Rehydration through the skin?

Khannie

Is it possible to absorb water through the skin? If so, where does it go? I was reading an article on cutting weight for competition and it said that a luke warm bath with epsom salts could help with rehydration post weigh-in.

Now I'm not suggesting it as an alternative for oral rehydration, yada yada. Just wondering if you can get water into the body through the skin. Any googling and I just come up with moisturisers etc.

tallaght01

I doubt it.

one of the main points of the skin is that it's supposed to be inpenetrable to water. Well, the skin itself can absorb a bit, but the oils on the skin are supposed to keep most of it out.

That would be my understanding of it, anyway.

Khannie

Cool. Thanks. It sounded a bit dodgy to me too.

I'm going to do a semi-scientific test after weigh in for my next fight by weighing myself, taking the luke warm bath with epsom salts as suggested, then weighing myself after fully drying off to see if there's any difference.

tallaght01

Khannie wrote: »

Cool. Thanks. It sounded a bit dodgy to me too.

I'm going to do a semi-scientific test after weigh in for my next fight by weighing myself, taking the luke warm bath with epsom salts as suggested, then weighing myself after fully drying off to see if there's any difference.

Do it, man! Let us know how it goes. You could end up at the cutting edge of scientific research :P

Khannie

LOL.

I don't think my bathroom scales is quite good enough for an oul' paper submission. I'll let you know how it goes though.

DrIndy

The only way to absorb stuff through the skin is to strip off the epidermis (such as with a burn) - however, this would also mean you will also lose a lot of water through your skin and all temperature regulation.

Amphibians can do this.

_Whimsical_

Khannie wrote: »

Is it possible to absorb water through the skin? If so, where does it go? I was reading an article on cutting weight for competition and it said that a luke warm bath with epsom salts could help with rehydration post weigh-in.

Now I'm not suggesting it as an alternative for oral rehydration, yada yada. Just wondering if you can get water into the body through the skin. Any googling and I just come up with moisturisers etc.

Epsom Salts baths are popular with some sporty types because they are said to relax tense and injured/inflammed muscles due to the high magnesium content of the salts.If magnesium and other electrolytes said to be found in Epsom Salts can be absorbed by the skin,I would imagine that any fluid gain would be due to increased electrolyes in the blood encouraging water retention rather than by water being absorbed by the skin. I think that would be the only principle by which it could be possible if it is possible. On that rationale, it would not be enough to just weigh yourself once you get out of the bath. You'd need to rehydrate yourself as normal and note your weight a few hours after the bath to see if there's an increase in weight above that which you'd expect on a similar day where you wouldn't have the bath.

Am I taking this is all much too seriously?

You'd think that if a bath in salts could do anything to water regulation of the body it would result in a tiny/insignificant level of fluid loss just by osmosis alone.

tallaght01

chilly, I think (if ive understood you correctly) that you're referring to fluid shift, rather than fluid retention, which would mean he stays the same weight.

Khannie

I'll be using ORT drinks (Dioralite) too, so I wouldn't be concerned with absorbing salt through any other means than orally.

Actually, since we're here....if there's any advice on minimising rehydration time I'm all ears.

_Whimsical_

tallaght01 wrote: »

chilly, I think (if ive understood you correctly) that you're referring to fluid shift, rather than fluid retention, which would mean he stays the same weight.

Yes.Sorry if I am not being clear.I'm typing on my iPod and that never helps.:)

I was working on the presumption that the OP would be dehydrated for his weigh in.Then if that was the case, if he could absorb minerals/electrolytes from the bath water they would aid his rehydration as he drank water later on much like ingested salt would.That's what I meant by "encourage fluid retention later on".

It just seemed like the most obvious explanation for Epsom Salt baths helping to hydrate someone and it's an effect that wouldn't be apparent for the OPs experiment. I'd imagine the effect would be neglegible if it were possible though.I might be wrong,it's just a theory:)

Piste

If you can't absorb mositure through the skin then how do moisturisers make dry skin feel silky soft?

DrIndy

They contain greasey substances which mimic what sebum from sebaceous glands releases and oil the skin, rather than providing water.

Sebum gets smelly after a while so we shower, some people produce less than others and so their skin is "dry" rather than normal.

tallaght01

Can someone just confirm that I wasn't deluding myself when I said that water CAN actually pass into the skin.

I always understood that the semi-dead callous layer absorbs water. But there's n system absorption.

We were told in uni that is why you get wrinkly skin when you get out of the bath.

tallaght01

According to wikipedia, that may be a myth!

wikey wrote:

Pruney fingers



A wrinkled finger after a warm bath
The wrinkles that occur in skin after prolonged exposure to water are sometimes referred to as pruney fingers or water aging. This is a temporary skin condition where the skin on the palms of the hand or feet becomes wrinkly.
In recent past the common explanation was based on water absorption in the keratin-laden epithelial skin when immersed in water;[7], this caused the skin to expand, resulting in a larger surface area and forcing it to wrinkle. Usually the tips of the fingers and toes are the first to wrinkle because of a thicker layer of keratin and an absence of hairs which secrete the protective oil called sebum.
In 1935, Lewis and Pickering already found that the skin in the median nerve distribution failed to wrinkle in patients with median nerve palsy. This suggested a mechanism other than simple water absorption. Recent research shows that wrinkling is related to vasoconstriction [8][9]. Water probably initiates the wrinkling process by altering epidermal electrolyte homeostasis as it diffuses into the porous skin of the hands and soles via their many sweat ducts. Altered epidermal electrolyte homeostasis would lead to a change in membrane stability of the surrounding dense network of nerve fibers and trigger increased vasomotor firing with subsequent vasoconstriction. Vasoconstriction, through loss of volume, leads to negative digit pulp pressure resulting in a downward pull on the overlying skin, which wrinkles as it is distorted [10].
This insight resulted in bedside tests for nerve damage and vasoconstriction. For instance a patient with Diabetic neuropathy caused by Diabetes mellitus will have a different finger wrinkling pattern than a healthy subject. Wrinkling is often scored with immersion of the hands for 30 minutes in water or EMLA cream with measurements steps of 5 minutes, and counting the number of visible wrinkles in time. Not all healthy persons have finger wrinkling after immersion, so it would be safe to say that sympathetic function is preserved if finger wrinkling after immersion in water is observed, but if the fingers emerge smooth it cannot be assumed that there is a lesion to the autonomic supply or to the peripheral nerves of the hand[11].

drzhivago

not aware of anyone absorbing any significant amount of water through the skin

Skin is a protective layer to keep water out as tallaght says however it is not impermeable you can take tiny amounts of water through pores and gaps in cells, and I mean tiny, this is the theory for new needless vaccination delivery a bit like the hypospray from Star Trek

However with a little modification and a needle under the skin ie subcutaneous you can absorb significant amounts of water in a 24 hour period if the enzyme hyaluronidase is added to the saline solution. This is most commonly used for people who cant swallow, have had a stroke, and cant find veins for iv access anymore

On a separate note OP says he was interested in this around the time he is losing weight for fights, few questions relevant here,
Competitive vs no competitive fights
regulated vs non regulated
what weight categories
how much weight loss in kilos
what percentage of body weight loss in kilos
how much weight put back on after weigh in
what duration of time between weigh in and fight
is there a maximum allowed weight gain after weigh in

Ever collapse after a fight

Khannie

I've replied to those questions by PM. I don't really want to reveal the answers to them on the board.

drzhivago

Khannie wrote: »

I've replied to those questions by PM. I don't really want to reveal the answers to them on the board.

Apologies one and all wasnt seeking for someone to out themselves was more generic questions about weight loss for specific sports and safety issues

HAve replied all in PM to poster

Khannie

Ah no need to apologise. I'm not anonymous on the internet any more. The thread for my fight is here and includes both my real name and internet name. Anonymity begone! I just didn't want to publicly divulge some of the finer details of my weight loss regime. Thanks for taking the time to respond by PM.