Letter: Skin wrinkling and nerve function.

We were interested in Professor Elliott's description of early skin wrinkling in 
children with cystic fibrosis. Although this phenomenon may well be related 
to osmotic differences between skin and water, it has been observed 
that skin wrinkling (as seen on the finger pulp) is fully 
dependent on an intact peripheral nerve-supply. This is a useful sign 
in peripheral nerve lesions and helpful in following recovery when the 
wrinkling returns. Furthermore, it was our impression that in normal individuals 
wrinkling was more apparent on the left hand than on the 
right-handed individuals. However, in a preliminary study using fingerprint densities measured 
by photometry, no significant differences were found between the sides. 