why do fingers wrinkle in water review

When fingers are immersed in water, the outermost layer of the skin swells as it absorbs water, and it compensates for the increased area by wrinkling. The tough outer layer of skin made up of dead keratin cells is responsible for this wrinkling. The skin on human fingers and toes shrivels up like an old prune when we soak in the bath because blood vessels constrict below the skin, causing the distinctive wrinkling. Wrinkly fingers improve our grip on wet or submerged objects, working to channel away the water like treads on car tires. Wrinkles on fingers may give more grip, making it easier to pick up wet objects. Finger wrinkling is controlled by the nervous system, and nerve signals cause blood vessels in the finger tips to constrict, reducing the amount of fluid in the finger tips, which causes them to shrivel and wrinkle.