Why do fingers get wrinkled in water? What happens?
Do you know why your fingers get wrinkled in water? Have you ever stopped to think about what causes this?
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Who likes to enjoy a weekend somewhere with water?
It could be the beach, pool, lake, river... Taking some time to relax with family, friends or even alone in a cool place that has at least one of these attractions is a type of outing that is almost unanimous, right?
And it is in this type of trip that people tend to divide themselves into two very distinct groups.
On one side are the people who prefer to stay on the edge of the water attraction in question – whether on the beach or by the pool – just drinking and chatting, without caring too much about the water attraction.
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And on the other hand, we have those people who are real fish!
They love being in the water and are often the first ones in and the last ones out!
And if you are part of the first group, I am sorry to inform you that today’s conversation is not about you…
Today's topic of our content has everything to please fans of any and all water attractions!
Wrinkled fingers in the water
You've probably spent so much time in the water that when you got out, your hands and feet – including your fingers – were completely wrinkled, right?
Although this type of situation is something more common to experience when we are children – and any outing of this type is a big party – depending on the style and personality of the adult, this can continue to happen.
And here's the question that everyone wants to know: after all, why do fingers get wrinkled in water?
That's what we're going to find out here today! So if you've ever asked yourself this question at some point in your life and still haven't found the answer, now is your time!
Why do fingers wrinkle in water?
Let he who has never spent a long time in the water and realized it had completely wrinkled extremities – hands and feet – cast the first stone!
Although we have only mentioned attractions where there are large volumes of water – sea, swimming pools, rivers and lakes – you may have also noticed that even a slightly longer shower than usual leaves our fingers wrinkled by the time we get out.
But why do fingers get wrinkled in water?
For many, many years, the idea was that fingers wrinkle by osmosis. The explanation would be that, with direct contact, water would pass from the external environment into our cells, causing wrinkling.
But it was in 1935 that something interesting was noticed about this.
Researchers have noticed that people who had some type of damage to the nervous system in their hands no longer wrinkled their fingers.
And in cases where this damage was partial – not affecting all fingers – the fingers free of damage wrinkled normally.
In other words: we can conclude that the wrinkling of the fingers occurs as a response of our nervous system to prolonged exposure to water.
Another possible response to this type of situation
In addition to the explanation mentioned in the previous topic, another possible answer to this type of situation is linked to our skin.
First of all, it is important to highlight that our skin – which is also considered our largest organ – is made up of layers, with the dermis being the deepest layer and the epidermis being the outermost layer.
And it is precisely the epidermis that causes this type of very curious situation.
For those who don't know, the epidermis is where dead cells are concentrated. These cells are extremely rich in fat, as well as having a considerable amount of keratin.
When we stay in water for longer, these substances present in the epidermis end up being soaked in water.
And as this happens, they start to come loose, causing the curious reaction of wrinkled fingers.
After how long do fingers become wrinkled in water?
Anyone who has been through this situation knows what it's like: before you know it, your fingers are already wrinkled.
Therefore, many people still have doubts about how long it takes for fingers to become wrinkled in water.
And surprisingly, the amount of time it takes for this to happen is less than you might think.
So much so that even taking a shower that's a little longer than normal – or even after washing that huge pile of dishes from the weekend – can start to make your fingers start to wrinkle.
According to studies carried out to better understand this type of situation, it was possible to draw the following conclusions.
When we are talking about contact with hot/warm water, it is estimated that after about 4 minutes the fingertips will start to wrinkle.
But in colder temperatures – around 20°C – the process tends to take a little longer, increasing to around 10 minutes.
But regardless of the water temperature, our skin needs to stay in direct contact with the water for approximately 30 minutes to reach the maximum level of wrinkling it can achieve in this type of situation.
In other words: this process usually occurs in a matter of minutes.
Conclusion
So, which of the two theories presented here in today's content seems to be the most correct?
Although the second explanation is an answer that makes sense – taking into account the structure of our skin – the first explanation that associates this type of situation with the nervous system makes more sense, in addition to having the 'approval' of scientists who study the behavior of our body.
And the first response can also be directly associated with evolutionary behavior, since wrinkling the hands makes it easier to handle wet objects.
In other words: a fact as simple as this would be related to the way we evolved as the years went by.
Did you like this content? Then maybe you should take the opportunity to read it too Skin Rejuvenation: See What Scientists Have Discovered
