Since our stomach acid is so strong, why does vomiting not scar our throat and mouth?
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The damage is limited because we tend to spit it out and rinse our mouth out. Acid isn’t like they show in the movies, it doesn’t instantly corrode and melt flesh. Additionally, we tend not to vomit pure acid, but rather we tend to vomit when we have a stomach that is full of things. This helps to dilute the acid. Also, all the surfaces of your body are coated with epithelial cells, which are strong cells with lots of defenses that are meant to keep everything that is you inside, and everything that isn’t you outside. Your mouth is just as protected from the environment as your hands are!
Most digestion isn’t actually caused by the stomach acid, it just helps along the major methods of absorbing the macro nutrients (bile, proteases, and amylase for fats, proteins, and carbs respectively).
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