How can vaping damage your skin?

E-cigarettes have become widely used as a “healthy” alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes, but various studies have found that they carry several health risks.

Experts have linked this habit to heart and lung diseases and even tooth decay. And now dermatologists have warned that e-cigarettes can harm your skin too.

It is known that the tobacco in traditional cigarettes can make your skin age and sag prematurely. But Rupesh Shah, a plastic surgeon at the London Lip Clinic, warned those who use e-cigarettes that they can also harm the skin, from stripping moisture from your facial skin, to causing redness, wrinkles and worsening skin conditions.

 Ways e-cigarettes can damage your skin:

1. It deprives your skin of moisture and deepens wrinkles

“Vaping is the quickest way to deprive the skin of moisture, setting the stage for dryness,” Rupesh said.

Although e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, the liquid in them is still full of nicotine, a substance that has countless side effects on the skin alone.

The skin consists of multiple layers. The epidermis represents the outer layer of skin, which is the upper layer of the skin, followed by the dermis (the thick layer that provides strength and elasticity), then the subcutaneous layer.

Nicotine can seep into the dermis and activate matrix metalloproteinases, a group of enzymes that break down collagen, while breaking down elastin and proteoglycans.

These are proteins that play an essential role in moisturizing your skin.

Dehydration can have long-term effects on your skin, leading to the formation of fine lines and wrinkles around the face.

2. Causes redness

According to Rupesh: “Vaping leads to vasoconstriction, a process that causes the blood vessels in the face to constrict and narrow, which limits blood flow and sometimes stops it completely. This causes facial redness that is difficult to control if vaping continues.”

3. It can delay skin healing

“There is significant evidence to suggest that vaping impairs skin tissue regeneration just like cigarettes,” Rupesh said.

He explained that if you get a cut or scrape, fresh oxygen and blood flow is vital to help it heal. But if you're vaping and you get a scratch on your skin, that can limit the amount of oxygen that can get to the wound for it to heal.

4. It can aggravate skin diseases

If you have a pre-existing skin condition, your vaping habit may make the problem worse.

According to Rupesh: “The liquid in e-cigarettes contains a synthetic substance called propylene glycol. Many studies have shown that consuming propylene glycol can cause contact dermatitis, which appears in the form of dry, cracked, and itchy skin patches.”

"What's more, e-cigarettes contain many different flavors and additives that can cause irritation for those suffering from eczema and psoriasis. The risk of skin conditions may increase rapidly as the skin struggles to heal itself,".