You know, ever since I was a kid I have wondered why my fingers and toes get pruny if I sit in the shower or bath too long. I always thought it was funny that they would take on a "dried out" look after being in the water for too long! And why do they call it pruny? Why not raisiny? I know for one that my fingers look more like dried-up white grapes than purple prunes.
Well, in case you want to know the medical reason for this phenomenon I have hunted down the answer for you:
"Our skin has a kind of waterproof oil on it called sebum. That's why water rolls right off your skin in the bath or shower. If you spend too much time in the water, the sebum washes away and guess what? You're not so waterproof anymore. Your skin soaks up the water causing it to swell in some places which makes it look wrinkly. Now, this only happens on your toes and fingers because they don't have any hair. The hair follicles on the rest of your body are able to keep making enough sebum so it doesn't wash away."
- Contributed by Dr. Lisa Thornton http://healthcorner.walgreens.com/display/128.htm
