Why do you get wrinkled in water

This causes your skin to become waterlogged. So how does this lead to wrinkles? For a long time, people thought the water caused skin to swell up and get puffy.

Now researchers believe wrinkly fingers could be an autonomic nervous system reaction. Because it's easier to pick up wet objects with wrinkly fingers.

Wrinkles on your fingers may give you more grip, kind of like treads on a car tire. Indeed, a study conducted by British neuroscientists uncovered evidence that wrinkled fingers aided people in manipulating wet objects. In the experiment, 20 people had to transfer 45 objects of different sizes — all marbles and fishing weights — from one container into another. In other cases, the objects were submerged. They found that wrinkled fingers allowed the participants to more quickly transfer the objects when submerged, though they made no difference for dry objects.

However, a similar study conducted by German researchers found the opposite. In that study, the researchers had 40 people transfer 52 marbles and dice of different sizes and weights from one container into another.

Likewise, a group of Taiwanese researchers conducted a series of experiments aided by a year-old male volunteer. They assessed the friction applied to a smooth surface by his smooth or wrinkled fingertips, for example, and how much force his hands applied when sliding across a bar.

They also measured his ability to force two ends of a spring together. Rather than finding no differences, however, they actually found that wet-wrinkles resulted in decreased performance for each test.

The wrinkling of your skin is a perfectly natural reaction Credit: Getty Images. Of course, if the wet-wrinkling response did evolve as an adaptation, it was certainly not for the highly contrived laboratory conditions in which these experiments were run. The key is to assess the impact of wrinkled skin on locomotion, rather than on dexterity. His ideal experiment?

Recruiting parkour experts to show off their urban acrobatics while either wrinkled or non-wrinkled, and in wet or dry conditions. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. The sympathetic nervous system is part of a larger system in charge of unconscious body processes like digestion and breathing. But it also appears to help us grip objects better in wet conditions — allowing us to grab the slippery, wriggling fish we needed for survival back in the day.

As soon as you get out, towel-dry briefly. Constant exposure to water, chlorine and other chemicals can cause dry skin, eczema or folliculitis. To avoid the skin irritation, itching , inflammation or infection that result, he advises you to:. Discover why, after just a few minutes in wet conditions, the palms of your hands, the soles of your feet and, in particular, your fingertips, transform from smooth to wrinkly.