Expert issues warning about impact vaping can have on your voice after Selena Gomez's candid admission
Selena Gomez said that vaping nicotine was the likely one of the main reasons behind the change in her voice over the years.
The 34-year-old made the admission on Instagram, after being asked by fans about the difference in her voice over her career.
She told her fans on social media: “I’m not going to be able to change my voice,” she said. “I vaped nicotine a lot... nicotine is so hard to quit, and I think I just wanted to say if you’re going through it or if you’re even trying to vape, it’s just not worth it. It’s so stupid.”
Gomez, who recently celebrated her first wedding anniversary with Benny Blanco, added: “It’s changed my voice, so if you guys don’t like listening to my voice, that’s totally understandable. I don’t mind.
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"Just don’t listen. But I am really excited because I stopped, and I just hope I can keep it up. If you are going through something, then you can get through it too. It sucks.”
Speaking to UNILAD, Girish Desai, Chief Pharmacist at Landys Chemist, has explained what vaping can do to the throat and vocal cords.
“One of the problems with vaping is that people can assume it is harmless because it does not involve tobacco smoke, but you are still repeatedly inhaling an aerosol directly into the lungs and across the throat and vocal cords,” Desai said.
"If someone uses their voice professionally, this irritation and dryness can be particularly noticable. A singer, for example, may find their voice feels hoarser, more strained, or simply does not perform as it normally would."
Why is it so easy to lose track of how much you vape?
Desai said it comes down to how easily vaping fits into the rest of the day.
“A cigarette has a clear beginning and end, and you normally have to go somewhere appropriate to smoke it,” Desai said.
A vape, by contrast, can sit in a hand or pocket and be picked up over and over while walking, driving, working or relaxing at home.
Anyone who develops a persistent cough, breathlessness or changes to their voice should have it assessed, Desai said, because vaping could be a significant factor but other causes need to be ruled out.
“They should not simply keep vaping and hope those symptoms disappear,” Desai added.
Gomez’s comments come shortly after fellow singer Lola Young revealed she also suffers from the side effects of vaping.
“That day has come, where my lungs feel like they’re battery powered, like they’re just one big battery, and breathing feels like a chore,” the Messy singer said on TikTok.
Dr Richard Shepherd, one of the UK’s most distinguished forensic pathologists, recently told LADbible he fears it will later emerge that vaping is just as bad for you as smoking.
“We know in medicine that some things take a long time to reveal their toxicity,” he said.
Dr Shepherd added: “It can take a long time for the adverse effects to become obvious, and my fear is that vaping is going to go down that same track.”
What does the CDC say about vaping?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says e-cigarettes and vaping products are not safe, with the inhaled aerosol containing nicotine, cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals and lung-damaging microparticles.
The agency adds that no e-cigarette has been approved by the FDA as a smoking cessation aid, and it advises adults who do not currently smoke not to start vaping.
Topics: Selena Gomez, Health, Science
Thomas Bamford