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Pruney fingers in water aren't caused by skin absorbing water—it's an active nervous system reflex (www.oddlyclear.com)
submitted 8 hours ago by to c/science@lemmy.world
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Common myth: skin wrinkles in water because of osmosis/swelling.

Reality: it is an active, involuntary vasomotor response. The nervous system constricts blood vessels under the skin to form ridges—acting like tire treads to channel away water and improve grip on wet objects. Patients with severed median nerves don't wrinkle at all.

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[–] [S] 5 points 5 hours ago

The PubMed paper you linked actually explains the exact same mechanism stated in the post—vasoconstriction and vasomotor firing driven by the sympathetic nervous system, rather than passive osmotic swelling.

Appreciate you linking the Wilder-Smith review though, it’s a great addition for anyone wanting the deeper clinical neurophysiology.

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