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Ohio Smoker’s Tongue Sprouts Green Hair After Years Of Cigarette Use
Ohio Man’s Tongue Sprouts Green Hair After Years Of Smoking Cigarette
An Ohio man’s tongue turned green and hairy following an alleged reaction to smoking cigarettes while simultaneously taking antibiotics.
A study detailing the patient’s tufty emerald taste organ was published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine.
According to the research publication, the unidentified 64-year-old smoker had reported to the doctor several weeks after his lollipop licker had changed color and sprouted fur like a lingual werewolf transformation.
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Doctors diagnosed him with a hairy tongue, “an abnormal coating” of skin cells that forms on the tongue when the filiform papillae — tiny conical protrusions containing taste buds — become enlarged and discolored due to a buildup of debris and bacteria.
This lends them the appearance of hairs, which can grow to nearly an inch long if the tongue is not regularly scraped. These can, in turn, trap other substances like bacteria, food and yeast similar to an oral gill net, “Hairy tongue may appear brown, white, green, or pink, depending upon the specific cause and other factors, such as mouthwashes or even candy,” the American Academy of Oral Medicine writes.
Accompanying photos show the man’s tongue, which is mangy and green as if he licked a Sasquatch on Saint Patrick’s Day.
Generally caused by poor oral hygiene, the condition — which generally affects adults over 40 (and is more common in men) — can be exacerbated by smoking, which causes bacteria and plaque to accumulate on the tongue.
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