Vaping is a new fad amongst younger adults today, but there is some concern about its side effects. For example, does vaping cause acne? Let’s find out.
Vaping helps smokers quit smoking, but its long-term exposure can increase the risk of skin problems. While research is still limited, whatever is there suggests that the vapor and the chemicals found within e-cigarettes are dangerous for your skin to some extent.
However, more research and study are necessary to determine a more transparent link between vaping and acne. Some studies mentioned in this article help you better understand the link between vaping and acne.
What Is Vaping?
Vaping is a process similar to smoking, but in vaping, a person inhales and exhales vapor from an electronic device known as an e-cigarette.
Vaping burst onto the scene in 2014 and has become a major fad amongst teenagers and young adults. Nearly 4% of young Americans in the age group of 25-44 are using e-cigarettes for vaping.
People also use vaping to quit smoking as electronic devices don’t contain any tobacco, unlike combustible cigarettes. However, an e-cigarette contains nicotine (which is addictive) and other ingredients such as propylene glycol, vegetable Glycol, water, and flavorings.
Excessive vaping exposes your skin to innumerable harmful toxins, resulting in skin-related problems. Before using vaping, you should consult your doctor.
Is Vaping Linked With Acne?
Electronic cigarettes contain nicotine and different chemicals along with water, PG, VG, and flavoring. Scientists don’t find a definite answer to the connection between vaping and acne yet, but the research is still ongoing. However, there are some contradictory reports of the vaping phenomenon.
Some people using vaping report their acne healed, while others report that they experience more acne due to vaping. Some vape pen users also experience acne for the first time.
Smoking can cause wrinkles acne and worsen your scars because it contains tobacco. However, e-cigarettes don’t have any tobacco, and vaping is entirely different from smoking.
A study reviewed all skin conditions associated with e-cigarettes. Researchers found that e-cigarette users are likely to have an increased risk of developing contact dermatitis. E-cigarette users may also suffer from extreme burns as many people encounter vape pen explosions.
Surge of chemicals
Some medical experts believe that e-cigarettes contain toxins that damage your skin. According to cosmetic doctors, vaping and smoking have a negative impact on your skin. Vaping produces an immense surge of chemicals in your body that affect your lung tissues.
Impacts collagen
It also makes hundreds of harmful toxins and vaped gasses, including nicotine, formaldehyde, propylene glycol, nicotine derivatives, toluene, and acetaldehyde. When a person inhales these toxic chemicals, the chemicals affect their skin repairing and immune protection role.
Worsens inflammation
Vaping worsens your inflammatory skin conditions. Vape pens produce lots of harmful chemicals that may cause your skin to become dry or flaky. Some chemicals produced during vaping can break down collagen and worsen chronic inflammation. Some vape pen users may notice rosacea, acne, and psoriasis due to inflammation.
Ages skin
Vaping accelerates the aging process by accelerating the formation of wrinkles and fine lines. Nicotine in vape pens acts as a vasoconstrictor that narrows down blood vessels and lowers the supply of necessary oxygen and nutrients to the skin.
What Are The Other Risks of Vaping?
Vaping can also cause various health conditions, including:
- Dehydration: Vape pens contain propylene glycerol that pulls moisture from your skin. Vaping for an extended time duration can lead a person to dehydration.
- Reduced ability to heal wounds: Vaping produces harmful chemicals that reduce a person’s wound healing ability.
- Premature aging: The nicotine breaks down the collagen production that slows down aging. Vaping also causes dehydration that causes a person to form wrinkles, dark circles, irritation, and inflammation.
- Lung, liver, and brain damage: The vape pen has a metallic heating coil that may emit harmful metals, including chromium, lead, nickel, zinc, and manganese. These toxic metals from vaping can increase the risk of damage to the lungs, liver, and brain.
- Heart disease: Vaping can also increase your risk of stroke and cause other heart diseases.
What Are The Other Common Causes of Acne?
Acne is a severe skin problem that causes inflammatory spots on your skin, especially on the upper arms, face, chest, and back. A person can develop acne due to many factors such as lifestyle, pollution, food, cosmetics, and heredity. Some other factors responsible for causing acne include:
- Stress is a common factor for causing acne. When people are stressed, their body produces cortisol, which stimulates the skin’s oil glands and causes acne. You should find ways to relax.
- Dirty pillowcases contain many germs and debris. Exposure to these germs and debris can lead to acne. You should wash your pillowcase and your face before you go to bed.
- Touching your face is also associated with the cause of skin problems. People often pop their pimples with their hands. You should keep your unwashed hands away from your face as it brings bacteria to your pores that increase acne on your face.
How To Prevent Acne?
You can use some tips to prevent acne breakouts, including:
- Avoid excessive vaping consumption; use vape pens only when your health care provider instructs you.
- You should say no to the urge to pick or squeeze pimples. Squeezing your pimple results in more spots.
- Clean your face with soap that prevents acne twice a day.
- Avoid stressful situations and anxiety because stress increases your acne risk.
- Follow a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.
- You should remove makeup before you go to bed.
How To Treat Acne?
You can use these treatment options for your acne, including:
- Glycolic acid helps stop the pores on your face from clogging and prevent future breakouts.
- Retinoids are powerful drugs that help eliminate acne scars from forming.
- Benzoyl peroxide is the main ingredient in many robust acne facial cleansers.
Conclusion: So, Does Vaping Cause Acne?
Many smokers use vaping as a safer alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes, and it can still harm your body as well as your skin. Vaping can increase your blood pressure and risk a heart attack because it contains little nicotine.
Vaping also affects your skin; many researchers believe that excessively vaping can increase a person’s acne, it also aids in making acne more pronounced. People also report that they develop acne after picking up vaping. However, the link between vaping and acne is still debatable, and more research is needed to establish this.
We hope we were able to answer your query. Even though vaping may not have a direct link to acne, there are enough side effects of vaping that should motivate you to stay away from it. Lastly, we have also shared some ways to protect yourself from other ways in which acne is produced and treatment options for acne.
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