And why does water wrinkle the skin in some places? Absolutely everyone is familiar with this phenomenon, so let's get right to the cause-and-effect relationship. It used to be thought that it was the result of a biochemical reaction in which "water pulls chemicals out of the skin”. But that's not the correct viewpoint. It's all about nerve fibers and blood vessels. For some reason, the response of our sympathetic nervous system is tuned in such a way that being in water for a long time provokes vasoconstriction. This, in turn, leads to wrinkling of the skin of the palms and feet. Why does the body need this reaction? Well, these wrinkles make it easier to grasp objects underwater or when working on a wet surface. Naturally, this has long since ceased to be evolutionarily justified - no one catches fish with their bare hands anymore (almost).