands frown from the water that pushed to these developments, but they have the same principle. What is the basis for the lack of slip? That's right, It was discovered by physicists a very long time ago. And its application is found in a huge number of manufactured goods:

• Tires Their task is precisely to ensure tight contact of the machine with a wet surface. If you look at their surface, it is very reminiscent of the wrinkling of our fingers. Is not it so?
• Sole of shoes. Naturally, not every shoe is made similar to fingers wrinkled from water. But if we are talking about the winter version, then the principle is the same. This also applies to slippers for the pool. There the floor is wet, so you need to ensure maximum traction of the sole with its surface. Therefore, the skin on the toes wrinkles. There, the task is also very simple - not to slip. Naturally, this task with bare feet is not so good. But this is already something.

We have analyzed the simplest examples that lie on the surface when analyzing the principle of action of the considered phenomenon. In fact, there are a huge number of other areas of its application.

conclusions

We figured out why the skin of the hands and feet wrinkles in contact with water. It turns out that the myth we all believed in just crumbles upon closer examination. But this version of why the skin wrinkles from water is much more logical. Let's see what scientists will tell us. In the meantime, let's do some useful things. Curiosity is curiosity, but you still need to know the truth. Otherwise, you will never have a subscription to the pool, and you will not experience this effect on yourself.