Is vaping bad for the skin? This a question many people who vape want to know. Dr Lim Ing Kein, a top dermatologist in Malaysia has warned that using e-cigarettes can lead to many skin ailments and accelerate the rate of ageing. The top dermatologist further added that chemicals found in vaping products have been found to slow down collagen production in the body thus resulting in skin dryness and the appearance of wrinkles. The chemicals also cause hyperpigmentation. In a video posted on Tik Tok, the doctor warned those who regularly use vaping products that they stand to suffer many skin complications as a result of their vaping habits.
According to Dr Lim Ing Kein vaping vaporizes electronic juices to create an aerosol. This process produces many chemicals that may not be in the electronic juices at room temperature. This vapour is inhaled, not only affecting the lungs but the skin too.
Dr Lim Ing Kein says that chemical found in vaping products reduces the amount of sebum found in the user’s skin. This makes the skin dry up and thus creating a fertile ground for other complications to crop up.
He further adds that the chemicals affect the fibroblast, the organ responsible for producing collagen, an important protein in the health of the skin. This results in the production of less collagen in the body. These two complications complicate the ability of the skin to heal wounds and attract harmful organisms to the skin. These two quickly cause premature ageing. This is why people who vape regularly have wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and all other conditions that make the skin appear aged.
It appears Dr Lim Ing Kein is not the only one warning those who use vaping products about the dangers of those products on their skins. According to a 2019 study that was published by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, vaping leads to an increase in cases of contact dermatitis. Those with contact Dermatitis have red itchy skin. Sometimes the skin has painful rashes. This affects the appearance of the skin and causes a host of other problems such as low self-esteem among many others.
Studies have also found that vaping causes increased cases of burn injuries. Vaping devices are essentially electronic devices used to heat vaping juice. Many of these products explored burning the users and affecting their skin. Some are not well insulated and can burn the user when put close to the skin soon after the user. All these issues damage the skin and affect the user’s appearance.
According to a recent survey, vaping products resulted in more than 2000 hospital admissions in the United States alone in the two years starting in 2015 to 2017. This is an increase of more than 40 times of similar cases reported between 2009 and 2015. This is particularly due to the increase in the number of people using vaping products. But it is also because these products use electricity and many cases have been reported of vaping products exploding resulting in serious burns.
