What’s Worse for Your Skin: Smoking Weed or Eating Edibles?
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
Sorry, Mom, but I smoke weed. Now that it’s legal in the state I live in (and every other state I’ve ever lived in, TBF), I enjoy indulging in an occasional nightly edible or vape pen. It helps me sleep! Whatever! I’m an adult! Recently though, I started wondering if THC could be negatively impacting my skin. Specifically: Is weed causing my breakouts?
Over the last few months, my skin been all over the place (blackheads, whiteheads, cystic acne, the like). I’ll go through a few months of clarity, all to break out with a vengeance for another few months. Then the cycle repeats. But I noticed that my most recent spur of acne neatly coincided with an uptick in my nightly habit. Before I did something rash and quit using THC altogether, I consulted a dermatologist to get to the bottom of things:
What does weed do to your skin?
Not enough studies have been done for us to know exactly how weed impacts your skin. That said, research has shown that marijuana may slightly increase testosterone levels which may be associated with increased acne, says dermatologist Karan Lal, MD. When your testosterone spikes, so does oil production, leading to pimples. So...
Does weed cause acne?
It could, depending on how much you use, how you use it (more on that below), and if you’re genetically predisposed to acne. It’s also important to consider how weed impacts behavior. Think about it: It’s 2 a.m. and you’re stoned, watching Planet Earth for the hundredth time and placing a greasy Uber Eats order. Are you really washing off your makeup and changing out your pillowcase and spreading on your salicylic acid serum or retinol for acne? Probably not. “Marijuana is commonly associated with what we call a motivational syndrome—it makes people not want to do things,” says Dr. Lal. It makes you turn off for a lil while, possibly leading you to make decisions that aren’t in line with your normal skin-focused self.
Likewise, marijuana increases appetite, and if you’re eating a lot of carbs, this could increase your glycemic index, which has been associated with acne, Dr. Lal adds.
Okay, but is there any chance weed helps with acne?
Maybe! We know that THC is an anti-inflammatory and can help with pain (hence the reason for medicinal marijuana and why CBD as a skincare ingredient was so popular years ago). In theory, it’s possible that when ingested, THC could possibly have that affect across your entire body, which may possibly help calm down inflammatory pimples. But it’s hard to say without any research.
However, THC can help reduce itch and irritation, which could go a long way for chronic skin pickers. “I would argue that marijuana may reduce picking in some people because you’re more relaxed,” Dr. Lal says. Less picking generally means fewer scabs and acne scarring as well.
For some, marijuana can also be a great way to relieve some tension and potentially some stress acne. Stress and anxiety increases a hormone called cortisol that can, over time, spike inflammation and oil production, leading to more acne. It’s why you always seem to get a breakout at the worst times (before a first date, a big vacation, or a wedding).
Does how you get high impact your skin?
Joints, bongs, pens, edibles, tinctures, oh my! However you want to get stoned is your prerogative, but keep in mind that some forms of THC might be interacting with your skin differently. Edibles, like gummies, typically contain a lot of sugar, which could spike your blood sugar and increase acne. But this all depends on how your body handles sugars, of course. Smoking, on the other hand, could also potentially impact skin, as the smoke enters the air around you and sits on your skin. Similarly, If you’re not cleaning them properly, smoking out of a bong or a pipe, for example, could increase acne around your mouth.
What about other things, like vaping, cigarettes, or alcohol?
If you are not into weed but maybe engage in the occasional cocktail or Elfbar, your skin could be taking a hit too, says Dr. Lal. Tobacco has not technically ever been proven to cause acne, he notes, but nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, which decreases blood flow and can cause inflammation. Plus, it’s a stimulant, which could potentially increase fidgety skin picking. Alcohol also doesn’t necessarily have any strong evidence proving that it can cause acne, but it is typically loaded with sugar, which could have an impact on your skin.
But when it comes to vaping and breakouts, Dr. Lal has noticed a pretty strong correlation. “There are all these additives in vapes that we aren’t aware of, like oils, that not only get inhaled but also end up in the air around if you’re smoking them,” he says. “These can go into your skin and damage your skin cells and cause inflammation.” Technically, this could extend to marijuana-based vapes as well.
The bottom line:
At this time, there really isn’t enough data yet to definitively say whether marijuana causes acne—and Dr. Lal notes says that among his patients, he doesn’t see a difference in acne between those who use marijuana and those who don’t. That said, it’s likely that with more states legalizing and decriminalizing weed, more studies on the relationship between skin and THC might be done in the future that can give us a clear answer.
But in the meantime, make decisions for your own health and well-being, says Dr. Lal. For me, I’m planning to minimize some of my cannabis use (big win for my mother) in an effort to curb my breakouts, which definitely tend to populate more often when I’m not as diligent with my skincare. But it’s also November 2024 and I live in the dumpster fire that is America, so I’m willing to deal with some zits for the sake of zoning TF out.
Meet the expert:
Karan Lal, MD, is a double board-certified adult, pediatric, and cosmetic dermatologist at Affiliated Dermatology in Scottsdale, AZ. You can also catch Dr. Lal responding to viral beauty trends and myths on Cosmo’s TikTok.
Why trust Cosmopolitan?
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with six years of experience researching, writing, and editing skincare stories that range from chin acne to the best retinol serums. She interviewed experts and dug into the data to write this story.
You Might Also Like
