EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Center|Is there a way to flush nicotine out of your system faster? Here's what experts say.

Whether you're smoking cigarettes or EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Centervaping e-cigarettes, you're ingesting nicotine.

Either way, the addictive substance is linked to a host of health issues, and experts say they still don't have a full grasp on the long-term side-effects of vaping. Quitting isn't always easy, but working with a licensed health professional on a quit plan, counseling and even medication can help.

"The health benefits of stopping smoking begin within ​minutes, so it's never too late to stop," Alejandra Ellison-Barnes, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins Tobacco Treatment and Cancer Screening Clinic, tells USA TODAY.

For those still smoking or vaping, here's what medical experts want you to know about the duration of ingested nicotine.

How long does nicotine stay in your system? 

It depends on a number of factors including genetics and how much was ingested, but nicotine usually stays in your system for anywhere from 80 to 100 hours — about three to four days, according to Benjamin Toll, Ph.D., co-director of the Medical University of South Carolina's Lung Cancer Screening Program and director of the MUSC Health Tobacco Treatment Program.

"There is no way to flush it out of your system faster," Toll says.

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Is vaping or smoking worse for the lungs?

Vaping poses less of a health risk compared to smoking — if a person is struggling with quitting cigarettes cold turkey, switching to a nicotine vaping product would "drastically reduce your exposure to these toxicants until you are ready to quit using nicotine altogether," Tracy Smith, Ph.D., associate professor at Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center, tells USA TODAY.

But that still doesn't mean it's safe or good for you.

Cigarette smokers are about 25 times more likely to develop lung cancer, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Smoking e-cigarettes has been also linked to chronic lung disease and asthma, according to a 2020 study by Johns Hopkins Medicine. Experts also point out that because vaping is a newer concept, there is still much they haven't discovered.

"We don't yet know all of the effects associated with long-term use," Dr. Ellison-Barnes says. "Additionally, because vaping products are not well regulated, we don't always know what ingredients are in them that could cause health problems."

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In addition to lung health, research has shown that nicotine, which is found in both regular and e-cigarettes, raises blood pressure, heart rate and with them, the likelihood of having a heart attack. Cigarette smokers are two to four times as likely to develop coronary heart disease and stroke, according to the CDC.

"There are some short-term data showing that people who switch completely from smoking cigarettes to vaping have improved lung function, but we would expect the biggest improvements from quitting altogether," Smith says.