Still getting severe acne after two years of vaping

[Caution]

I switched to vaping in May 2010 and ever since then I've suffered from a pretty bad case of acne. It seems to get worse the more I vape, so I know it has to be something in the juice.

The thing is, almost since the start I've been mixing my own juice, which has only ever contained VG and PG (and nicotine). I never use flavorings.

About a month ago I decided to cut PG out of the juice, since I've read a number of cases where this (allegedly) caused people's skin to break out.

Even with 100% VG juice I'm still getting these really bad zits. They start deep under the skin and sometimes deveop a redness around it that can reach the size of a quarter. Eventually enough pus develops in the center that the skin will break and it begins to heal, but I'm left with a purplish/reddish blemish for months.

When I lift weights, the heal sites that have accumulated turn a deep purple and my skin looks pretty awful, but eventually turn back into a small pink blemish when I'm done exercising.

They are worst on my back, shoulders and arms, but I also get them on my chest, legs and face.

I'm loath to believe this is a result of VG since I can't find anything about it being toxic or intolerable like PG can be. I'm only ingesting about a milliliter or two of it on any given day.

The only other thing left is the nicotine. Now although I did get the occasional zit when I smoked, it was nothing like I suffer from now. Is it possible that I have an intolerance to nicotine I never knew I had because I was ingesting LESS nicotine when I smoked?

I had an appointment to see a dermatologist but then got laid off, so until I'm employed again (soon hopefully) I will not be able to get a professional opinion.

In the meanwhile, I thought I'd see if anyone knows of people suffering from this sort of thing from VG or nicotine.

Best,
Eric

 

[Darksyde]

I was hoping to see replies to this with insightful answers. Sigh. All I can say is I have the same problem though just on my face and scalp. I started vaping in January and it didn't spring up right away. Took a few months. I read about pg allergies online and switched to pure vg and alcohol based flavors from TFA/TPA over a month ago and I still have them though admittedly nowhere near as bad. Possibly it will take another few months to clear up completely. Are you seeing any signs of it clearing up at all? Maybe since your outbreak was worse than mine it will take longer to see results. Also, did your outbreak develop soon after you started vaping or did it take awhile? I hope it gets better for you soon.

 

[Caution]

Thanks I hope it does too. It didn't flare up right away, it did take some time to get to the point I'm at now, which does corroborate with tons of other people's experiences. I really can't say that I"m seeing any improvement, it's as if nothing has changed. If it really was the PG, I wouldn't expect to continue to get breakouts, no matter how long it has been since I stopped using it. For the record it's been about three weeks since going 100% VG.

 

[Darksyde]

I've done a bit more digging since posting earlier and I'm starting to doubt that it's pg after all. I found that a lot of people who quit smoking get "quit zits", even those who aren't using e-cigs. Also I found a post on here from a user who had a hormonal imbalance and once diagnosed and treated her acne went away quickly. She recommended getting a hormone check done. I'm going to give myself a bit more time as it's only been a few months and mine is getting better. In your case the check might be beneficial. I'll see if I cant find the link to that thread.

 

[Darksyde]

Here it is. It's the comment by Pheisty.


http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-bad-acne-since-vaping-its-not-quit-zits.html

 

[williebb123]

heres a thought , maybe its a reaction to not getting the hundreds of different poisons you used to get from the tobacco and im guessing something in the pesticides , no different than chemo you get sick when you start then your ok then sick when you stop, just sayin i could be wrong

 

[RosaJ]

Have you seen a dermatologist? if not, my advice is to make an appointment. Acne can pop up at any age and the dermatologist can give you a prescription for a topical antibiotic (I forget the name, my youngest suffered acne horribly). You may want to look into what you're eating also, my son's acne went away when he started cutting carbohydrates and sugars. But bottom line is to see a dermatologist asap.

 

[Caution]

Willie, I quit smoking over two years ago, you'd think that any toxin flushing would be done by now.

Like I said in my post Rosa, that visit has to wait, and so I am here looking for help in the interim. But I think you're right, that's probably my only real option here, unless someone else happens upon this thread who's already been in this (somewhat unique?) situation. I'm starting to suspect it's a hormonal imbalance caused by the nicotine to have lasted this long.

 

[~Sue~Feb2012]

You state you were 10 - 15 cigs a day? Maybe when you started vaping you are getting a lot more nicotine than before. Nic absorbs much differently too. What nic strength are you using, did I miss it in your post?

 

[Racehorse]

https://www.google.com/search?q=acn...&sugexp=chrome,mod=9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8


Illuminating.

 

[Darryll]

IMO it is most likely related to the hygroscopic nature of both PG and VG. They are drying you out enough to cause more dead skin cells that are clogging your pores. Try drinking more water and see if it helps.

 

[Caution]

You state you were 10 - 15 cigs a day? Maybe when you started vaping you are getting a lot more nicotine than before. Nic absorbs much differently too. What nic strength are you using, did I miss it in your post?

Yes I smoked around 10-15 Marb Lights per day before I quit. I use 25 mg/ml in my juice. I initially tried to cut that in half to 12.5 mg/ml but just ended up using twice as much juice, so in essense my nicotine intake did not change, but my intake of PG and VG doubled. THAT is when I noticed my skin break out more than I'd ever seen it, so I was convinced it must be the PG or VG. So, I cut out the PG, and am still breaking out just as much as I ever have.

Either Darryl is correct, in that the hygroscopic nature of VG is screwing up my skin, or the nicotine is unable to get out of my system fast enough due to lack of fluids and is throwing my hormone levels off, either by itself or in tandem with something I'm eating. I have no allergies to my knowledge. The only food item I ingest a lot of is 1% milk, I generally go through about a half-gallon daily.

Thanks for that link Racehorse, I think I may have to try a diet like this until I can get in to see a dermatologist.

 

[Hibiscuits]

You may also be irritating it with your milk consumption. Milk has a natural hormone that causes an increase in oil production. My 16 yr old had very bad acne and when we cut almost all dairy his acne cleared by at least 80%!

I'm also dealing with acne showing it's face just over 3 months after quitting. I think mine is likely in that detoxing stage. I found your thread in trying to figure out how long this will last

Had to chime in on the milk intake here for you. Very interesting article here

Four Ways Milk Causes Acne

The hygroscopic properties are something I need to take into consideration. I don't drink enough water and I know I don't. I push it on the kids, but not myself. It would also be a problem if the milk is increasing your oil production and the VG is creating more dead skin cells to block that increased oil.

All we ever wanted to do was quit smoking, eh??!!??

Hope you find an answer soon! I'm going to make an appointment to get my hormones checked and most definitely increase my water! It's been over 20 years since I've dealt with acne, uughhh!!!

 

[Caution]

No! Not my precious milk!

It's worth a shot though, I'll stick to my almond milk for drinking and only use milk for my morning cereal.

For the record, I scrub my entire body daily with one of those exfoliating bath sponge balls, and despite this, my skin becomes oily again within a couple hours of showering, and the acne keeps on a-coming.

Thanks for that link Hibiscuits - I'll have a MUCH easier time cutting out milk than nicotine, so I have that going for me!

 

[Darksyde]

Not sure if it's relevant at this point in the discussion but I've decided to give pg another go and see what happens. We shall see.

 

[jeenam]

Cut out the milk and high fructose corn syrup (soda).

 

[RoseB]

Adult acnomel. You can get a tube a rite aid for like 10 bucks. The only thing I found that works as good was a topical ointment from the dermatoligist. Aveeno oatmeal bars for washing. Sorry your skin is doing this.

 

[RoseB]

No! Not my precious milk!

It's worth a shot though, I'll stick to my almond milk for drinking and only use milk for my morning cereal.

For the record, I scrub my entire body daily with one of those exfoliating bath sponge balls, and despite this, my skin becomes oily again within a couple hours of showering, and the acne keeps on a-coming.

Thanks for that link Hibiscuits - I'll have a MUCH easier time cutting out milk than nicotine, so I have that going for me!

BTW scrubbing to much can make your skin break out worse. Over drying can make the oil glands go into over drive. Maybe do a good scrubb twice a week and see if that helps.

 

[ChrisMan]

For what it's worth... when I quit smokes and switched to vaping my nose started getting little zits all over it, I switched pg and vg ratios, tried different flavors, different nic levels and nothing ever helped. I used to drink a lot of diet soda, like 3 liters a day. I gave that up and started drinking water constantly, like 10 bottles a day. Guess what? No more acne... at all. I am a firm believer that these e ciggs are drying us out, you have to drink lots of water to counteract the hygroscopic nature of the vg/pg.

 

[Neloish]

What you need to try is light therapy, my roommate had horrible acme after quitting smoking and light therapy is the only thing that worked.

http://www.amazon.com/ANSR-Beam-Charger-5-Ounce-Box/dp/B0030ZRQQ8

This is what she uses it the best 100 bucks she even spent. Her face is clear as can be now and she is a ginger!

The blue light kills germs and the red light makes your skin grow faster to help heal it. If this does not work within a month I will buy it back from you.