A list of symptoms when quitting tobacco and changing to an ecigarette

[Mommyshann]

Did you have acne when you were 16? I NEVER had it all thru my youth, and I don't have it now - BUT... I still smoke 2-3 regular cigs a day

Maybe folks who are acne prone get it after quitting completely???

Only ever got the usual teenage girl breakouts. Nothing unusual about them and after my mid twenties really stopped having them altogether. But now, thanks to my ecig, they're back! Ah well...can't have everything in life. If my complexion is what I have to give up to stop cigs and be healthy, it's a fair enough trade off I think.

[No burn baby]

Do you think the vaping exasperates it Leaford?

I also want to know, those of you who got acne at the start of vaping, did it clear up? I've not got any yet but then again vape very lightly. I've quit smoking cold turkey a couple of times, sometimes for a period of years and never got this problem. The prospect of acne worries me and I wish there was more knowledge on the topic of whether it was genuinely caused by vaping OR by the cessation of smoking analogs. Though, evidently, it seems to be an issue only in some people.

It would be interesting to do a poll on the topic, see how many people are effected and how. Whether they ever saw this problem if they previously quit smoking prior to their e cig days.

Is there any logical reason as to why vaping would cause acne? Is it likely the inhalation, or the vapour touching the skin of the face? Any thoughts or ideas anyone?

[sixstring]

Only ever got the usual teenage girl breakouts. Nothing unusual about them and after my mid twenties really stopped having them altogether. But now, thanks to my ecig, they're back! Ah well...can't have everything in life. If my complexion is what I have to give up to stop cigs and be healthy, it's a fair enough trade off I think.

I realized after I asked this that it might be a potentially embarrassing question.. sorry.

I agree completely. Even if I broke out all over the frickin' place, it's still better then cancer or toting around an oxygen tank...

[No burn baby]

So you guys think this IS a direct result of Ecigs rather than something that would have happened anyway if you quit smoking.

I wouldn't be so quick to rejoice. The skin is a major organ. In my humble opinion it erupting all over with pus and blemishes is a sign the body is in trouble in some other way even if some of the ills of smoking analogs are removed. Call me cynical....

[Kate]

Some people believe that skin can be affected as the body detoxifies. I don't know if this might happen when we quit smoking.

Eliquid tends to get onto hands, if they are not washed and touch skin elsewhere it could transfer irritants?

[Soot]

Story (from my brother) - There was a guy on a pizza production line who'd the job of putting chillies on pizzas. He was supposed to replace his gloves before responding to nature's call. He didn't bother. 10 mins later he was in an ambulance on his way to A&E.

My brother has no idea what he told the nursing staff but when he came back he was known as "Chilli Willie" .

[TropicalBob]

I'm as curious, and cautious, as you, No Burn Baby. Pimples are a mystery, but most sites point to hormonal changes as the major cause. Overproduction of testosterone. Hormones are going nuts in both teenage girls and boys, so acne is common during the teen years. But later, it takes stress or something that triggers a shift in hormonal levels to initiate an acne breakout. A common side effect of steroid abuse, with its elevated testosterone, is pimples.

It could be that your estrogen-testosterone ratio has been skewed. A blood test could determine that fact, but not the cause.

A colorful Singapore e-smoker named DevilFish first brought the acne breakout problem to our attention many months ago (along with a change in the smell of urine). Yep, e-smoking was causing him problems -- and he was first to report them. Now, we have some others. Obviously, it doesn't affect everyone, but some seem susceptible to acne after they begin ingesting propylene glycol or glycerol. Why?

PG breaks down to lactic acid, which circulates in the bloodstream before excretion. Glycerol becomes glucose, which likewise circulates. I wish Dr. Loi or someone with medical credentials would guess on this, but it seems likely ingesting a sugar substance might cause a pimple reaction much as some dietary items do.

This shouldn't be lightly dismissed and, in fact, needs serious study since pimples can be more than a cosmetic issue.

[Pegaso]

Just go to Saint Google, and search ' pimples "give up smoking" '

You'll see... lots of people who are giving up smoking (not e-cig users), with the same problem with pimples, and them all asking if that's normal

As they don't use e-cigs and have the same symptom, I assume the cause is giving up smoking, and it has nothing to do with vaping...

[Mommyshann]

So you guys think this IS a direct result of Ecigs rather than something that would have happened anyway if you quit smoking.

I wouldn't be so quick to rejoice. The skin is a major organ. In my humble opinion it erupting all over with pus and blemishes is a sign the body is in trouble in some other way even if some of the ills of smoking analogs are removed. Call me cynical....

Oh dear, I think my midlife overreaction to my pimples has given the wrong impression and I don't want that. I wouldn't describe it as "erupting all over". It's just that after 16 years without pimples for the most part to see them again is a bit unsettling. They aren't nasty or pus-filled or anything such as that. Mostly just sore red bumps and only a couple here and there over the last couple of weeks. I expect that the face wash and moisturizers i'm using will alleviate any issues. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

[Schroedinger's cat]

Smoking apparently reduces estrogen levels, and so quitting smoking may alter the hormonal profile and perhaps cause acne. However, I don't know which component of smoking has an impact on estrogen. I had once read it was nicotine that inhibited the aromatase (the enzyme that converts androgen to estrogen). If it is nicotine, then vapers who have not reduced their nicotine intake should not be getting acne from quitting. However, part of it may be detox, as people are saying here, and part of it something else -maybe PG or VG in sensitive individuals.

I have not experienced acne so far (in about 8 weeks of e-smoking). I vape quite a bit, smoke 2 analogs a day, and I have no idea whether or not I have changed my nicotine intake and which way.... (I seem to be less addicted, but my calculations seem to indicate I am getting the same nic, if not more). Go figure....