Constant exposure to allergen

[Zilong]

I've recently bought an e-cigarette, but it seem that I have allergy to the propylene glycol in the liquid as I develop some hives on my hands. It doesn't really itches, nor does it spread, but I'm more worried about the long term effect of it.

Would it be possible to just take some anti-hystamine and make a pseudo-immunotherapy out of it and let my body just get used to the allergen eventually, or should I just cut my losses and get my nicotine fix the old way?

[Caiyuo]

I'm not sure about anything regarding allergens, but have you seen that there's an alternatives liquid for people that experience these symptoms with PG? I always see it referenced as VG, not that I know what that means, but it's another option.

[Crowort]

You can get all vegetable glycerine juice, but this might be what you are having problems with too. Hardly any juices are all PG or all VG, normally they are a mix of both. You can also get PEG 400 juice with is another type of PG with different sized particles. Have you tried other flavours? The flavouring could be the issue too.

[Talus]

It seems you have an allergy to it? You can't know for sure unless you get a scratch test or whatever the fancy thing is that immunologists/allergists are doing nowadays. It could be related to the e-cigarette or it could be completely unrelated. You're getting hives on your hands but no reaction on your lips?

[Zilong]

trying to go over the things that i've been doing differently in the recent when these hives started popping up, and the e-cig seems to be the only one that comes to mind, and i've read it's possible to get a reaction that way. but i've been getting the weirdest allergic reactions that come and goes in the past, so i'm hoping it'd be just that.

[BaneTheBrawler]

I'm no doctor, but as someone who's had a wide variety of allergies for a long time, I don't think you should continue using them. Itchy throat, runny nose, even itchy/puffy skin are all 'normal' allergic reactions for me, and generally don't concern me, but hives scare the crap out of me. The only time I've ever had hives show up, I promptly went into anaphylactic shock.

[Plow]

OK, here's the deal. With just water and nicotine and flavoring, the vapor would be really hot (water vaporizes higher than that stuff), and it would also be basically invisible going in, let alone by the time you were blowing it out. In spite of being uncomfortably hot, it would feel lighter other than the burn as well, due to the density difference.

PG, Propylene Glycol, is used in asthma inhalers and things like that to make the vapor visible. Most places are using it as their primary base, and as far as I know it's pretty much hypo-allergenic. However, VG, vegetable glycerine, gives an even denser, cooler vapor, but can also give a lighter taste. It's very possible that you have an allergy to something in it, though.

Most places will use PG if it's 100%, or a pg/vg mix. A lot of places have choices between pg or vg or mixed.

What juice are you using? If we can find that out we can probably figure out which it is so you can try the other, or if it's a mix you can try 1 of each.

[Plow]

I'm no doctor, but as someone who's had a wide variety of allergies for a long time, I don't think you should continue using them. Itchy throat, runny nose, even itchy/puffy skin are all 'normal' allergic reactions for me, and generally don't concern me, but hives scare the crap out of me. The only time I've ever had hives show up, I promptly went into anaphylactic shock.

the only thing that's different about hives to any other allergies is that it's a rash, and it's usually from direct skin contact

poison ivy is basically hives, for example

[pohibaba]

I've recently bought an e-cigarette, but it seem that I have allergy to the propylene glycol in the liquid as I develop some hives on my hands. It doesn't really itches, nor does it spread, but I'm more worried about the long term effect of it.

Would it be possible to just take some anti-hystamine and make a pseudo-immunotherapy out of it and let my body just get used to the allergen eventually, or should I just cut my losses and get my nicotine fix the old way?

Are you sure it's not your Mormon soul reacting violently to your sinful nature?

[Zilong]

there is that possibility, though I don't think it's quite that since I don't think there is anything left of my so called eternal soul, and the only religious violent reaction of recent I could think of is the intense burning all over my flesh whenever I entered consecrated grounds.

What juice are you using? If we can find that out we can probably figure out which it is so you can try the other, or if it's a mix you can try 1 of each.

I've been using just the pipeline peach i got as a freebie when purchasing the volcano starting kit.

[Plow]

http://www.volcanoecigs.com/usa-liqu...ine-peach.html

That? It's a mix. My advice would be to go to http://www.liberty-flights.com and look at their juices.

They sell 100% pg or 100% vg. I'd say pick a flavor, get a 5ml bottle of it in each, rub one on the inside of one elbow, the other on the other, and see if either or both gives a reaction.

[kuronosan]

the only thing that's different about hives to any other allergies is that it's a rash, and it's usually from direct skin contact

poison ivy is basically hives, for example

Not to be a picky asshole about anaphylactic reactions, but that really isn't a difference of allergies so much as it is a difference in reaction. Any allergen can cause any type of reaction, including hives. Hives are considered significant in that it's a much more pronounced reaction than your standard rash and involves more of the immune system. Since they're also caused by immune cells releasing histamines, they can occur anywhere. When they occur in interior linings and cause your airways to swell and your heart rate to rise, that's when you go into systemic anaphylaxis. It all depends on the level of exposure or the degree of allergenicity to the body.

edit: Bee stings are an injected form of allergens that cause hives, it's not really because of the skin contact so much as it is the cells that reside under the skin layer.