Rash on skin, does not itch

Status
Not open for further replies.

sze5003

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2012
220
214
U.S., PA
I have bee vaping for a month now. Mostly just SI cartomizers with what seems to be 80pg/20vg. Just about a week ago I noticed a rash of small red bumps appearing on the underside of my arms. I checked it more out today and realized that it is also by my pelvic area, and thighs and around the lower side of my back.

It does not itch, they just feel bumpy and looks kind of gross. I would schedule a doctor's appointment but I do not have time to take off from work. I didn't change laundry detergent or eat anything different. I also ordered some liquid from ECBlends with reduced PG and I have been using that but the rash is still there.

At times it looks like it is about to go away but it just gets pink but it is still there. It is not all over my body just like 2 bumps on my hand, then a lot more on the underside of my arm and the other regions described above.

Has anyone experienced this? I would like to continue vaping but I am afraid I will not be able to at all. I don't think i am allergic to flavors either because this rash did not show up until 3 weeks later.
 

sze5003

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2012
220
214
U.S., PA
So I saw my doctor. He is happy I quit cigarettes and told me to try my best not to go back to them. I told him about my e cig and he asked if it really works. I said yeh it has helped me a lot he seemed happy. Well as for the rash, he mentioned if it was a PG allergy it should be all over my body..but it is not, it is only on my arms and lower region and back. He thinks I came into contact with something but I know I haven't been anywhere grimy or touched anything weird. He gave me some prescription cream and told me if it does not clear in a week then he would send me to a dermatologist.

As for the e cig, he didn't say to stop vaping while I use the cream but he did say if I wanted to stop it for 2-3 days and see if that helps along with the cream that would be good. In general, he wants me to stop completely but I don't want to as the cravings will be crazy. I am going to continue vaping and use the cream and see what happens. I ordered VG juice to see what that will do.
 

sze5003

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2012
220
214
U.S., PA
Good to hear- I hope it clears soon. Are you drinking extra water?- vaping is dehydrating and we need to drink LOTS of water. Let us know how it goes. Cheers.

Yeh i drink liquids as much as I can each day. It doesn't bother me much not having something to drink, but it is usually water or gatorade/soda sometimes. I have been using this cream for the 2nd day now and it doesn't seem to be working I suppose, yet.

It is really annoying because I don't want to stop vaping to see if it clears up. I'll go back to analogs I'm afraid. It does not itch at all and is in weird regions. I have no idea what it is and at work people don't like when I take off for Doc appointments, working production support is a real pain in the software world, you can't go or do anything because its like you are always on call.
 

sze5003

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2012
220
214
U.S., PA
I have been now vaping 100% VG from alien visions and the rash is still there. I am not sure what it could be. I noticed little bumps that are clear on my fingers and between my fingers too. I think I have had these since the rash began but I am not sure. I need to go to a dermatologist because the cream my MD gave me does not seem to help.

I hope that I can still vape because I will most likely go back to analogs if I can not.
 

DaFreeK

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 5, 2012
345
366
Osijek, Croatia
Please keep us posted, I'm very interested in the outcome of your rash.
I've been vaping for 3 weeks now and I've also developed some kind of rash and it does itch. It's something around 5 or 6 spots on my body (2 on chest, others on back).
Since I'm new to this I don't know if it's from PG or VG. Haven't actually tried 100% VG. All my juices are PG/VG, so I will have to experiment a little.
Hope you'll get well soon ;) keep on vaping ;)
 

sze5003

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2012
220
214
U.S., PA

DaFreek, sounds like you may have this dyshidrotic eczema if it is itchy. My rash is not itchy at all. I do notice blisters on my fingers though. They have turned red or subsided in a way. I have been using 100% VG juice from Alien Visions but rash is still there. Looks like it may seem like it is going away and last night I found some bumps on the top of my feet.

So weird that it does not itch. I hope I am not allergic to both PG and VG, what a bummer that would be! I've read about nickel allergy, but if that is the case what do vapors do? I had been vaping for weeks before I noticed my rash.

I have a Dermo appointment but he won't see me until middle of May!! Who knows if by then it may be gone? I need to look for a different Doc I guess :/
 

DaFreeK

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 5, 2012
345
366
Osijek, Croatia
Maybe there's something wrong in the flavours they're using and not the PG/VG? I've read that some people are allergic to only some flavours.

About my itch... I have nothing on my hands or feet, just the few spots on chest and back. Today it's not that itchy, I don't think about it. That helps :D Got some VG juices today so I'll give it a few days and vape only them. If it gets better I won't even bother with PG testing ;)

Maybe there's a problem with clothes? Have you changed your detergent or shampoo or showering gel? I'm trying to figure out those questions for myself :D

Hope your problems go away fast!
 

sze5003

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2012
220
214
U.S., PA
Maybe there's something wrong in the flavours they're using and not the PG/VG? I've read that some people are allergic to only some flavours.

About my itch... I have nothing on my hands or feet, just the few spots on chest and back. Today it's not that itchy, I don't think about it. That helps :D Got some VG juices today so I'll give it a few days and vape only them. If it gets better I won't even bother with PG testing ;)

Maybe there's a problem with clothes? Have you changed your detergent or shampoo or showering gel? I'm trying to figure out those questions for myself :D

Hope your problems go away fast!


No changes in clothes, detergents, or anything like that. I officially started with Smokeless image prefilled cartomizers menthol, for a week or two. Then I ordered Vg/pg different mixes from ECBlends. Used them for a week and the third or fourth week I notice this rash. Can't tell if it is the flavor. I suspect if it is flavoring then I would be breaking out all over or get sores in the mouth, not just from e cigs but other flavored things.


Today I ordered 100% organic VG juice (banana foster) from Velvet vapors. When that comes in I will try it. But like I said, the juice from alien visions is VG and its not like it made my rash go away, it just looks less severe at different times.

I called another Dermo today and no appointments until May with that one too so no more bothering, have to wait which is why I ordered juice today again haha.
 

VapingTums

Full Member
Verified Member
Apr 21, 2010
67
6
Melbourne, Australia
It just sounds like dermatitis to me. I get it from time to time due to allergies. Your GP is wrong about it having to be all over your body if it was a PG allergy. You can rub this cream on the rash to help treat it while you work out what you are allergic to: Betamethasone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That cream gets rid of my dermatitis in record time eg 3 days.
 

sze5003

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2012
220
214
U.S., PA
I must be allergic to both PG and VG if switching from the mix to specifically VG did not help clear it up. I've never been allergic to any artificial flavors or colors. Just strange, I will stop by a CVS today and check for that cream. My GP prescribed Fluocinonide at .05% and that didn't seem to have helped, maybe it did and I don't notice..but I just don't want to stop the vaping to figure it out.

That cream seems to be Rx only and I am in the US so I don't think I could go to my Doctor again and recomend he prescribes me that lol.
 
Last edited:

Lydia

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Nov 28, 2010
100
97
The Netherlands
I started vaping over 2 years ago. After a short time I got a non-itching rash on my back and some on my breast, also a bit on my legs and arms. It was not awfully looking as a “rash skin”, but it was not a nice smooth skin when touching… lol. It was a more of a inconvenience. It did go away by itself..… but this took a long time; after a few months the skin became slowly more and more smoother. After about 6-8 months it was almost all gone. After a year it was completely gone and never came back. Think it was in my case not an allergic reaction, but something caused by the transition process from smoking to vaping. Hope this info can help a bit.
 
Last edited:

sze5003

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2012
220
214
U.S., PA
I started vaping over 2 years ago. After a short time I got a non-itching rash on my back and some on my breast, also a bit on my legs and arms. It was not awfully looking as a “rash skin”, but it was not a nice smooth skin when touching… lol. It was a more of a inconvenience. It did go away by itself..… but this took a long time; after a few months the skin became slowly more and more smoother. After about 6-8 months it was almost all gone. After a year it was completely gone and never came back. Think it was in my case not an allergic reaction, but something caused by the transition process from smoking to vaping. Hope this info can help a bit.

Yeh it is not as bumpy. Ran out of VG liquid so I am using a high vg/mid pg mix. What you describe is what I have, mainly on my top of the hands and underside of the arms. My aunt says it could be Pityriasis rosea but it does not look anything like that description. More like small seperated bumps that are red and feel bumpy. It is even on my palms. I hope it goes away soon. On my fingers and inbetween them, are the same bumps but started out as blisters.

I can tell I am affected by PG as my throat gets dry and scratchy when I use it. I prefer VG actually because its smoother and I never really got a throat hit when smoking analogs anyway..my throat was used to the smoke frequently.
pityriasis rosea
 

Lydia

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Nov 28, 2010
100
97
The Netherlands
sze5003, 1) Pityriasis Rosea is (slightly) itchy, I read. My rashes were not itchy or strangely coloured at all. 2) More dry throat is normal when using PG; just wet the mouth more/drink extra. Using PG/VG mixes helps against the dryness. In my case; using only PG, or PG/VG mixes had no effect on the rashes.

See above sticky with a list of symptoms when quitting smoking/starting vaping, post no 1, sub 2, also to find here: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...hen-quitting-tobacco-changing-ecigarette.html

2. The Quit Zits
A common symptom of tobacco withdrawal is skin eruption, in the form of spots through to severe acne even in those who never experienced it when young. The 'quit zits' have no relation to ecigarette use. The bad news is that in some cases these eruptions last for months, for some who successfully stop smoking cigarettes (whether or not e-cigarettes are used). There has been some experimentation to see if various e-liquid ingredients may exacerbate the condition (such as PG or flavorings), as some e-cig users have questioned this, but without any solid results.”

It’s a long threat, I have not read all of the discussion, just picked a few pages out of them. Found several “theories” about the cause;

Post 90
“I quit smoking regular cigarettes for 7 weeks before I picked up an e-Cig. In that 7 weeks I've had the worst acne breakouts I've ever had in my life...so I think it's the quitting of the actual cigarettes."

Posts 128-143
“Smoking apparently reduces estrogen levels, and so quitting smoking may alter the hormonal profile and perhaps cause acne."

Posts 790-795
“So it might not be an allergic reaction after all...It is just my body getting rid off toxins?”

Post 960
"Many 'symptoms' are caused by our bodies detoxifying themselves of the toxins from smoking analogues. We cough and clear our lungs, our skin gets rid of 'stuff' which appears as acne."

What is the correct theory? I don’t know and by what I have read under above link and experienced myself can only say it’s;
. not an abnormal symptom when quitting analogs;
. the rashes/quit zits are usually non-itching;
. a few have rashes/zits with red color, or with blisters/sores, but this is not common;
. the rashes/guit zits can appear in the head, but can also appear on other body parts... there are no specific parts of the body for appearance;
. Some have them for a period of a few weeks, some for months. In my case… after 6-8 months they became less, but the complete disappearing took a year. That’s a very long time. I’m far more sensitive to hormonal medication as the general population, so these facts could be a support for the theory that quitting smoking may alter the hormonal profile and can cause an outbreak of rashes, especially in people with more sensitive hormonal balances as those in the general population.
 
Last edited:

sze5003

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2012
220
214
U.S., PA
Thanks for that Lydia. I looked at that thread a while ago but could not relate because I could tell they were not zits. I've had acne before a lot when I was in high school, man those days I hated them. My one friend that is studying for his boards right now took a look and told me that it was strange, I should see a dermo as soon as possible because he doesn't see it as normal to have these bumps/red dots on the palms of the hands and inbetween fingers. He says there are some viruses that are particular to the hands or feet but it does not look like that is the case with me.

I can't find a sooner Dermo appointment so I will just have to wait. Maybe I can post a picture on here if that makes any sense haha. Its not that urgent that I would ever go to an emergency room.
 

Sheriff420

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Mar 20, 2011
191
228
NC
I had the bumps that are like tiny blisters deep in the skin on my palms and in between my fingers a few weeks ago. I normally get a few in between my fingers every now and then (since before I started with the vapor actually) but that time it had spread to my palms. I realized that it came to be after a day of wearing leather gloves and my hands sweating a bit.
After a couple days the bumps had dried up and and developed into peeling skin where those bumps were at. It's much better now (almost cleared up) than it was a week ago as far as the peeling skin goes because I've been picking the dead skin off with tweezers daily. I believe I have a slight case of Dyshidrotic eczema but as long as I kick my shoes off when I get home and don't have my hands in gloves all day long then it isn't an issue.
 
Last edited:

sze5003

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 19, 2012
220
214
U.S., PA
I had the same rash when I started a year ago. Started under my arms spread to my back, shoulders and torso, it didn't itch either. I figured it was from vaping but did not care, so I tuffed it out and it cleared up on its own with a month or two.

People at work kept asking me what it was. I said allergies because I had no other way to describe it. Its still here, less dominant now, looks like it may clear up. It might be that rosea rash that goes away on its own in a month or so. I've even changed soaps and juices. To describe it looks like very tiny blisters on the inside of your skin..I can put up a pic when I get home. I hope they go away by themselves, now I have an anoying chest cold or something..geesh can't catch a break, although its just an uncomfortable feeling in my chest no other cold symptoms.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread