THE ESSENTIAL
- The tongue is made up of seventeen muscles in total.
- Taste buds send information about the taste of food to the brain.
According to a study published in the journal JAMA Dermatologydoctors have discovered the very rare case of a man in his 50s who had a hairy, black tongue.
no danger
Three months before developing this symptom, he had had a stroke with significant hemiplegia, i.e. a paralysis that affects only one side of the body and can manifest itself in the leg, arm or face. It was then that the carers taking care of him noticed that he had black pigmentation on his tongue.
The doctors therefore decided to explore this case more precisely… After examinations, they observed that his tongue was well covered with a black layer but that the lateral edges, in particular the tip, were not affected by this phenomenon. As for the hairy aspect, it was not hair in the strict sense of the term but colored fibers. The researchers note that this symptom is not dangerous and that it is believed to be due to an accumulation of dead skin cells on the tongue.
Cleaning
According to doctors, there may be different explanations for this phenomenon: taking antibiotics, poor oral hygiene, tobacco, dry mouth, etc. So, as a treatment, the medical professionals simply recommended the patient proper cleaning measures and the discoloration of his tongue faded after about 20 days.