Acne due to vaping

[loopgood]

I started vaping about 4 weeks and began breaking out about 2 weeks ago. I have never had a problem with acne ever in my life so this was quite a surprise. My wife suggested that this was an allergic reaction of some kind to the e-cigs I have been using. I use a 100% PG flavored juice. Excellent product - simply loved it. I completely lost the urge to smoke cigarettes - and want to continue vaping (with Juice). However, the acne is a huge problem. I began using acne treatments immediately. I used topical tretinoin (Retin-a Micro) a prescription product to get rid of the acne. I even tried my daughters Proactive treatment for a few days. Nothing worked. All I got was really dry skin that made things even worse. Serious skin flaking, burning on my face...it was just awful.

The last couple of days, I decided to follow my wife's advice. I stopped using the PG juice E-cig and switched to NJOY (can't stop the smoking completely). But wonders of wonders, my acne completely cleared up. I have to use a good quality moisturizer (my wife got me) to take care of the dry skin but my acne is seriously clearing up and I have not had any new pimples.

I still would like to go back to the "juice" E-Cigs. Much more economical and far more satisfying than NJOY. Can anyone please give me some suggestions? For example, do you think that if I use a 100% VG e-cig, I would not have the acne problem?

 

[Jonathan Tittle]

Acne / Break-Outs can be a combination of things. One, you could be one of many that simply cannot vape high levels of PG, so you would need to lower your PG. Most suggest a 50/50 PG/VG blend. You'll still get plenty of throat hit and vapor will be more abundant than with PG alone. Your juice will be thicker, but most all tanks work perfectly fine with 50/50 and it's pretty much a default standard among most of the vendors.

You could also step down in smaller increments, such as 70/30 or 60/40. If neither of the three work, then you need to flip the scales a bit and air more on the VG side of things such as 30/70 PG/VG (just a starter).

That said, acne can also be a sign of your body detoxing. When you smoked, you took in a TON of chemicals; chemicals your body is not getting now, so your body is doing as it should and working hard to get rid of what you brought in. Naturally, there's really only a few ways out and through your skin is one of them. If you notice them coming back even with higher VG levels, this is most likely what's happening.

The best way to take care of it is to keep doing what you're doing, in terms of keeping your face / skin clean and free of extra oil and build up. I don't know anyone that has reactions to both PG and VG and most that cannot vape PG can vape VG without issue and vice versa.

 

[loopgood]

Thanks for this advice. I will try the VG juice. The supplier I use says he has only 50/50 blend. I'd like to take your advice of 30/70 PG/VG. Do you know of a supplier that offers that? Also, would I have to change the hardware or can I continue using what I have?

 

[DasBluCig]

The 100% VG is a good suggestion....many are allergic to PG...I never took the chance and have done 100% VG whenever I can, although some juices i vape are a blend of VG/PG and I've had no trouble....
The acne MAY be your body's reaction to subtle hormonal changes that occur when you quit smoking tobacco....testosterone levels sometimes need to get 'balanced" again, and this COULD take awhile....I'm 62, and was bewildered when I had an acne breakout shortly after giving up analogs!! It took me about a month to get my skin to "quiet down", but the situation SHOULD ease or eliminate itself over time....I found washing with antibacterial soap and applying aloe gel helped a lot.....
Good Luck!

 

[loopgood]

I need to find a good VG juice supplier.

 

[Katya]

Hello looopgood and welcome. nobody knows what casues some people to develop acne when they start vaping, but it's a very common problem. Usually it goes away. There are dozens of threads on the subject in our Health forum--and some interesting discussions. You may be interested in reading some of them.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...nce-vaping-its-not-quit-zits.html#post6679337

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/432690-vaping-zits-ewww.html#post9869152

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...here-we-go-vaping-zits-arggg.html#post9643565

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ing/470427-psoriasis-vaping.html#post10743854

 

[meanckz]

Thanks for this advice. I will try the VG juice. The supplier I use says he has only 50/50 blend. I'd like to take your advice of 30/70 PG/VG. Do you know of a supplier that offers that? Also, would I have to change the hardware or can I continue using what I have?

TheVaporChef. com offers that....Mt. Baker Vapor also...I think there is a whole lot of options you got there and many more that offer options on PG/VG content/mix

 

[Katya]

I stopped using the PG juice E-cig and switched to NJOY (can't stop the smoking completely).

AFAIK, the ingredients in an NJoy e-cigs include glycerin and propylene glycol, so you can't be all that sensitive to PG.

 

[loopgood]

Thanks for these links. I reviewed them and actually did read about QuitZits before posting. Amazingly, there is no reference to zits after quitting analogs on WebMD or on any of the medical websites. Also, my job is in the commercial side in Dermatology at a Pharmaceutical company where we develop prescription medicine for Acne Vulgaris. I have never heard of "quitting smoking" as a cause of Acne ... EVER!! (until now). Again, it may be true ... I have it ... and a lot of people apparently suffer from this ailment. However, I really think it has got to do with the juice. I will be giving VG a chance ... and I will come back and report the results. Next step - find a good VG retailer on the internet.

 

[loopgood]

Then do you think it could be the flavoring?

 

[Katya]

Then do you think it could be the flavoring?

It can be anything, but my bet is that it's a part of the whole detox process. Since you work in the field of cosmetology and dermatology, you must be aware that PG is practically in every cosmetic/personal hygiene/medical product on the market--from toothpaste to shampoos and lotions. True allergies to PG are really rare.

Also, bear in mind that some people's acne has improved after they switched to VG, others' has worsened. Sorry, I don't have any easy answers. I would start by eliminating the juices that give you acne--just for starters. What flavors are they? Do they have anything in common? And try vaping some unflavored--just a PG or VG or a blend--with some nicotine and nothing else.

Good luck and happy vaping!

 

[Racehorse]

I need to find a good VG juice supplier.

I would not go 100% VG unless you were sure you can't handle PG in ANY amount.
Try a 40/60 first, or 30/70, or 25/75 cuz VG will cut down flavor and also be very thick.......sort of a pain sometimes.

If you do want 100% VG, Alien Visions is where to go, and the are makers of the top ejuice called Bobas Bounty.

I highly recommend it, the juice is famous for a reason.

If you like fruits, try ROAR (RAWR). does fruits very very well.

MOst all vendors can do those above noted mixes.....The vapor room has great newbie deals.......

 

[loopgood]

AFAIK, the ingredients in an NJoy e-cigs include glycerin and propylene glycol, so you can't be all that sensitive to PG.

Katya, sincerely appreciate your heads up on the ingredients of NJOY. I switched to Blu (100% VG, I think) and this has worked wonders for me. My acne has completely cleared up. Now I have been using my daughter's Proactiv, so still not 100% certain if its the treatment or the VG.

I am going to work on the assumption that I'm allergic to PG. I will continue with the disposable Blu e-cig (trust me it is not as good as the tank but I'm able to manage). I will give this approach a few more days and see how I make out with the acne. If I get no more zits, I can be almost certain that it is the PG juice.

Then I will switch to purchasing 100% VG juice. I kind of like the big vapor and was not much of a fan of the extra throat hit anyway. As far as flavoring is concerned, I was quite happy with menthol (boring, I know ). But the primary goal here is to get off and stay off analogs.

Thanks again to all of you for the awesome advice. I'm a beginner on this but getting all of this help from all of you to my concerns is fantastic.

 

[loopgood]

There is another interesting thread in ECF entitled: "Years of vaping-related acne vanishes after switching atomizers". (Sorry, not sure how to make this a live link.) However, thought this would be interesting to all since he found the cause completely un-related to juice!! He blamed the atomizer

 

[Katya]

There is another interesting thread in ECF entitled: "Years of vaping-related acne vanishes after switching atomizers". (Sorry, not sure how to make this a live link.) However, thought this would be interesting to all since he found the cause completely un-related to juice!! He blamed the atomizer

There you go!

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...s-after-switching-atomizers.html#post11095365

I saw it too, but I really thought it must have been a fluke!

Anyway, to post a link, right click either on the thread title (or on the number of the first post in upper right corner), click on 'copy link address' (or whatever your system tells you), and paste it in your post where you want the link to appear.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/487837-acne-due-vaping-2.html#post11196631

I just linked your post here.

 

[Katya]

Katya, sincerely appreciate your heads up on the ingredients of NJOY. I switched to Blu (100% VG, I think) and this has worked wonders for me. My acne has completely cleared up. Now I have been using my daughter's Proactiv, so still not 100% certain if its the treatment or the VG.

I am going to work on the assumption that I'm allergic to PG. I will continue with the disposable Blu e-cig (trust me it is not as good as the tank but I'm able to manage). I will give this approach a few more days and see how I make out with the acne. If I get no more zits, I can be almost certain that it is the PG juice.

Then I will switch to purchasing 100% VG juice. I kind of like the big vapor and was not much of a fan of the extra throat hit anyway. As far as flavoring is concerned, I was quite happy with menthol (boring, I know ). But the primary goal here is to get off and stay off analogs.

Thanks again to all of you for the awesome advice. I'm a beginner on this but getting all of this help from all of you to my concerns is fantastic.

I'm so happy for you!

I know one person who eliminated his acne problems by switching to 100% VG eliquids so lets hope it works for you, too. Almost any vendor nowadays offers 100% VG option--many will custom blend for you. Some vendors carry only 100% VG juices. You won't have any problems finding what you like in VG.

 

[jclay1192]

could be stressed from no smokes?

 

[Glenn_K]

Greetings; I've been getting zits for sure since quitting tobacco a couple weeks ago, which I hoped this was some sort of 'detox' effect, but I've also been searching around for info online.

I came across discussions related to quitting smoking/increased acne on the following website: Acne.org - Acne Treatment and Community, which is both a forum and an information resource site (sort of like ECF ). Long story short, there's discussion about how smoking supresses certain hormonal activity, quitting smoking unleashes it, and one of the possible results is increased acne.

Check out 'the regimen' on this site; i'm going to try this to see if it makes a diff. I feel great since quitting cigarettes, and I want my appearance to match the way I feel!

Regards
Glenn

 

[bhswmc01]

I had a few breakouts that started a few weeks after quitting smoking, but it cleared up after about 2-3 weeks. From what I read, this is a very common side effect of the detox process. Hang in there!

 

[voltaire64]

what it might be is if you are touching your face more while vaping or vaping more often than you would smoking. I'd look at other factors to such as stress, etc.