Selena Gomez says that vaping has permanently altered her voice.
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vaping → say → voice
The singer, 34, recently took to social media to address growing speculation online about why she sounds so different.
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she → take → speculation
“I’m not going to be able to change my voice,” Gomez said in a video posted to her Instagram Story on Sunday, Oct. 18.
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Gomez → go → Sunday
“I vaped nicotine a lot.
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I → vape → nicotine
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,” she continued.
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she → quit → it
“It’s so stupid, and it’s changed my voice.”
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it → ’ → voice
Gomez did not disclose when she started vaping nicotine or for how long.
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she → disclose → nicotine
She ended the video by stating that she’s “really excited” because she recently quit.
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she → end → video
“I stopped, and I just hope we can keep it up.
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we → stop → it
It’s really hard,” the Rare Beauty founder said.
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founder → ’ → ?
The use of vapes among young adults in the United States has increased dramatically over the last decade, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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use → increase → Control
Vaping refers to inhaling mist or aerosol produced by a small handheld device, such as an e-cigarette or vape pen.
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Vaping → refer → cigarette
The aerosol is formed when the vaping device heats up e-liquid, or “vape juice,” which contains a mix of nicotine, flavorings, propylene glycol and other ingredients, per the Cleveland Clinic.
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which → form → Clinic
The mist, along with particles of these chemicals, is then inhaled into the throat and lungs.
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mist → inhale → throat
Vaping is often marketed as a healthier or “safer” alternative to smoking cigarettes.
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Vaping → market → cigarettes
“There are no safe tobacco products, including e-cigarettes,” the CDC says.
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CDC → be → cigarettes
Can Vaping Change a Person’s Voice?
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Vaping → change → Voice
Yes, it’s possible for vaping to affect a person’s voice, Dr. Paul Kwak, otolaryngologist at NYU Langone’s Voice Center, tells TODAY.com.
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Kwak → ’ → TODAY.com
“People think if they vape, it’s going to be much, much less injurious to the voice.
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it → think → voice
From a vocal health standpoint, it’s not.
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it → ’ → standpoint
And the primary reason for that is because it’s hot, dry air on the lining of the airway,” explains Kwak.
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Kwak → ’ → airway
One’s voice is produced when air from the lungs passes through the larynx, aka the voice box, and the vocal folds or cords, causing them to vibrate.
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them → produce → larynx
These structures are located top of the airway in the windpipe, Kwak adds, which goes down to the lungs — the same route for vape smoke.
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which → locate → smoke
Inhaling and exhaling the chemical-filled aerosol can dry out the tissues and mucous membranes of the larynx and trachea and have an inflammatory effect, Kwak says.
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Kwak → inhale → effect
Good vocal health depends on the ability of the vocal cords to vibrate, he adds, which requires them to be moist and pliable.
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which → depend → them
“When your vocal folds and trachea are dry and inflamed ... you have to work harder to use your voice, so you get often a lot of compensatory muscle tension and strain that can reduce the efficiency of the vocal mechanics, but also change the sound of the voice in very real ways,” Kwak says.
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Kwak → have → ways
The voice may become deeper, hoarser or more gravelly.
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voice → become → ?
Vaping can also cause repetitive coughing, which can cause vocal changes, Dr. Anaïs Rameau, otolaryngologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, tells TODAY.com.
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Rameau → cause → TODAY.com
These effects are often more noticeable for people who use their voice professionally.
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who → use → voice
“Singers require a level of flexibility, agility and pliability. ...
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Singers → require → flexibility
They will start to notice (changes) before non-singers will,” says Kwak.
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Kwak → start → changes
If you notice voice changes or hoarseness that last for more than a week, “it’s a good idea to get checked out,” says Kwak.
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Kwak → notice → week
At the end of her video, Gomez addressed her fans directly about the changes in her voice.
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Gomez → address → voice
“If you guys don’t like listening to my voice, that’s totally understandable.
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that → like → voice
I don’t mind.
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I → mind → ?
Just don’t listen to it,” she said.
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she → listen → it
Other Health Effects of Vaping
Vaping has been linked to a number of negative health effects, including worsening asthma, damaging the heart and scarring the lungs (aka popcorn lung), per the Cleveland Clinic.
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Effects → link → Clinic
It can cause “e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury” (EVALI), a serious and potentially fatal condition, which was identified in 2019.
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which → cause → 2019
Plus, vaping may change the airway microbiome, compromising local immunity in the respiratory tract, Rameau adds.
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Rameau → change → tract
Most vapes contain nicotine, a highly addictive chemical compound that can change the way the brain works, leading to more cravings, per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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brain → contain → Administration
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
