Selena Gomez Says Vaping Is the Reason Her Voice Is Different. What Do Doctors Say?

Selena Gomez says that vaping has permanently altered her voice. The singer, 34, recently took to social media to address growing speculation online about why she sounds so different. “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. “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,” she continued. “It’s so stupid, and it’s changed my voice.” Gomez did not disclose when she started vaping nicotine or for how long. She ended the video by stating that she’s “really excited” because she recently quit. “I stopped, and I just hope we can keep it up. It’s really hard,” the Rare Beauty founder said. 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. Vaping refers to inhaling mist or aerosol produced by a small handheld device, such as an e-cigarette or vape pen. 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. The mist, along with particles of these chemicals, is then inhaled into the throat and lungs. Vaping is often marketed as a healthier or “safer” alternative to smoking cigarettes. “There are no safe tobacco products, including e-cigarettes,” the CDC says. Can Vaping Change a Person’s 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. “People think if they vape, it’s going to be much, much less injurious to the voice. From a vocal health standpoint, it’s not. And the primary reason for that is because it’s hot, dry air on the lining of the airway,” explains Kwak. 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. 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. 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. Good vocal health depends on the ability of the vocal cords to vibrate, he adds, which requires them to be moist and pliable. “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. The voice may become deeper, hoarser or more gravelly. 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. These effects are often more noticeable for people who use their voice professionally. “Singers require a level of flexibility, agility and pliability. ... They will start to notice (changes) before non-singers will,” says Kwak. Some vocal fluctuations are normal, especially after an illness. 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. At the end of her video, Gomez addressed her fans directly about the changes in her voice. “If you guys don’t like listening to my voice, that’s totally understandable. I don’t mind. Just don’t listen to it,” she said. 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. It can cause “e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury” (EVALI), a serious and potentially fatal condition, which was identified in 2019. Plus, vaping may change the airway microbiome, compromising local immunity in the respiratory tract, Rameau adds. 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. Nicotine use during pregnancy can damage the heart and brain of a developing fetus. In young people, nicotine may harm brain development and increase the risk of future addiction to other drugs, the CDC says. The aerosols from vapes can contain harmful, cancer-causing chemicals, which enter deep into the lungs. “The data is still preliminary on whether it’s less carcinogenic (than smoking),” says Kwak. Because modern vapes have not been around long enough to study how the effects accumulate over a person’s lifetime, the long-term health consequences of vaping remain unknown. “Adults who have never smoked or used other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, should not start,” the agency says.