Utah 17-year-old Alexandra Allen clearly recalls her first allergic reaction to water during a family vacation when she was 12.
"I remember sitting in the bathroom trying so hard not to scratch myself and make it worse until my mom came back with the Benadryl," Allen told ABC News of how she broke out in hives after swimming in a hotel pool.
Allen, of Mapleton, Utah, was later diagnosed with a rare condition that causes allergy-like reactions when her skin comes in contact with water, called aquagenic urticarial. Doctors told ABC News there are only about 50 known cases of the disorder.
The high school senior initially thought her breakout was caused by her being allergic to the pool's chlorine. But when her second severe reaction came after swimming in a lake with a reputation for being clean, she began researching allergies related to water.
At age 15, she found a medical website that described a disorder with symptoms eerily similar to hers- including dry eyes, dry skin and unbearable pain after contact with water. The condition was called aqugenic urticarial, she said.
"It feels like your skin has been sandpapered down until there's only one layer left and it itches, but you can't itch it or it will break and burn and bleed," she told the Desert News.
Allen took her findings to a dermatologist, who conducted a test by having her sit in a tub full of water.
"He brought in a few other doctors and they just sat around in awe," Allen told the station.
She said soaking in the tub felt "like being tortured," but the test served its purpose and her diagnosis was confirmed.
Doctors aren't sure what causes Allen's condition, which technically isn't a real allergy and usually manifests around puberty, according to the Journal of Allergy Immunological Practice.
One theory is that a toxin produced by the skin's sweat glands triggers the hives and itchiness, Dr. Barney J. Kenet, a dermatologist at Cornell Medical Center, told ABC News.
"It's a rare thing," Kenet said. "We learn about it in medical school, though I have never seen a case in my practice."
The allergy journal also says the disorder makes exposure to rain, snow and even tears a painful experience, all of which makes avoiding water that much more difficult for Allen. Another drawback is the disease will likely worsen over time, evident by one British woman Allen spoke to with the same condition who can no longer drink water.
As Allen takes steps to lessen her reactions, including staying away from oily foods and only taking three, quick showers a week, she keeps in mind that things could be worse.
"It does get me out of doing the dishes," she told the station.
