How much water is absorbed through the skin while showering?

[Bartholomew]

How much water is absorbed through the skin while showering?

 

[matthyaouw]

I believe that the skin is waterproof, so none. If there are any exceptions to this, then I am unaware of them.

Just as a little side note, I did a quick google to varify what I thought, and found this:

It is impossible that evolution could have produced such an important and complex organ as the human skin. The many intricacies of its functions are evidence of a Creator. One writer remarked: “The skin is a miracle of evolutionary engineering: it waterproofs the body, blocks out and destroys harmful bacteria, regulates temperature, and continuously communicates with the brain” (McCutcheon, 1989, p. 113). Yes, the skin is a “miracle” all right—but not a miracle of evolution. And yes, the skin was “engineered”—but the engineer was God!

From an otherwise quite good article about the skin: http://www.apologeticspress.org/modules.php?name=Read&itemid=2581&cat=11

It amused me somewhat.

 

[DaveC426913]

The skin is most defintiely not waterproof. One of its primary functions is to regulate water!

If the skin were waterproof, we wouldn't look like a prune after getting out of the bath (or pool).

 

[hitssquad]

I believe that the skin is waterproof

"The answer, according to Dr. Robert Polisky, a dermatologist in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, is both yes and no. Skin, which protects the body against injury, microorganisms, and chemical agents, is water-resistant but not waterproof. The protective layer is called the stratum corneum, a thin membrane of mostly dead cells that's rich in a protein called keratin and also coated with sebum, an oil secreted through hair follicles. Together they create a water-resistant barrier that protects the dermis, where the capillaries and sweat glands lie. (If you want to verify that your skin isn't waterproof, take a long bath—the prunelike effect on your hands and feet is a result of the keratin becoming waterlogged.)"
http://outside.away.com/outside/news/200303/200303wildfile.html