An Olympian's horrifying photo of his hands after rowing in the Arctic is going viral
Warren Little/Getty Images
At one point or another, many of us have probably taken pruned, wrinkled hands and feet as an indicator for when it's time to get out of the bathtub or the pool.Well, picture those wrinkly palms times ten, with a few added blisters, and you'll maybe get an idea of what Olympic rower Alex Gregory's hands looked like after rowing in the Arctic.
Gregory, a professional rower from the UK and two time Olympic gold medalist, is part of a crew called the Polar Row that is rowing in the Arctic to explore the Northern waters, research the environment, and raise money for charity.
On Wednesday, he posted a photo of what his hands looked like after having spent a long time in wet gloves — and it is gnarly, to say the least.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/902864378604789760
My hands after spending so long in wet gloves.The blisters were never bad on this Polar row, but the wet & damp seeped into the skin... pic.twitter.com/N3Y6s3m4Uh
"My hands after spending so long in wet gloves," he wrote. "The blisters were never bad on this Polar row, but the wet & damp seeped into the skin ..."
Obviously, there are some serious side effects to putting your body through extreme conditions, and they are not pretty.
In case you're wondering, though, there actually may be a purpose for your hands getting pruned in water. In 2011, scientists found that the wrinkled fingers give you better grip in wet conditions — like when you're desperately trying to keep hold of your umbrella during a storm, or when you need to keep hold of your oars during a row (though it's a good thing Gregory had gloves on).
This, however, is a pretty extreme instance — and Twitter users were horrified.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/902938145360158720
Yeah. Bet those were fun... #babysofthands pic.twitter.com/kTQt1tFXWg
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/902886513620475904
pic.twitter.com/O7jd4ZfZtF
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/902882862856327172
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