--- title: "Cigarette Smoke Damages Your Skin Just by Touching It, Scientists Say" description: "Poison Puffs It's widely understood that inhaled cigarette smoke, whether you light up yourself or breath it secondhand, is bad news for human bodies, skin included. But somehow, once again, both traditional and electric cigarettes are even worse than we thought. According a team of biologists at UC Riverside, nicotine doesn't have to make it […]" date: "2022-06-10" modified: "2022-06-10" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/cigarettes-damage-skin-contact" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Studies" tags: - "cigarettes" - "e-cigarettes" - "juul" - "nicotine" - "vape" --- # Cigarette Smoke Damages Your Skin Just by Touching It, Scientists Say ![Nnicotine doesn't have to make it to your lungs to cause injury. Cigarette and e-cigarette residuals can cause skin damage by contact alone.]() *\Image: Irina Iriser via Pexels\* It's widely understood that inhaled cigarette smoke, whether you smoke yourself or breathe it in secondhand, is bad for your health, skin included. But the effects nicotine can have on our skin might be even worse than we thought. According to a team of biologists at UC Riverside, the carcinogenic substance doesn't have to make it into your lungs, or even in present use, to cause injury. Their research, as detailed in a [new study]() published in the journal *Atmosphere**,* suggests that we risk skin damage by coming into contact with any nicotine-laden residuals that cigarettes and their ever-popular electronic counterparts leave behind in just 24 hours. "We found dermal contact with nicotine may impair wound healing, increase susceptibility to skin infections due to a decrease in immune response, and cause oxidative stress in skin cells," Giovanna Pozeulos, recent UC Riverside graduate and study contributor, said in [a statement](). The study focused specifically on the dangers of THS — shorthand for [thirdhand smoke,]() which refers to smoke that settles and clings to surrounding surfaces — and spilled e-cigarette liquid. To examine how exposure to environmental nicotine might impact human skin, the scientists subjected a 3D model of the skin's epidermis to 24 hours of nicotine exposure, equal to the levels of nicotine one might find in a THS or pod juice-contaminated environment. Sure enough, just a day's worth of exposure resulted in cellular damage. But there's good news as well: short-term exposure likely won't cause any lasting effects. That's because our skin is [naturally regenerative]() and can recover from situational exchanges with THS or E-cigarette juice. But it can only take so much — long-term exposure to THS is where the real trouble may lie. To this end, the researchers warn that young children, those with pre-existing skin conditions, and folks who work in nicotine-friendly environments are especially vulnerable to thirdhand dangers. "THS exposure may be chronic for someone living in a THS-contaminated household, which can lead to persistent dermal exposure," Pozuelos said in the statement*.* "Vendors and consumers who handle or use electronic cigarettes that contain high nicotine concentrations could also become highly exposed." These findings don't come as a huge surprise, given all that we know about cigarettes already. Vapes, on the other hand, [managed to snowball in popularity]() before the science was able to catch up. The devices are everywhere, and lawmakers still don't know how to effectively regulate them. Hopefully, research like this will be able to change that. **READ MORE:** *[Human skin can be damaged by exposure to thirdhand smoke and electronic cigarette spills]()*\[UCRN\] **More on vaping woes:** [*Bad News, Boys! Vaping Linked To Erectile Dysfunction*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()