Can Low Atmospheric Pressure Suck Water Out Of Your Skin?
I asked Google AI, the title of this post and received this answer.
Yes, low atmospheric pressure can cause water to be removed from your skin, primarily by facilitating rapid evaporation and disrupting the body’s ability to hold moisture in its tissues.
While it does not “suck” water out with mechanical force like a vacuum cleaner in normal environments, low pressure triggers several physical processes that dehydrate the skin.
How Low Pressure Removes Skin Moisture
Increased Evaporation (Transepidermal Water Loss): Low pressure reduces the barrier function of the skin, leading to higher levels of transepidermal water loss (TEWL)—the process of water passing from inside the body through the epidermis and evaporating into the atmosphere.
Low Humidity Factor: Low pressure environments (like high altitude or airplane cabins) are often accompanied by low humidity, which works in tandem with the low pressure to draw moisture out of the upper layers of the skin, leading to dryness, tightness, and flakiness.
“Boiling” Moisture (Extreme Scenarios): In extreme low-pressure scenarios approaching a vacuum (such as high-altitude exposure, nearly 70,000 feet), the pressure becomes so low that the moisture in the skin, mouth, and eyes can actually vaporize (boil) at normal body temperature.
Scenarios Where This Occurs
Airplane Cabins: The air pressure inside an airplane is lower than sea level, and combined with low humidity, this causes significant dehydration of the skin and mucous membranes.
High Altitudes: Mountaineers often experience extremely dry, cracked, and damaged skin due to the low pressure and low humidity at high altitudes.
Vacuum Chambers: In experimental settings, placing an arm in a vacuum chamber results in moisture evaporation and the sensation of the skin being “sucked,” causing immediate surface drying and potential skin damage.
Visible Effects
Dryness and Flakiness: The skin becomes dry and rough.
Tightness and Itching: Decreased elasticity leads to a feeling of tightness.
Reduced Elasticity: In severe cases, the skin loses its ability to “bounce back” quickly, a sign of dehydration.
In addition to dry air, low pressure often causes swelling or puffiness because fluids shift out of cells and into the spaces between them, which, combined with the dryness, can make the skin feel irritated.
I certainly felt like that last night, as the UK waited for Storm Dave to arrive.
Did I Have A Funny Turn Caused By Dehydration This Morning?
I followed my usual Sunday morning routine today
- I took my drugs with a large mug of tea.
- I had a deep bath with emollient in the water.
- I put my head under the water and opened my eyes, to clear the massive amount of sleep, I get overnight in my eyes.
- I then went to Leon in Hanover Square for a good Full English gluten-free breakfast.
Unusually, Leon made a mistake and didn’t put any milk in my tea, so I didn’t drink it. So was I low on fluids?
A Transformer Is Being Moved Tonight
This press release from National Grid is entitled National Grid Prepares For Two Major Supergrid Transformer Deliveries In London.
The first one is to be moved into Redbridge substation tonight, so I went to have a look after breakfast.
- It was easy to get to the site, as it is close to Redbridge station on the Central Line.
- Out of the Underground, it was quite hot.
- By the time, I got to Redbridge station, I was feeling slightly unwell and felt my balance was poor.
- So I immediately turned around and came home using the Central and Lizzie Lines to Moorgate, where I took a bus home.
- I was certainly feeling better in the air-conditioned atmosphere of the Lizzie Line.
Since I’ve been home, I have been continuously drinking Adnams 0.5 % Alcohol Ghost Ship and I feel that I am now back to normal.
I asked Google AI “Can being dehydrated affect your balance?” and got this answer.
Yes, dehydration can definitely affect balance. It can lead to dizziness and a feeling of unsteadiness, which can make it harder to maintain balance. This is because dehydration can disrupt the fluid balance in the inner ear, which plays a vital role in balance.
I can remember an incident in my thirties, when I fell down the escalator at Oxford Circus station and went round to the Middlesex Hospital to be cleaned up.
Did Dehydration Play A Part In My Serious Stroke?
I had my stroke during breakfast in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong. I’d had two or possibly three very small strokes early in the morning before and I know from measuring my weight, that I can lose up to a kilo overnight.
So I asked Google AI “Can dehydration cause strokes?” and got this answer.
Yes, dehydration can increase the risk of stroke. When the body lacks sufficient fluids, blood volume decreases, potentially leading to thicker blood and reduced blood flow to the brain. This can exacerbate existing blockages in blood vessels or make it more difficult for blood to reach the brain, potentially causing an ischemic stroke.
My late wife drunk a lot more fluids that I do and perhaps, I should have followed her example more, of always having water handy?
The Anonymous Widower 