A 17-year-old from Mapleton, Utah has been diagnosed with an allergy to water. When she was a little girl she wanted to become be a marine biologist and live on a sailboat. But after being diagnosed with this allergy she thinks that dream may not come true.

When Alexandra Allen was about 12, she had first severe reaction to water. When she was on vacation with her family, Allen went swimming in a hotel pool and later, during the night, she got up due to severe itch.

"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", said Allen.

Firstly it was assumed that she was allergic to chlorine or some other harsh chemical so at that time she stayed away from swimming pools. But she realized the problem was much larger when she broke out into hives after swimming in a lake well-known for having very clean water.

At the time she was about 15 she came across a medical site that highlighted aquagenic urticarial, and after that when she told her dermatologist he agreed that it was her condition. Aquagenic urticarial is a condition defined by a painful reaction from skin contact with water and dry skin and dry eyes.

Dr. Barney J. Kenet, a dermatologist with the Cornell Medical Center said that aquagenic urticarial is so uncommon that only 50 cases have been explained in medical literature. As per an article in the Journal of Allergy Immunological Practice, it causes severe allergy-like reactions even after exposure to rain, snow, sweat or tears. According to experts, the cause of the allergy is not known.