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Have you ever noticed your fingers becoming deeply wrinkled after spending time in a bath, swimming pool, or shower? For years, people assumed the skin simply absorbed water and became swollen. But scientists discovered that the process is much more fascinating.

When your hands are submerged in water for several minutes, your nervous system plays an active role. Nerves controlling the tiny blood vessels in your fingertips signal those vessels to constrict. As the blood vessels become narrower, the volume beneath the skin decreases, causing the surface of your fingertips to form those familiar wrinkles.

This means your wrinkled fingers aren’t simply a passive reaction to water. Your body is actively controlling the process through the nervous system.

Researchers have suggested that these wrinkles may have an evolutionary advantage. The grooves created on wet fingertips can potentially help water drain away and improve your grip on wet objects, much like the tread on a tire helps maintain contact with a wet road. While this explanation is widely discussed, scientists continue to study exactly how important the effect is in everyday situations.

Interestingly, the reaction can also provide clues about nerve function. People with certain types of nerve damage may experience reduced or absent water-induced wrinkling in affected areas.

So the next time you see your fingertips transform after a long shower, remember: your skin isn’t simply “soaking up” water. Your nervous system and blood vessels are working together to produce one of the body’s strangest little reactions.