Body breaking out in hives from vaping.

[stevegmu]

It's usually in spots where my skin is the most fragile and sweats. Like, behind the knees, behind the ears, armpit areas, stomach, behind the elbow, eye lids, inner thighs etc. I've started using aveeno eczma cream and hydrocortizone and it has helped reduce redness and smoothed out the skin a bit.



I started using the Joye 510's back in 2009. I used to get itches on the top of my feet, but figured it was due to sweating and my socks. I started vaping again maybe less than a year ago and have been using the ego twist with cartomizers... I started getting dry skin and minor itches, nothing serious. My hives started breaking out bad when I got into DIY and rebuildable atomizers. My guess is that my body couldn't handle that much PG (or some type of chemical) since I started chain vaping since then and I was vaping 3-4x more than before. Also, my room would get much more foggier from the large amounts of vapor I was producing with the more advance mods.

I've switches shampoos, soaps, laundry detergent, washed everything etc. The only thing I can think of is from vaping and I'll find out in about a week to pinpoint exactly what is causing this. It's just extremely weird how when I read other threads about this they're experiencing the same thing.

It really sounds like you have psoriasis. You can't get it from vaping- it is genetic, and sometimes doesn't appear until someone is in their 20's. Nicotine can make it worse.

 

[Gnimmel]

I have just gone through this problem myself and would advise seeing a doctor about it. I've been vaping for about 2 years and always used PG juice, but more recently the dry skin got so bad I had to go to the doctors about it. After a patch test I found out I am allergic to PG and have now switched to VG only (although this is causing a few other problems, but with equipment and leaking tanks, not medical, but that's another topic).

I also found out from my doctor that allergy's can build up over time or just develop over night and PG is used in a lot of things and has many names. I've always had dry skin problems, but nothing as bad as recently so for me at least, it did build up over time.

Look at the ingredients in your soaps, deodorant etc. and even food for PG which also has these names;
Propylene glycol, 1,2-Propanediol, 1,2-Dihydroxypropane, 2-Hydroxypropanol, EINECS 200-338-0, EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 068603, Isopropylene glycol, Methylethyl glycol.

Again, see a doctor to be sure, but being allergic to PG isn't uncommon. In fact they had no idea about smoke juice and where interested in my case after I mentioned it, but PG was already on their list of things to test for.

 

[Butters78]

This thread reminds me of..

 

[Patkid]

I thought I was allergic to PG when I first started vaping.
My gums swelled, I got sores in my mouth and on my tongue. My nose had sores in it.
DRINK WATER
if you think you are drinking enough
DOUBLE IT
Water
Water
Water.
My internist helped me figure it out. She really wanted to understand ecigs as she was so damned happy I was not smoking.
WATER

 

[b00gym4n]

Update:

So for the past week I've been smoking cigarettes only. My skin has been healing up, but with treatment creams and etc. Haven't been experiencing any itching. However, just today I ran into an old friend who vapes and he showed me his mod and I said what the hell and tried it out. Hit it maybe 3-4 times only. Didn't feel any symptoms, but about an hour later my back started tingling and I got the urge to scratch it. Went home later and now I just want to scratch my whole body. I tried to vape 100% vg a few days ago but that stuff just does not work well in my steam turbine genny style atomizer. I might try 20/80 or make some of my own when I get my ingredients in.

For now everything is still pointing towards PG. Will update more later.

 

[Chef Geoff]

I had the same problem. For me, it was the VG. I assumed it was the PG or the flavoring. Went through a bunch of combinations off un flavored, organic, 100%VG, never thinking to try 100% PG. I just gave up and kept vaping my usual DIY blend of 70/30, and using the ointments my dermatologist prescribed to keep it under control. After mixing a 100% PG blend for the first time about 5 days ago, my wrists started healing immediately with everything else already feeling better, I'm now convinced it was the VG the whole time. Good luck figuring it out.

 

[classwife]

Moved to Health, Safety and E-Smoking from General E-Smoking Discussion

 

[gpeake13j]

My father had the same thing happen. He said when he switched to 100% VG from PG, he stopped breaking out..

 

[JollyRogers]

Yes, I had exactly the same thing from a certain vendors e-liquid. Itchy behind knees and then it turned into hives there and around my belly. Thought it was PG, as I switched to 100% VG and it went away. However, I have vaped plenty of PG in the last year with no problems. When I was @Vapercon last year, one of the vendors said that the purity of the PG the mixer was using, or one of the flavorings was probably the culprit. Initially, I didn't think much of it, but started using PG in my liquids again (different vendor), and no problems, so he may have been correct.

So it could just be one of your flavorings or the sourced PG, or the nicotine mix. I would eliminate one at time to find what is causing it.

 

[Katcandoo]

After several months of vaping, I started having what I thought was an allergic reaction. Maybe PG or a flavor? Through process of elimination, I couldn't find a pattern. I was very frustrated! Turns out I have psoriasis. Smoking and tanning inhibits it, and this is the first year in a very long time that I've done neither. (Getting older and trying to delay more wrinkles!) I probably developed it my teens, but never realized because I started smoking and tanning about that time. It would also explain why I've gotten what I thought was random ringworm for about 25 years. That drove me nuts because I didn't always have pets and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Small, individual spots of psoriasis can mimic the appearance of ringworm. Arghh! Cortisone cream, aloe and tea tree oil helps keep it under control.