why do our fingers shrink when we put our hands in water for a longer period of time

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Solution

The outermost layer of our skin is made of dead keratin cells which absorb water. When we keep in water for long periods of time, surface area of our increases by swelling. However, the outermost layer of our skin is tightly attached to middle layer which is made of living cells. Hence, to compensate for increased surface area, our skin shrinks or wrinkles.

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