inhaling / absorption question.

[jvgkaty]

Does one need to inhale the vapor to get the nicotine? I was reading that you dont have to, and the mucus membranes in the mouth and throat will actually absorb it.

 

[LNCHBX]

Sounds like a reasonable answer, I know when you smoke a cigar you don't actually inhale but still get the nic buzz so I think that you probably wouldn't have to inhale to get the nicotine

 

[haft2doit]

Yes nicotine is absorbed in that way. You may get slightly less nic than the lungs as they are designed to get substances directly to the bloodstream, but it will work just fine. Nicotine can be absorbed through the skin as well. Thats why nic patches work and why getting high test juice on you fingers should be avoided.

edit: just looked into it a little more and it appears that the Ph level has a lot to do with the percentage of nicotine that can be absorbed. (example: cigarette smoke is acidic so doesn't allow much nic in the smoke to be absorbed) And surface area determines how quickly nicotine can be absorbed. (the large surface area in the lungs allows much more absorption than the mouth) So you will get much more nic absorbed in the lungs because of the huge surface area. The mouth will still absorb nic though. I Don't know the specifics of nic delivery through ejuice...I'm guessing similarly.

 

[JTman]

Nic gum and losenges (sp?) are absorbed through the mouth so it seems reasonable that you would absorb some nic from the vape through your mouth tissues.

 

[MickeyRat]

I've seen posts on here that say that the nic in vapor is not absorbed in the lungs and is only absorbed in the mouth throat and perhaps nasal passages. I'm not calling anyone a liar and I certainly don't know for sure but, it's always sounded strange to me. Those posts are probably what the OP is referring to.

 

[pAth77]

I've seen posts on here that say that the nic in vapor is not absorbed in the lungs and is only absorbed in the mouth throat and perhaps nasal passages. I'm not calling anyone a liar and I certainly don't know for sure but, it's always sounded strange to me. Those posts are probably what the OP is referring to.

You're right to be skeptical about that statement....it's completely wrong. Nicotine can be absorbed through the skin (i.e. the patch), the mouth (i.e. chewing tobacco, cigars), and the lungs (i.e. smoking, vaping). As for nicotine gum/lozenges, it's a combination of both oral mucosal absorption and intestinal absorption (because you end up swallowing saliva that has nicotine from the gum/lozenges). The only difference in these routes of absorption is the amount of nicotine that is absorbed. The factors that come into play are the distance from the absorbing surface to the blood vessels as well as the types of tissue in between. The skin and the mouth are actually composed of the exact same type of cells (stratified squamous epithelium). The way that they differ is that the skin has a thick layer of keratin on its outermost surface. This makes its rate of absorption much lower than that of the oral mucosa. In addition, there is a variable amount of subcutaneous fat beneath the skin that will affect the volume of distribution. On the other hand, the lungs have the highest rate of absorption because there is only a single layer of cells that separates the absorptive surface from the blood vessels.