Flávia Leonel Santana’s story is extremely rare, but it could help many people suffering from the same condition. This influencer began experiencing redness on her skin at the age of 14, every time she showered. She didn’t know the cause of these irritations. After an allergy test, the young woman discovered what she was suffering from. We revisit her story with journalist Simone Machado (BBC News Brazil).
Flávia Leonel Santana is a young Brazilian woman known in her country and on social media as an influencer and yoga teacher. One day, she decided to talk about her allergy story, which began when she was 14 years old.
Her allergy appeared during her adolescence and manifested as irritation and itching when she showered. At first, she thought it was caused by the soap or shampoo, but nothing changed when she switched products.
“I even took showers with water and the allergy continued ,” she said. Flávia then paid more attention to her lifestyle, especially her diet, to see if she was allergic to any food.
But it was on a day when it was raining heavily that the influencer noticed something unusual. “I was with an umbrella and my leg, where the water was splashing, became irritated, and only in that part of my body. That’s when I started to think that I might have a water allergy ,” she explained.
The young woman quickly searched the internet for testimonials or information about a possible water allergy. She couldn’t imagine for a second that such a thing could exist.
To be absolutely sure, she went to a dermatologist who gave her an allergy test. The doctor diagnosed her with aquagenic urticaria. A major surprise for the young Brazilian woman who had never had the slightest problem with water before.
Flávia explained that she could drink water without it causing redness. However, if her skin gets wet, it’s a different story. “When I cry or sweat at the gym, the wet areas of my body become red and covered in small bumps, in addition to being very irritating and stinging ,” she confided.
Although the young woman tried several allergy medications, none of them had any positive effect. Flávia therefore had to change some of her habits, a change she has maintained to this day. It’s a choice she fully stands by.
“I don’t go to the pool and rarely to the beach, because prolonged contact with water aggravates the symptoms and even causes sores on the skin. I also shower quickly, about 10 minutes, and I always dry myself very well. The allergy starts to improve and disappear from my skin after about 30 minutes ,” she added.
According to specialists, aquagenic urticaria is incurable. In Flavia’s case, who says she lives a normal life despite occasional flare-ups, the allergy could disappear in a few years. And this could happen unexpectedly, just as suddenly as it appeared when she was 14.
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