Why do our hands and feet wrinkle when we're underwater? And why the rest of our skin doesn't?

Answer 1

When your skin is submerged in water it begins to swell as it absorbs water. The areas of your palms and the bottoms of your feet are usually among the driest areas of your skin and therefore absorb more water. The swelling causes your skin to expand. Because you don't have any additional muscle or fat over which to stretch the expanding skin, wrinkles develop. These are more prominent on your palms and feet because of the very limited area over which the expanding skin can be spread and because these dryer areas of skin expand more than the moister areas of your skin due to the difference in initial hydration levels. Think about the difference in expansion that would happen if you wet a bone dry sponge and a lightly damp sponge. The bone dry sponge would show the largest difference because it started out containing much less water.

Answer 2

Because the skin on your hands and feet are thicker than the rest of your body. Also, it's because less circulation gets to the cells as a result of thicker skin.

Answer 3

Finally, a question I can answer, acordign to my doc. (who I asked cuz I was curious) When your in the tub your fingers and toes absorb more water then the rest of your body. Becuase they absorb to much, they let it all out quickly the way if you fill something up to much it spits it out. THat makes your fingers all wrinkly.