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.
The Anonymous Widower 