Nineteen-year-old Ashleigh Morris is used to other people thinking she is dirty.After all, the young woman from Melbourne, Australia, can’t take a shower – she suffers from a rare skin disorder called Aquagenic Urticaria, which means she is allergic to water.
Since the age of 14, if Morris goes near water, she will break out in a painful rash.
Only a handful of cases are documented worldwide. Doctors believe she developed the condition after a heavy dose of penicillin altered her histamine levels.
In order to keep herself clean, Morris said she takes showers that last no more than a minute – and often the experience is so painful, it makes her cry.
“Although the rash is unsightly, and often looks like I’m diseased, the feeling is so much worse than it looks,” she said.
Source: DailyMail & Fox News
Tags: Ashleigh Morris | Water | Allergic
Comments
Water urticaria, or aquagenic urticaria, is a rare condition in which hives develop within 1 to 15 minutes after contact with water. The hives last for 10 to 120 minutes and do not seem to be caused by histamine release like the other physical hives. Most investigators believe that this condition is actually exquisite skin sensitivity to additives in the water such as chlorine.