Why fingers and toes shrivel after staying in the water for a while?







The other day my daughter 'P" went for a swim with her friends for about 2 hrs. Though I had told her not to stay in the water for more than an hour she continued playing for long at the pool. When she came back home she was all worried about " why her fingers and toes were looking different?". To make her understand I explained about the 3 layers of the skin. The outer most tough layer is the epidermis which is made of dead keratin cells. Keratin is a kind of protein which is found in hair, nails and outer most layer of the skin. This is the layer that prevents the skin from water evaporation and protects the layer beneath it.



When you stay in water for a long time epidermis which is made of dead keratin cells absorbs water and swells. This stretches the surface area of the skin attached to the living tissue. To accommodate this the skin wrinkles.

Then she asked me a valid question why it happens only on our hands and feet and not on other parts of the body?. I replied her saying "because this has the thickest layer".

After having a hot cup of chocolate  she said "I understand now, why you had asked me to come earlier than 2 hrs".

Has this happened to you too?.......


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