How wrinkled your skin gets after a shower might be your body's silent warning sign of serious disease
Skin wrinkling after a shower or bath, or aquagenic wrinkling, usually occurs after about three and a half minutes in temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius).
Most people generally shower in temperatures between 98 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit (37 to 41 Celsius).
Wrinkling occurs because the outer layer of skin on the fingers and toes tends to be thicker than the rest of the body and contains more dead skin cells, which absorb water, causing swelling.
Water also constricts blood vessels, restricting blood volume and making fingers and toes shrink and wrinkle.
It's thought that human skin evolved to wrinkle to help grip objects in wet conditions, such as rocks or floors.
Wrinkles on their own are generally considered harmless.
But depending on how wrinkled your skin gets, it may reveal if you are suffering from chronic, and potentially deadly, conditions like diabetes or Parkinson's disease.
Skin around the fingers and toes has more dead skin cells that are rich in keratin, a protein that absorbs water.
This causes increased swelling and wrinkling in these areas compared to the rest of the body.
Additionally, the autonomic nervous system constricts blood vessels in response to water, which reduces blood volume in the skin and causes it to shrink.
People with diabetes may have less wrinkled fingers and toes compared to those without the condition.
Diabetes can damage nerves in the fingers and toes, a condition called peripheral neuropathy.
Nerve damage reduces the function of sweat glands and blood vessels in the extremities, making them less able to absorb water.
This results in reduced wrinkling.
Parkinson's disease, which affects 1million Americans, has also been shown to affect skin wrinkling after a bath or shower. This is particularly seen in people with hemiparkinsonism, a form of the disease that only affects one side of the body.
Parkinson's disease kills off nerve cells responsible for dopamine production. Those nerves also control sweat glands and blood vessel constriction, so people with Parkinson's on one side of the body may have less wrinkling than the other side.
Meanwhile, people with cystic fibrosis may get more wrinkled when they step out of the shower.
Cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition suffered by 40,000 Americans, causes a thick mucus to form in the lungs and digestive tract.
Recent research shows up to eight in 10 cystic fibrosis patients have increased aquagenic wrinkling, particularly in their palms, which is thought to be caused by imbalances in the sweat glands caused by the condition.
Aquagenic wrinkling on its own is usually harmless, but because it is so closely tied with cystic fibrosis, doctors recommend seeking medical attention to get screened.
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