Why does our skin get wrinkly after taking a shower?

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Why does our skin get wrinkly after taking a shower?

In: Biology

5 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Two questions in your question: [Here’s a eli5 readable source.](https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/wrinkly-fingers.html)

1. Why does it happen?
2. What does it do for us as humans?
One: There is stuff on our skin that causes us to be water-resistant. If you wash your hands, this stuff causes the water to slide off. If you soak in water, however, the stuff that was making us water-resistant gets washed off. This allows the water to penetrate our skin, causing it to become waterlogged (filled with water).
Two: This is still up for debate, but my understanding as to why we evolved to get wrinkly when we get waterlogged is because it adds surface area, which makes friction increase. Essentially, we wrinkle because it makes it easier to keep our grip on things.

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