Question
How does one explain the wrinkling of the skin of the hands and feet caused by prolonged immersion in water?
Daniel Weiler, Haifa, Israel
Answer
An answer I found from a dermatology site on the web: The wrinkling that develops after a hand or foot is immersed in water for a prolonged period results from the skin increasing its surface area to accommodate the water it absorbs. From most pathology manuals: skin maceration, or washerwoman's skin, which is swelling and wrinkling of the skin due to water absorption.
Peter Hayes, Tamworth, Australia
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