shower allergies

Everytime I get out of the shower My eyes are really dry and watery and my nose runs.  This usually lasts most of that day.  It drives me crazy and this has been going on for a long while.  Ive tried allergy eyedrops and allergy meds but they dont really help much.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

It looks like that you are allergic to water or additives of water like chlorine etc. Chlorine in water can cause tickling of the nose, tickling of the throat, itching of the nose, coughing, drying of the throat and eyes, burning of the conjunctiva, and running nose.

Sometimes, people go for a shower instantly after waking up. This should be avoided and some time should be given to the body to adjust to the environmental temperature. While sleeping, the body is warm and if a person takes a shower immediately after waking, it can cause vasoconstriction and so redness of the skin, tickling of the nose and sneezing.

But in case if these symptoms still persist then it is better to get allergy testing to water done. Water urticaria is diagnosed by applying tap water and distilled water to the skin and observing the reaction.If found out positive then treatment of water urticaria includes epinephrine, antihistamines, or cortisone-like drugs. Itching can be controlled with cold packs or commercial topical agents that contain menthol, camphor, eucalyptus oil, aloe, antihistamines, or cortisone preparations.

Pls consult an allergist to confirm whether you are allergic to water or its constituents.
Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.