This 21-year-old YouTube star can’t sweat, cry or bath without breaking out in painful rashes
A YouTube star who is allergic to water has revealed she can’t sweat, cry or wash herself without breaking out in painful rashes.
Niah Selway has aquagenic pruritus, which causes her body to burn for ‘hours on end’ if her skin comes into contact with water.
The 21-year-old, from Hastings, East Sussex, said the burning lasts for hours and she often passes out from exhaustion following a reaction.
She said the condition, which has no known cause and is difficult to diagnose, has even left her housebound.
When she cries, her tears bring out a painful rash, and long soaks in the bath are out of the question because they trigger burning inflammation.
Ms Selway’s organs are not affected by the disorder, meaning she is still able to drink water. ‘When I have a bath my whole body burns for hours on end’ ‘I also can’t do much exercise apart from yoga and walking because I can’t sweat, and on hot days I’ll have to be stuck in front of the fan. My day is working around my pain.
‘The thought of rain is also terrifying, so I never go outside if there’s the chance it’s going to rain.”
