My Persson was recording videos for a friend on Snapchat when the tingling sensation arose in his mouth. After a while she noticed that her lip was swelling up – more than usual.
That she gets a reaction to white snus is something that usually happens after she changed snuff brands, she says. But this time the swelling was the worst yet.
– It happens even though I haven’t eaten, drunk or done anything special for several hours, says My Persson.
“Never seen before”
SVT Nyheter has contacted several different researchers who have not been able to determine what caused the swelling.
– It really looks like a strong allergic reaction to that nicotine bag, says nicotine researcher Louise Adermark, when she sees pictures of My’s swollen lip – something she has never seen before.
But the fact that you can get damage to the oral mucosa from white snus is nothing new, she believes.
– You should be aware that nicotine affects the vessels, so it can affect the blood flow very much – which in turn could also lead to swelling.
There is little research
Adermark believes that it is valuable to take part in people’s experiences of white snus, because there is so little research in the area.
Her guess is that My’s swelling arose due to a combination of several factors. Although it is not known for sure, according to Adermark, it is not unlikely that other products such as skin creams, perfumes, food or even pollen may have contributed to the reaction. What the nicotine bag itself contains can also be a decisive factor, she believes.
– We know, for example, that the ph value in these products increases the risk of damage. Then there are also studies that have looked at the different flavors and found that the flavors themselves can cause damage to the cells of the mouth.