You have a five-step skincare routine. You go to the gym and workout four to five times a week. You drink moderately. You eat mindfully. You get in your hot girl walks daily, yet you have stubborn fat areas, your skin looks tired and ageing, your hair is brittle, and you’ve noticed a few strands of grey hairs. You don’t understand why. So, you drink more water, eat more vegetables, and move more. Still nothing. You’re out of ideas, apart from that tiny piece of your lifestyle you think is harmless flavoured smoke…
Besides looking like an overgrown toddler seeking safety in your dummy (or pacifier for the Americans reading this), you think ‘Ahhh, it’s not thaaaat badddd… it’s better than smoking cigarettes at least…’
Well, sorry hun, I’ve got some unflavoured news for you. I could write for days about the side effects of vaping, but in this article, we’ll focus on hair, skin, and fat loss.
Is vaping screwing up your skin?
Short answer: yes.
Long answer: “There is now a proven link between vaping, poor skin health and premature skin ageing,” says Dr Raja, aesthetic doctor, and skin specialist at Derma Aesthetics London. “Vaping can have negative effects on the skin due to the chemicals and toxins present in e-cigarettes, leading to oxidative stress, inflammation and damage to collagen and elastin fibres which are essential for skin elasticity and firmness.”
Why?
The circulatory system, consisting of blood vessels and capillaries, carries oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to cells and tissues. It also removes waste products, like carbon dioxide. It regulates blood pressure and body temperature and provides a barrier against the absorption of toxins. As the largest organ in our body, our skin relies heavily on the circulatory system to thrive. However, in January 2023, an NIH-Funded study revealed the damaging effect of vaping on blood vessel functioning.
Vaping has been linked to increased inflammation throughout the body, resulting in exacerbated skin conditions such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis and potentially hindering the effectiveness of their treatments.
When the circulatory and blood vessel systems become compromised, the skin adopts a dull, dry, dehydrated complexion. The propylene glycol and glycerin in vape liquids attract water molecules, causing them to evaporate more rapidly from the skin's surface, leaving the skin dry, tight and more prone to irritation. Chronic dehydration and compromised elasticity lead to premature ageing, which manifests as fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. Please note: if you choose to continue vaping, avoid manual exfoliators. Your skin is too compromised to use harsh cleaning methods as the barrier is damaged, causing further irritation.
Is vaping destroying your hair?
Similar to your skin, the propylene glycol and glycerin (mentioned above) attract and retain moisture. When inhaled, moisture gets drawn away from the hair, leaving it parched and prone to breakage. The restricted blood vessels also decrease nutrient absorption, meaning the hair follicles become void of essential vitamins and minerals needed for healthy hair growth. Over time, these deficiencies result in weakened, dull, and lacklustre hair.
The inflammation caused by vaping also spreads to the scalp, which disrupts the hair growth cycle and contributes to conditions like dandruff, itching, and even hair loss. The heat and chemicals from vaping devices may also irritate the scalp, and preliminary research suggests that vaping may accelerate ageing, premature greying, thinning and hair loss.
Is vaping making you retain fat?
Remember the 90’s when supermodels like Kate Moss survived off of cigarettes and bulimia? Yeah, that was due to the nicotine (and constant purging). Although nicotine has long been celebrated for its appetite-suppressing effects, new research has shown that vaping may be impacting muscle mass and physical performance.
To be clear: ‘weight loss’ and fat loss mean two different things. The two phrases often get thrown around interchangeably - but they’re not synonymous. Weight loss = size loss. If you want to lose weight, you want to “shrink”. If the goal is to lose fat, you want to change your body composition to look more lean by increasing muscle mass. This is where people become misguided: they believe by smoking, they’ll reduce their appetite and lose weight. Yes, technically this could be correct - which is great if you’re looking for a “skinny-fat” body shape (which has a whole bunch of ailments attached to it), but for those wanting to change their composition, the aim is to lose body fat and gain muscle.
Chronic nicotine exposure impairs muscle protein synthesis, resulting in reduced muscle strength, growth and testosterone production - not ideal if your goal is to gain lean muscle mass. Cortisol (your stress hormone) levels also increase, which breaks down muscle tissues and impairs growth, recovery and performance.
Conclusion
Still keen to suck on your dummy? Hopefully, next time you go for an obligatory drag, you think: is this flavoured smoke hit more valuable than the way I look and feel?