Three years... that was a terribly long time and he was amazed she had survived. Almost not wanting to ask, he said "And how old are you?"
Determing the age and how long she had done it might be helpful - but half of the reason he asked was mere curiosity. Once he had finished cleaning her he brought some tweazers over and, with the help of the lamp, he began to gently ease out the splinters of wood embedded in her skin.