Decode the phenomenon of

The researchers identified the gene culprit causing a rare skin disease, turning the hand white and pitting like a sponge.

Statistics show that the proportion of people with "sponge hand" disease in the world today is 1 / 40,000. The disease will thicken the skin of the palm and soles of the feet.

Research for families with rare skin diseases in the UK and Sweden has revealed gene changes in a key chemical, taking control of dehydration from the body. Scientists say this finding will help us better understand the skin's self-moisturizing mechanism.

A hand of an infected person when soaked in water (left cover) and when not soaked in water (right cover).(Photo: BBC)

According to David Kelsell, professor of molecular genetics of people from the University of London (UK) and a leading researcher, the average person in the water for about an hour starts to turn skin So white and wrinkled. This phenomenon also occurs in people who suffer from "sponge hands" but appear at a faster rate.

The official name of the disease "hand foam" is the horn of the hand - the foot is not spread by the epidermis (Unna disease - Thost) . The etiologic cause is the fault of a chemical called aquaporin 5 , which plays a decisive role in the production of saliva, tears and other secretions.

The study also showed that aquaporin 5 is also present in the skin with a higher concentration in the hands and feet. The genetic change related to this chemical seems to make the skin more porous and porous, allowing water to penetrate the skin faster.