Vaping and Dermatologic Manifestations: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: The use of electronic cigarettes (ECs), or vaping, has been increasing at an alarming rate, constituting a significant public health concern. A lack of data regarding the impact of EC use on dermatologic disease requires a scoping review of the current literature.

Methods: Our scoping review protocol was registered on Open Science Framework. Two independent reviewers completed a systematic review of the literature in Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, CINAHL databases. The search was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. The Covidence platform was used by the reviewers to assist with autonomous article screening and data extraction.

Limitations: Limitations include elements of study design, analytic methods, study populations, and limited articles.

Results: EC use was identified as both a provoking and exacerbating factor in several dermatologic diseases. Articles examining vaping-related dermatologic burden frequently reported clinical manifestations of impaired wound healing, thermal injuries, and allergic contact dermatitis. Of note, at least one study reported these effects in the absence of nicotine within the EC product.

Conclusion: ECs appear to contribute to the development of various skin diseases. Theories to the development of dermatologic diseases include exposure to various chemicals within the vaping fumes and the device itself, creation of reactive oxygen species, and direct thermal injury. Current experimental evidence on the dermatologic effects of vaping remain limited, underscoring the need for further investigation.