Your Tongue Can Turn Black and Hairy! What Causes Lingua Villosa Nigra?

A man was recently reported to have a condition known as lingua villosa nigra in which his tongue has turned black and developed hair following being put on an all-liquid diet after a stroke.

A Daily Star report said the condition is reversible and frequently results from "poor oral hygiene, strong mouthwashes, smoking, and some antibiotics." It is most of the time asymptomatic and only characterized by its appearance.

The 50-year-old man grew a thick layer of bacteria and dead skin on his tongue while on a two-month diet of blended soups and meals.

The said condition is more common than most people might think and can happen because of a number of factors. Aside from the aforementioned, it is also frequently caused by eating soft foods as the harder foods are scraping the dead cells from the tongue as they are eaten.

'Black Hairy Tongue'

Medically known as lingua villosa, a black hairy tongue is a harmless condition in general that changes the tongue's appearance, making it look "discolored and furry," according to a MedicineNet report. However, discoloration of the tongue may appear pink, green, or white. The tongue's color depends both on the underlying condition and the presence of any added factors like the type of food eaten.

Essentially, hairy tongue is caused by irritation of the tongue's surface, resulting in the elongation of papillae that are usually present on the tongue's surface and the absence of the superficial cells' shedding usually facilitated by brushing of teeth or dietary factors.

Mainly Asymptomatic

The American Academy of Oral Medicine reported that up to 13 percent of adults experienced a "black hairy tongue" at some point in their life. As earlier mentioned, lingua villosa nigra is mainly asymptomatic, frequently characterized by its appearance. Sometimes, a patient may feel a tickling or burning sensation on the tongue, bad breath, or nausea.

In 2018, a woman was reported to have suffered the same condition after a terrible car crash. She was taken to the hospital to treat her wounds, but it was also discovered that she had suffered a wound on her tongue, which became infected. A report that Washington University experts in Missouri carried out said, "the woman was able to reverse the side effects."

A Reversible Condition

According to the experts, a black hairy tongue is usually reversible, and it doesn't have a long-term "sequelae" so long as the causing agent is discontinued and the patient is practicing good oral hygiene.

The woman was advised to practice good oral hygiene. Within four weeks after the minocycline was discontinued, her tongue returned to its normal color. She reported she was feeling nauseous and had a bad taste in her mouth. More so, within one week, her tongue had turned "black and fuzzy."

To treat her condition, doctors had put the woman on some antibiotics, and it cleared up although if the condition occurred, the National Health Service advised her to give up smoking and drinking until it disappeared.

Minocycline is used for the treatment of infections caused by bacteria which include pneumonia and other respiratory tract infections; certain infections of the eye, intestinal, skin, lymphatic, genital, and urinary systems; and other infections transmitted by mites, lice, ticks, and infected animals, as specified in a MedlinePlus report. It is also used along with other medications for acne treatment.

Related information about the black hairy tongue is shown on Atlanta Journal-Constitution's YouTube video below:

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