# Prune fingers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2003, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prune-fingers/169289 "2003-04-17T13:17:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prune-fingers/169289/1 "2003-04-17T13:17:24Z")
I understand (at least I think I do) the mechanisms behind why our fingers wrinkle up in the tub or pool. Most sources I’ve read attribute this to super hydration. What I’m curious about though is whether excessive wrinkling of the fingers could be a sign of dehydration, and if drinking more water would help prevent this from occuring in the first place. What prompted me to ask is the fact that my fingers always prune up within a minute or so of being immersed in water, and become amost painfully wrinkled after extended periods, whereas my husband rarely if ever gets prune fingers. So, are there any sure-fire (or at least moderately successful) preventatives for prune fingers? ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prune-fingers/169289/2 "2003-04-17T13:41:31Z")
I thought this was going to be about gardening accidents:o ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prune-fingers/169289/3 "2003-04-17T13:44:17Z")
It’s not “super hydration” exactly, just “uneven hydration”. [http://www.sciam.com/askexpert\_question.cfm?articleID=00027EB9-642A-1C72-9EB7809EC588F2D7](http://www.sciam.com/askexpert_question.cfm?articleID=00027EB9-642A-1C72-9EB7809EC588F2D7) > [@](#): > > The epidermis, or outer layer of the skin, is made up of cells called keratinocytes, which form a very strong intracellular skeleton made up of a protein called keratin. These cells divide rapidly at the bottom of epidermis, pushing the higher cells upward. After migrating about halfway from the bottom of this layer to the top, the cells undergo a programmed death. The nucleus involutes, leaving alternating layers of the cell membrane, made of lipids, and the inside, made largely of water-loving keratin. The outer layer of the epidermis, called the stratum corneum, is thus composed of these alternating bands. > > When hands are soaked in water, the keratin absorbs it and swells. The inside of the fingers, however, does not swell. As a result, there is relatively too much stratum corneum and it wrinkles, just like a gathered skirt. This bunching up occurs on fingers and toes because the epidermis is much thicker on the hands and feet than elsewhere on the body. (The hair and nails, which contain different types of keratin, also absorb some water. This is why the nails get softer after bathing or doing the dishes.) To prevent prune fingers, do all your bathing in the ocean, preferably the Caribbean. 😃 [http://www.discover.com/ask/main74.html](http://www.discover.com/ask/main74.html) > [@](#): > > The type of water one soaks in influences how quickly the skin on hands and feet wrinkles. Seawater, which has a high mineral content, tends to keep water from penetrating into the skin. The relative absence of minerals in household bathing water, on the other hand, tends to exaggerate water penetration into the skin. So you will wrinkle more slowly if you are swimming in the Caribbean than if you are showering at home. Otherwise, I suppose you could coat your hands with something extremely waterproof like petroleum jelly, but it seems like a lot of sticky trouble to go through just for that. Wear rubber gloves in the pool? 😃 Symptoms of dehydration include skin that doesn’t flatten out when you pinch it and let it go (it doesn’t spring back), but do not include “wrinkled fingers”. [http://www.ohsuhealth.com/ntrauma/dehyrat.asp?sub=1](http://www.ohsuhealth.com/ntrauma/dehyrat.asp?sub=1)