A consultant dermatologist, Folakemi Cole-Adeife, says frequent use of a sponge to bathe can strip the skin of natural oils and create micro-tears or micro-trauma in the skin.

Ms Cole-Adeife of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, stated this in an interview with journalists on Monday in Lagos.

She said bathing with a sponge frequently could also introduce bacteria and other micro-organisms into the skin.

“Using a sponge to scrub your skin frequently can strip your skin of natural oils and create micro-tears or micro-trauma in the skin; it can introduce bacteria and other micro-organisms into the skin.

“It can also cause itchy skin. If you have itchy skin, try not to use the sponge while bathing and see if that helps,” Ms Cole-Adeife said.

According to her, using a sponge is like exfoliating the skin, as it (skin) mostly exfoliates itself naturally.

 “A lot of people cannot have their baths without sponges, but the truth of the matter is that you actually don’t need to bathe with sponges too frequently or daily. This is because your skin exfoliates itself naturally most of the time.

“Even if you need to exfoliate your skin with a sponge, which is what the mechanical abrasion of the sponge does, you don’t need to do it every day,” she stated.

The dermatologist advised those who felt unclean without bathing with a sponge to use it once or twice a week or, at most, three times a week.

“In Nigeria, we feel if we do not scrub our skin squeaky clean, we have not had our bath.

“It is not absolutely necessary to use a sponge daily, but if you do not feel clean without using a sponge, you can use it once or twice a week or, at most, three times a week,” she said.

(NAN)