Re: Is there a such thing as 'Disappearing' fingerprints?

Dear Laura,

Everyone has fingerprints; however, some people that work with harsh 
chemicals may remove cellular layers of skin which would make the ridges 
less prominent.  I've fingerprinted children and they have small fingers 
with extremely fine ridges and they can appear very faint.  Interestingly, 
when fingerprinting bodies, especially drowning and burn victims, we can 
actually remove the epidermis and obtain the fingerprint on the reverse 
side.  So although your friend may state that she has no fingerprints, my 
bet is that she does.

Dale L. Laux
Forensic Scientist