Have you ever noticed that your fingers wrinkle in the same pattern every time you’re in the water for too long?
According to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York, that’s exactly what happens. And it’s not just a coincidence—it’s science.
A couple of years ago, Associate Professor Guy German from Binghamton University began studying why human skin wrinkles after long periods in water.
For years, people believed that water simply swelled up the skin, causing it to wrinkle. But surprisingly, there was very little scientific research to back that up.
German and his team at the Biological Soft Matter Mechanics Laboratory decided to dig deeper and find out the real cause.
What they discovered was surprising. It turns out that when your hands or feet are submerged in water for a long time, the blood vessels beneath the skin contract.
This contraction changes the structure of the skin, creating those familiar wrinkles.
German first wrote about this discovery for The Conversation back in 2023 as part of its “Curious Kids” feature. However, one question from a student caught him off guard.
The student asked, “Do the wrinkles always form in the same way?” German realized he didn’t know the answer.
That single question sparked the research that led to this latest study, which was published in the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials.
German, along with researcher Rachel Laytin, tested the theory by submerging people’s hands in water for 30 minutes.
They took photos, waited at least 24 hours, and repeated the process under the same conditions. When they compared the photos, the results were clear—the wrinkles formed in the exact same patterns each time.
The reason for this, German explains, is that blood vessels don’t move much over time. While they may shift slightly, their positions remain mostly the same, which means the wrinkles follow the same paths again and again.
This fascinating discovery was not only an answer to a curious child’s question but also a leap forward in understanding how our skin responds to water.
While conducting the study, the researchers also stumbled upon another interesting finding. German mentioned that people with median nerve damage in their fingers do not form wrinkles when exposed to water.
One of his students volunteered for the test, revealing that his own median nerve damage prevented his fingers from wrinkling. This observation opens new possibilities for understanding nerve function and its impact on the body.
The implications of this research go beyond simple curiosity. German believes it could be useful in forensics, especially when identifying bodies found in water or collecting fingerprints from wet surfaces. His father, a retired U.K. police officer, often dealt with such challenges during his career, which is why this discovery feels particularly meaningful to German.
For German and his team, the journey is far from over. He’s eager to keep exploring the mysteries of skin and water with his students, inspired by a single question that led to an exciting new field of study. “I feel like a kid in a candy store,” German said. “There’s so much more to discover.”
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