Is Vaping Weed Actually Good For Your Skin?

This post originally appeared on Allure. 

Breaking news from the '70s: Smoking is not good for you. That makes it no surprise that vaping has caught on for everything from getting your nicotine fix to, well, other kinds of fixes. And since certain components of weed have been found to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits for skin, it seems like a match made in beauty heaven: Ditch the wrinkle-inducing effects of smoke, add some antioxidants, and it's a win-win, right? Well, maybe.

Here's how vaping works: The device heats up your chosen substance, creating a vapor out of the essential oils, which is then inhaled, leaving the user with the primary feel-good components minus the collagen-inhibiting hydrocarbons (and other assorted grossness) from smoke. When you vape marijuana, you're inhaling THC and cannabinoids, which can potentially fight off free radicals.

Here's the catch: Vaping is a new technology, and without years and years to study its effects, it's difficult to say for sure how safe it really is. In fact, some recent studies have even indicated it could be as bad or worse for your cancer risk as traditional smoking. And while weed may be doing your skin a favor, it's no magic bullet. As dermatologist Joel Schlessinger told Mic, "Even if THC has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, there are many other, safer ingredients that can offer these same benefits with clinically proven results."

The bottom line: If you're looking to add more antioxidants to your skin-care plan, you're better off with long-standing dermatologist faves like vitamin C. If you're looking for an excuse to toke, well, if it's good enough for the Broad City gals...