It takes just a few minutes to soak in water (3 and a half in the hot one, 10 in the cold one) to end up with the palms of hands and feet transformed into a wrinkled plum. This happens because the skin swells with water. The stratum corneum, which is the most superficial part of the epidermis, is in fact made up of keratin, a protein that naturally tends to bind to water and fatty substances, and therefore swells when immersed for a long time. Result: the stratum corneum becomes wider than the underlying surface and therefore forms folds. This phenomenon – usually reversible after about twenty minutes – affects the hands and feet, because in these areas the keratin is more abundant than in other parts of the body, which not by chance remain unchanged.
12 September 2022 | 10:42
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