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All of us come in contact with water every day. We drink it, we bathe in it, and it’s in the air.
But could you imagine being allergic to it?
18-year-old Alexandra Allen doesn’t have to imagine it.
She has what’s called “aquagenic urticaria,” which means she breaks out in hives whenever she’s exposed to water.
It’s relentless, and there’s little she can do to treat it. She has hives about every other day, she told Science of Us, depending on what she’s doing.
Alexandra described it as “like the top layer of your skin being sandpapered off—you feel very raw.”
As a teenager, she goes through excruciating pain to avoid aggravating her hives.
She told Science of Us, “I try so hard not to be awkward, and sometimes I’ll be in a social situation in pain and itching, but I care more about how the hives look, so I focus on trying to cover them up.
“A teenager doesn’t want to have to keep explaining to people, ‘Sorry, I have a rare medical condition that makes me look like a freak.’”
She avoids showers at all costs. Hot water aggravates her hives even more, so she limits herself to one shower every week—cold, for only two minutes.
During the rest of the week, she cleans her hands with hand sanitizer and wipes her face with cleansing wipes.
She’s allergic to her own sweat, too. She runs at night, when it’s cold, in order to avoid getting too sweaty.
For most people who are allergic to water, allergy meds or immunosuppressants can help. These don’t help Alexandra.
Luckily, there rae only 100 or so documented instances of water allergies, so it’s not one that you or your children are likely to have. But it’s real, and so is the suffering.
