PROPPED up on the clinic table, Gemma Hall-Durham looked in the handheld mirror at the dots highlighting places on her neck, chin and jawline in urgent need of repair.
Gemma, who is just 29, was not undergoing the latest Love Island beauty treatment – she was spending thousands after daily vaping left her with sagging jowls, wrinkles and loose skin.
“I’m not even 30 and I had a Nefertiti neck and face lift due to vaping. I regret ever having my first candy-flavoured puff,” she said.
“I’ve spent almost £5,200 on non-surgical facelifts and painful dental procedures to de-age myself after a shock vaping wake-up call.
“Six years of vaping left me with a saggy jowl, loose skin and the start of a turkey neck — problems normally only experienced by people twice my age.
“I had to take out a £3,000 loan to pay for my facelift and dental restoration.
“Beauticians told me my face and neck were as floppy and loose as a 55-year-old.
“I still need more treatment to stop my skin’s rapid-onset ageing.
“I was horrified to realise every vaping puff was making me age faster than my friends.
“I cried when I realised if I didn’t treat the damage at 29, I’d end up looking like a wrinkled, jowly witch at 40.
“Vaping also meant I’ve had to undergo teeth descaling, fillings and gum treatments to prevent periodontal disease.
“The cost of buying vapes and then having a facelift and other treatments to repair the damage will set me back £15,100 in total – that’s a deposit on a one bedroom flat.”
“It’s my own fault. I wish I’d known what it would cost me before I got my vaping fix,” she says.
Support worker manager Gemma, who lives in Manchester with mum Jayne, and her partner Geoff, admits the cost of the treatments means it is too expensive to live on her own.
She began vaping in January 2019 after a night out.
Gemma recalled: “My friend had a bubblegum-flavoured vape and it smelled lovely. She let me have a try, I loved it.
“I bought a vape just to be social but within a month I was hooked on the Berry Ice flavour.”
More than 5.6 million people in the UK use health charity ASH.
I wish I’d known what it would cost me before I got my vaping fix,
Gemma Hall-Durham
Vaping is on the rise among teenagers, with ASH figures showing 1.1 million, or 20 per cent of 11–17-year-olds, have tried it. And around 7 per cent of under-16s have taken up the habit, with 40 per cent vaping daily.
Vaping was introduced in the mid-2000s as a tool to help people quit smoking. However, more people than ever are taking it up recreationally, leading to nicotine dependence among people who have never smoked.
“I am one of those people,” says Gemma. “I feel daft now. It’s like using a nicotine patch if you don’t smoke.
“I felt like Puff the Magic Dragon, always surrounded by a haze of vape smoke.
“I was getting more red, angry spots that took longer to heal. My healthy eating was replaced with crisps, pizzas and burgers.”
Vaping and comfort eating
“I was vaping and comfort eating. I went from 9st 1lb and a size eight to 12st 3lb and a size 16.
“In June 2023 I was so appalled by my weight gain I started a strict lean eating and exercise plan.”
Gemma got back to a slim size eight by July 2024 but was mortified her face and neck still looked fat.
“My body pinged back into shape, but my face still looked bloated. My under-chin area had jowls, lines and wobbly skin that stretched.
“Before my weight gain I had a tight, streamlined jawline and it hadn’t returned.”
Gemma also noticed lines developing on the sides of her nose: “I had so-called ‘mini barcode’ or smokers’ lines around the top of my lip and at the corners of my mouth.
“My friends who didn’t vape didn’t have any. My skin was constantly flaky.
“I tried to convince myself it was the air conditioning at work, but it was getting worse daily. I was going outside every hour or so for a quick vape, tilting my neck forward.”
It was only when Gemma went to have her eyelashes tinted for a party that she learned the truth behind her bloated face and skin problems.
“The aesthetician explained the nicotine was making me look older and making my skin lose its tightness.”
My face wasn’t pinging back because I’d vaped away my collagen – each puff was ageing me
Gemma Hall-Durham
Each Berry Ice pod contains 20mg of nicotine, which is Britain’s legal limit — almost the same as a pack of 20 cigarettes.
“Every puff was bringing nicotine into my bloodstream via the lungs.
The nicotine was travelling in my blood to my face, causing tiny blood vessels to narrow and cutting down the flow of oxygen and nutrients.
“That meant my skin cells weren’t getting enough oxygen or vitamins, so they couldn’t repair or renew properly, causing dry patches, flaky skin and dark circles.”
Vaping was triggering enzymes that destroy collagen, the protein that keeps skin tight and smooth: “My face wasn’t pinging back after my weight loss because I’d vaped away my collagen,” she says.
“Each puff was ageing me because it stopped new collagen from forming.”
The chemicals in vape aerosol also cause flare-ups, acne and redness around the mouth and jawline — all symptoms Gemma was experiencing.
In a bid to further reverse the damage Gemma had £500 worth of Botox into the nasal muscles, which relaxed the lines and stopped them crinkling when she laughed.
She spent another £250 on Botox for the lip lines caused by pursing her mouth to puff: “I had half a mil of hyaluronic acid filler in my lips to boost their size and counter the lines,” she explained
Her biggest expense was £1,200 for two Nefertiti facelifts — non-surgical treatments using Botox to tighten and lift the lower face.
The first injections targeted the platysma muscle, which runs from the jaw to the collarbone.
More Botox was also injected along Gemma’s jawline to release tension and re-create her sharper contour and jawline.
“The injections in my chin stopped the dimpling and uneven texture I was getting and made my lower face look tighter and twenty-something again,” she says.
The Nefertiti lift is most popular with women between their 30s and mid-50s. Most use it preventatively to keep their jawline sharp and lift jowls without surgery.
Facelifts and Dental work
But since the facelift only lasts four to five months, Gemma has had two since the start of the year.
She also forked out £1,200 for two rounds of Profhilo injections, which contain pure hyaluronic acid that deeply hydrates and stimulates new collagen.
“I had small amounts injected just under the skin along my cheeks, around my mouth, my jawline and along my neck. It helped firm my skin and gave it back a glow,” she added.
Gemma has also invested £300 in antioxidant serums to repair her skin barrier: “Twice a week, I use a retinol serum to boost collagen and smooth lines.
“In the last nine months I’ve had to invest thousands to de-age my face — and it’s my own fault,” she says.
Vaping isn’t worth it. It’s cost me thousands and I’ll have to be using Botox and fillers for the rest of my life – all because of a puff
Gemma Hall-Durham
And last November, Gemma spent £1,500 on specialist tooth descaling, a filling and medication for a gum infection caused by vaping.
“Vaping gave me a dry mouth which caused plaque to build up behind two teeth and led to an infection. I was in agony,” she says.
“I’ve had to use prescription mouth rinse to make sure all the bacteria was destroyed and to stop any further infection.
“My dentist said if I hadn’t acted, I’d have developed gingivitis or, even worse, periodontitis — where bacteria spread deeper under the gums, forming pockets that separate the gums from the teeth. That can lead to loose teeth and bone loss.
“Vaping isn’t worth it. It’s cost me thousands and I’ll have to be using botox and fillers for the rest of my life – all because of a puff.”