Does Vaping Cause Acne

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Even though vaping is sometimes hailed as a preferable alternative to conventional cigarettes, it can be harmful to your health. Research indicates that vaping boosts blood pressure and enhances the likelihood of a heart attack because it contains nicotine.

However, most individuals need to think about the potential effects of vaping on one area of their body, i.e. their skin. The following are some crucial details regarding the effects of vaping on your skin and its relation to acne.

Does Vaping Cause Acne?

One study examined all skin disorders that vaping can cause; its findings were published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Researchers found that the likelihood of consumers getting contact dermatitis is rising, which is a cause of increasing skin issues. Vape users also risk severe burns due to continuous or increased vaping usage.

Over the years, numerous news reports surfaced about people getting terrible burns while their vape pens suddenly explode or catch fire. An individual’s skin may suffer irreversible harm due to this, requiring skin transplants to repair in most cases.

While there are fewer studies comparing the relationship between vaping and acne, there is sufficient anecdotal evidence to indicate that several people who use vape pens experience acne. There is also sufficient data to demonstrate that vaping promotes dehydration, and some people also have the misconception that it can help clear up acne. Dehydration, on the other hand, has a reverse impact on your skin, promoting acne.

Dehydrated skin will compensate for the lack of moisture by producing more oil. As acne patients are aware, blocked pores and outbreaks quickly follow excessive oil production, which is the leading cause of acne. Additionally, research indicates that vaping hinders the skin’s ability to repair wounds. As a result, acne lesions lead to chronic pain and are more likely followed by scarring.

Does Vaping Cause Cystic Acne?

Vaping can harm the skin’s natural healing process if you have cystic acne. Large, painful cysts or patches that resemble cysts on the skin define cystic acne, which is often brought on by bacteria and excess oil blocking the pores.

Long-term vaping can harm your skin’s natural barrier, allowing bacteria to enter and block your pores much quicker than usual if you already have cystic acne. Cystic acne may already indicate a compromised or broken skin barrier, so further harming it can only worsen your condition.

Does Vaping Nicotine Cause Acne?

Although vape pens or e-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco, the majority of vapes do include carcinogens, including nicotine, propylene glycol, and other flavorings. Even if a vape pen advertises itself as “nicotine-free,” you should still be skeptical of this claim. Presently, no government-regulated standards specify what is a “safe” or “unsafe” vape pen, and the FDA has not yet issued regulations for electronic cigarettes as of 2022.

We do know that the harmful chemicals included in vape pens, such as diacetyl, nickel, lead, and several deadly carcinogens, are identical to those found in conventional cigarettes. As vaping should be viewed as a temporary solution while you try to quit smoking, vapes are frequently sold as a “healthy” alternative to tobacco cigarettes.

Long-term skin barrier damage has also been connected to frequent vaping. The barrier on your skin is crucial because it guards against harm from the outside, keeps the pores from being easily blocked, and stops numerous toxins from penetrating your skin.

Long-term nicotine usage through vaping eventually causes the skin’s natural barrier to break down, resulting in more frequent breakouts, ongoing issues with acne, and persistently clogged pores. A compromised skin barrier can also cause collagen to break down, accelerating the aging process and making acne scars more noticeable.

Does Vaping Cause Acne Scars?

Long-term vaping is linked to a number of adverse effects and can aggravate skin inflammation. It will be considerably more challenging to cure any existing acne when the skin is irritated. Skin inflammation slows down the skin’s natural ability to heal and restore itself, aggravating any existing skin disorders. There are two reasons why inflammation on acne-prone skin is terrible:

Smoking will affect your skin’s ability to heal wounds, slowing the healing of acne scars.

More breakouts and more oil production are related to inflammation.

Chronic skin dryness is another negative effect of vaping; if you smoke e-cigarettes, their contents might dehydrate your skin. If you currently have acne-prone skin, experiencing chronically dry skin will disrupt the balance of oils produced by your skin, possibly leading to an excess of sebum production and acne breakouts.

Vaping worsens acne by preventing the skin’s natural ability to repair itself. Even though vape pens have fewer chemicals than tobacco cigarettes, their chemicals readily irritate the skin and reduce blood flow. Your body has difficulty recovering from breakouts once they occur, because the chemicals in e-cigarettes interfere with the skin’s ability to go through its normal healing process. As a result, scarring occurs as acne continues to get worse.

Conclusion

Vapes and e-cigarettes are undoubtedly harmful to one’s skin and overall health, as they can have adverse effects when used for prolonged periods. The harmful chemicals, especially nicotine, present in vapes can significantly dehydrate, age, and clog the skin, which all work together to produce and worsen acne, cystic acne, and acne scarring.

Therefore, it is crucial to either minimize vaping usage or consult a professional and experienced dermatologist to help you treat and protect your skin most appropriately.