A woman from South Carolina, United States, has stated that she is allergic to water and is unable to shower as it causes her severe itching, as per a report in the New York Post. Twenty-two-year-old Loren Montefusco said, "It's been difficult to navigate as a young woman."
Her condition is known as aquagenic urticaria, a variant of hives that appears as a rash after being exposed to water. There are just 37 known occurrences of this disease in the medical literature, making it a very rare occurrence. Ms Montefusco added that her itching can persist for up to an hour when she showers or comes into touch with water in any other way. "It feels like the itch is deep below the surface of my skin. I try my hardest not to itch, but I can't help it," she continued.
"I just have to ride it out. I claw at my skin to put myself in more pain so I don't feel it irritation of the itching," the 22-year-old said, adding that there is no way to alleviate the pain.
She initially noticed this when she was 12 years old, however, it got worse over the years. Three years later, she eventually went to the doctor, where her condition was identified.
Since there isn't a known treatment for the allergy, Ms Montefusco tries to minimise her discomfort by taking as few baths as possible and showering quickly. She then makes sure to change into clothes as fast as she can because both the cold air and scrubbing or shaving her body can increase her pain. Notably, her bath rash can also be worsened by her sweat and by being in the ocean, hot tubs or pools.
"I have tried washing myself using a cloth and water, but it's still using water and causes an allergic reaction," Ms Montefusco said, adding that she uses dry shampoo to make her shower real quick.
She claims that using "body wipes" is the only foolproof approach. The pain has also taken a mental toll on her body. "I thought it was disgusting that I try not to shower," she said.
Fortunately, she was able to find a social media community of others who share her problem and don't take showers. She claimed that this helped her feel much "less gross."It has helped me to find other sufferers and see that others have the same struggles as me because it makes me feel less disgusting about the fact that I have to refuse to shower," she said.
