Who does not like to lie in the bath foam and feel good? But a long bath also has its side effects: shriveled hands and feet. Especially the fingertips look wrinkled and puffy afterwards. Strangely enough, other parts of the skin, on the other hand, remain smooth. Why is this so and is this phenomenon perhaps even associated with health risks – especially if you want to go swimming or bathing more often? Don’t worry, wrinkled skin is not harmful and it also recedes quickly.
Horn cells absorb water
Shriveled skin actually affects almost only hands and feet. Exactly why the skin shrinks has not yet been fully researched. It is usually assumed that the top layer of skin absorbs water. This consists of the so-called horny cells, i.e. dead skin cells that can bind the water and thus swell up. Horny cells are found particularly frequently on the hands and feet – about ten times more than on the rest of the body.
Hands and feet are exposed to a special daily stress – for protection a particularly thick layer of horny cells develops on these surfaces. Now, when the horny cells are absorbed with liquid, the uppermost skin layer expands. However, since these are connected to the hypodermis, this does not happen evenly – the wavy shriveled skin develops.
Other possible explanations for wavy skin
In recent studies, the protein keratin, which is contained in the outer layer of the skin, is also blamed for shriveled skin. According to researchers, the fibers of keratin expand and create the wavy lines because of their structure.
Another explanation could be that the shrinking is triggered by nerve impulses. Scientists suspect that the grooves in the skin are created so that we can grip objects even with wet hands.
Don’t be afraid of water
Swimming and bathing dries out the skin and can irritate the skin of sensitive people. Therefore, after each extensive bath, you should apply a good cream to the skin, so that it gets back fat and moisture. At high temperatures, care products that provide a lot of moisture are suitable. If the skin is particularly dry, a greasy ointment often helps better.
Tips for healthy bathing
- There is nothing wrong with one bath a week for normal skin.
- Do not bathe for more than 10 minutes.
- The water temperature should not be higher than 35 ° C. The reason: If water is hotter than 35 ° C, it dries out the skin much too much.
- Clean the skin with mild washing emulsions that do not destroy the acid mantle of the skin.