Have you ever heard of any adult whose skin is so dry (for whatever reason) that they need to take sponge baths on an ongoing basis, for long periods of time?

I have a good friend of mine who has recently suffered some trauma (death of a loved one) and now has extreme anxiety and is also a hypochondriac. She visits several doctors per week, often for the same ailments, usually for very minor ailments. She goes to urgent care probably ever weekend, as she can’t wait until Monday to get her issues checked out.

Anyway, she states she has been taking sponge baths every day, and only showering about twice a week, as her skin is very dry (she says).

I told her that she should double check with her dermatologists (she has several dermatologists and will often visit more than one for the same issue). Maybe they are not aware that she feels a need for sponge baths. Maybe they assume that she is no longer taking sponge baths. She has stated to me several times that sponge baths are a lot of work (she says she needs the water to be a certain temperature or it burns her skin and she checks it with three thermometers). She said she is often late for work because her morning routine is very time consuming, with the sponge baths, multiple creams and all kinds of stuff for her various medical conditions (imaginary or real, I’m not sure). I suggested that a five minute shower daily is not going to have a detrimental effect on her skin, no matter how dry it is.

The whole thing seems like overkill, to me. It sounds disgusting. Sponge baths are for people who are incapacitated, either bed bound or with something like a broken limb where bathing may be difficult.

I’m not arguing with her and I’m not pushing the issue with her as it’s her life and her body. I’m just curious if anybody has ever heard of anyone with such an issue as dry skin where sponge baths are necessary on a long term basis