No, not the type that you get when you smoke or have excessive sun exposure, but the type that you get after being in the water for awhile. Apparently the more shriveled your fingertips are after a swim, the healthier your nerve fibers are. Researchers are using this fact to help diagnose diabetic, HIV-positive or leprosy patients. The palm is so porous--it has 400 to 500 sweat pores--that water can seep in comparatively easily, diluting the body's own liquids and changing the electrolyte values. This makes the nerve fibers fire up more rapidly and shrinks tiny blood vessels in the fingers. As they shrink, they pull the skin around them, causing wrinkles. So the more you wrinkle, the healthier your nerve fibers are.

The Straits Times June 14, 2004