# Skin and water **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 10, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-and-water/180976 "2003-06-10T22:28:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-and-water/180976/1 "2003-06-10T22:28:45Z")
Just wondering… Can you absorb water through your skin? I’m guessing not but I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-and-water/180976/2 "2003-06-10T22:38:47Z")
Sure, some. Not like an amphibian, but yes, human skin can absorb a little water. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-and-water/180976/3 "2003-06-10T23:13:52Z")
The amount would be immeasurable. Thee’s just no pathway fo water form your skin into your bloodstream. The dead epidermis absorbs water, but has no blood vessels. The water would gradually diffuse into the deeper tissues, but it would be terribly slow. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-and-water/180976/4 "2003-06-10T23:35:17Z")
I was wondering because it seems that on cool, wet days that I seemed to need less water then on other days(dry days or hot days). Though I assume it’s more physcological then anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-and-water/180976/5 "2003-06-10T23:46:57Z")
That’s because on cool, wet days, you sweat less. Nothing psychological about it–you really _do_ need less water on those days. ---
**Author:** ![Phage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Phage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phage)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-and-water/180976/6 "2003-06-11T00:49:28Z")
Well… yes, you can. Never sat in the tub for too long? ---
**Author:** ![iaboy12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ccd318/32.png) [@iaboy12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iaboy12)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-and-water/180976/7 "2003-06-11T03:27:28Z")
except for your hands and feet your skin is essentially water proof due to the oils that your pores release. ---
**Author:** ![iaboy12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ccd318/32.png) [@iaboy12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iaboy12)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-and-water/180976/8 "2003-06-11T03:33:35Z")
except for your hands and feet your skin is essentially water proof due to the oils that your pores release. ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-and-water/180976/9 "2003-06-11T11:41:14Z")
You also lose moisture when you exhale but on a humid day you breathe in as much water vapor as you breathe out. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-and-water/180976/10 "2003-06-11T11:49:43Z")
The only way you would normally breathe in as much water as you lose would be if humidity were near 100%, which is nearly ungheard of at sea level. Some animals like camels have nasal sinuses designed to extract moisture from their breath, but in humans the system is terribly inefficient. This can be seen by the amount of water droplets that condense out when breathing into cold air. Of course humans also commonly breathe though their mouths, and the air exhaled this way is at 100% humidity.