Why do hands wrinkle when soaked in water?

I believe that there are many people who soak their hands in water in their daily lives. After a long time, they will find that a layer of white wrinkles often appears on the fingertips. These are large wrinkles on the skin, but these wrinkles will disappear immediately after the hands are completely dry. There are many reasons why hands become wrinkled after soaking in water. It is not ruled out that the wrinkles and cracks may be caused by the loss of water between the stratum corneum and the dermis. You need to understand some relevant knowledge based on the cause.

1. Skin causes

When soaking in water for a long time, a large amount of water will flow through the cell membrane into the space between the epidermis and the dermis. The epidermis is mainly composed of the stratum corneum, which will swell after absorbing water. The dermis under the stratum corneum is connective tissue and will not swell due to absorbing a large amount of water. This will cause the volume between the two layers of skin tissue to change, thereby causing wrinkles.

The moisture between the stratum corneum and the dermis will also create gaps between the two layers of skin tissue, causing separation between the layers, which also promotes the occurrence of wrinkles.

2. Cellular causes

Water occupies an absolute dominant position inside the human body, and the liquid concentration in the body is relatively high. Therefore, after soaking in fresh water for a long time, the water will be absorbed by the epidermal cells of the skin, causing the cells to swell and deform. When swimming in seawater with a higher concentration, wrinkles appear on the fingers due to the loss of water from the epidermal cells, causing the cells to shrink and deform.

Is it necessary to prevent this situation?

For most people, there is no need for deliberate prevention or treatment. After all, they don’t soak in water every day, and skin wrinkles will recover quickly and will not cause any impact on the body.

However, jobs like car washers, swimming coaches, fishermen, and aquaculture require regular and long-term contact with water. It may be a good idea to eat more vegetables, rice, whole grains and other foods to prevent it. If the condition is so severe that your hands turn white when you use water, or your hands become full of white wrinkles after soaking in water for a long time, you may have some kind of ringworm. It is recommended that you seek medical help immediately!