Vaping is fast becoming the method of choice for those trying to wean themselves off cigarettes.
The medical benefits mean that e-cig sales are rocketing up all the time, but the fact they’re still relatively new means that experts are discovering potential issues all the time.
Well, listen up vapers. When you’re exhaling from an e-cig, you should avoid doing so through your nostrils. It can apparently do some real damage to your nose.
Propylene glycol (PG) is a chemical found inside an e-cig that has a dehydrating effect on your skin. It can absorb all the moisture from the sensitive skin inside your nostrils, which is why a lot of users have reported nosebleeds.
via 20th Century Fox
Noses are temperamental things at the best of times, so it’s probably not a big surprise that they don’t take well to vaping. Breathing out through the mouth is the best port of call.
Now you might be sitting there thinking the odd nosebleed isn’t that big of a deal, but Metro spoke to William Keeler, a man who had a particularly bad episode. He explained:
“You know when you touch an open wound and it burns? That’s what it felt like – there was a really strong burning inside my nose. And there was constantly a bad smell – which I can only describe as the smell of poo – all day, every day. I went to the doctors and at first they thought I was using cocaine, which I wasn’t. Then when I said I vaped, they told me to stop exhaling it out of my nose and to breath out of my mouth. After a few months it was much better.”
Even so, William said his nostrils still haven’t made a full recovery, and at the moment it’s impossible for medical professionals to anticipate long-term complications when the technology is still in its relative infancy.
Prof John Britton, professor of epidemiology and director of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Related Studies, told Metro that exhaling through the mouth is the best way to vape. He also recommended applying Vaseline to the inside of the nose for any Propylene glycol-dryness.
