Selena Gomez on vaping and her voice: How e-cigarettes affect vocal cords
Selena Gomez says heavy nicotine vaping permanently changed her voice; experts explain how vaping harms vocal cords and overall health.Summary
Selena Gomez revealed in an Instagram Story on October 18 that heavy nicotine vaping permanently altered her voice, calling it a mistake and urging others not to start. Her admission highlights how vaping affects the vocal folds: the hot, dry aerosol irritates and dries out tissue, causing swelling that makes surrounding muscles strain, producing a lower, rougher voice, and frequent vaping can trigger persistent coughing. Voices naturally change, but hoarseness lasting more than a week should be examined by a doctor. Beyond vocal harm, vaping raises heart rate and narrows blood vessels, and heated liquids can release formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. It also worsens asthma, causes lung scarring, can trigger EVALI—a potentially fatal lung injury linked to 68 deaths in a 2019 outbreak—and exposes users to heavy metals like nickel, antimony and lead. Nicotine reduces gum blood flow, harm gum tissue, and drives addiction; some devices advertise around 20,000 puffs, rivaling roughly 100 packs of cigarettes. Vaping may also harm fetal heart and brain development in pregnancy and teen brain development. Because modern vapes are new and constantly changing and many users are young, long-term effects remain unclear. The CDC states no tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, is safe, and Gomez's story shows that "safer than smoking" doesn't mean safe.
(Source：Mathrubhumi English)
