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Article: Our epidermis soaks up water like a sponge Skin's response to moisture leaves few wrinkles other than pruney hands and feet
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- April 19, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1999 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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"If skin was made to waterproof us, why do hands wrinkle when they
have been in water awhile?" wonders Elaine Voss' class in Merrick,
N.Y. Imagine if you eased into the bathtub for a long, hot soak,
and you emerged half an hour later your skin pleated in ridges from
head to toe. A wrinkled, science-fiction face of a 250-year-old.
Skin on arms and legs pulled into peaks and valleys. A stomach like
armadillo armor. If this were the way skin worked, few people would
risk jumping in the pool for a summer swim, only to lie in the sun
afterward as crimped, ancient-looking versions of themselves.
Thankfully, we have only the heartbreak of pruney fingers (and
toes) to deal with. It all ...