A woman's life is severely affected by an allergy to water.
Loren Montefusco suffers from a rare allergy to water (c) Instagram
Loren Montefusco suffers unbearable itchiness whenever she comes into contact with water and has no choice but to avoid the shower for as long as possible.
The university student from South Carolina first noticed her adverse reaction when she was 12 and was later diagnosed with aquagenic urticaria at the age of 19.
The exceptionally rare condition has only been reported around 100 times and causes hives to form when the skin comes into contact with water.
Montefusco, 22, has to go without showering for long periods and bathes as quickly as she can to prevent prolonged exposure to the water.
She is even forced to 'claw' at her skin to cause herself pain and distract from the itchiness she experiences.
Montefusco said: "It's been difficult to navigate as a young woman, and I thought it was disgusting that I try not to shower but luckily I found a group on social media of other sufferers who also refuse to shower. It makes me feel less gross.
"Dry shampoo is my best friend because the longer I spend in the shower washing my hair, the worse it gets."