Part of that extra thickness is caused by the protein keratin, which is nourished in deeper layers of the skin but forms a surface layer of dead cells on the epidermis. This extra thickness may also explain why your hands and feet become wrinkled when you soak in the tub.
Antidiuretic hormone (ADH), also called arginine vasopressin (AVP), is a hormone that helps regulate water balance in the body by controlling the amount of water the kidneys reabsorb while they are filtering wastes out of the blood. This test measures the amount of ADH in the blood.
ADH is produced by the hypothalamus in the brain and stored in the posterior pituitary gland at the base of the brain. ADH is normally released by the pituitary in response to sensors that detect an increase in blood osmolality (number of dissolved particles in the blood) or decrease in blood volume.