Aquagenic wrinkling of the palms is due to vasoconstriction of palmar skin vasculature

Abstract

Aquagenic wrinkling of the palms is an unusual and rare dermatosis characterized by rapidly appearing edema, whitish papules, and strong wrinkling of the palms after brief immersion in water. Aquagenic wrinkling of the palms is postulated to be a result of abnormal electrolyte fluxes that result in sodium retention within epidermal keratinocytes and osmotically induced cell volume increases. A clear understanding is lacking. It is closely linked to Cystic Fibrosis and has been proposed as a test of Cystic Fibrosis but can also be induced by Cyclooxygenase (COX-2) inhibitors and Aminoglycosides. Since both aquagenic wrinkling of the palms and water immersion wrinkling occur with water immersion, are restricted to the glabrous skin, and show features of sympathetic stimulation, I hypothesize that aquagenic wrinkling of the palms is part of the spectrum of water immersion wrinkling which has recently been shown to be due to sympathetic nervous system induced vasoconstriction of the palms and digits. Furthermore I hypothesize that both conditions are restricted to the glabrous palmar skin because of unique anatomical characteristics. Palmar skin is highly porous to water and contains abundant specialized vasculature densely innervated by sympathetic nerves and has unique epidermal anchoring for gripping purposes. I postulate that in conditions with sweat electrolyte disturbances such as Cystic Fibrosis or drug induced; the normal water immersion wrinkling response is exaggerated, leading to the typical clinical features of aquagenic wrinkling of the palms. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.