All we need is a meteorologist who has once been soaked to the skin without ill effect. No one can write knowingly of the weather who walks bent over on wet days.
~E. B. White
Hands and feet, when left in water over a period of time, gets prunish. Why?
Skin has two layers, epidermis (the outer layer) and dermis (the inner layer) Epidermis produces, sebum (an oily substance intended to keep water out of your skin). Extended time spent soaking in water causes sebum to rinse off. As the sebum decreases the epidermis begins to absorb water. This causes the surface area of the skin to swell. The Epidermis is tightly attached to the dermis so the epidermis compensates for the added area caused by the absorbed water by wrinkling.
OR~
There are 4 layers of epidermis -the outermost layer of which is the stratum corneum - the layer we see and feel. The stratum layer contains dead keratin cells. Extended time spent soaking in water causes the dead keratin cells to absorb water. This causes the surface area of the skin to swell. Because the epidermis is tightly attached to the dermis, the epidermis compensates for the added area caused by the absorbed water by wrinkling.
But... why is it only hands and feet that wrinkle?
Either because hands and feet have the lowest amount of sebum, or because hands and feet have the most dead keratin cells.
About skin.
New research suggests that narrowing of blood vessels in water may contribute to "after the bath prune skin."
Learned: No definitive answer to the prune skin question.
Note: I can't stand it when I am wearing enclosed shoes with socks that get wet. That is a guaranteed wrinkly skin scenario, and feels totally icky!
Something else I learned: There are 20 calories in a dried prune
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