Wrinkle patterns on wet fingers aren’t just a fluke, study finds
Those wrinkles aren't random, according to new research.
Swimming season is here. The next time you take a dip, take a look at your hands.
Ever notice how your fingers get pruney after being in water too long? For years, people thought the wrinkling was due to the skin soaking up water.
It turns out it's because our blood vessels shrink under the skin, and that contraction causes the wrinkling.
And according to research from Binghamton University, those wrinkles form in the exact same pattern every time.
Our blood vessels don’t move around much, so the wrinkles always form the same "map."
For their study, researchers soaked volunteers’ fingers in water for 30 minutes, snapped photos, and then did it again about a day later.
The wrinkle patterns were nearly identical, and they also made a bonus discovery.
People with median nerve damage in their fingers don’t get wrinkles at all.
The findings could be a game-changer for the future of forensics and identification, particularly in instances where bodies have been submerged in water for prolonged periods.
So next time you're in the pool, the bath, or even just doing dishes, remember: The wrinkles that form are your very own aquatic fingerprints.
Header image: Background: Stock photo from Canva Pro. Hands: Brenderous/Flickr/CC-BY-2.0. Edited by Cheryl Santa Maria for The Weather Network.