It was an oral patina.
Indian doctors were left flabbergasted over the bizarre case of a man whose tongue became carpeted in black hair after he suffered a stroke. His tufty taste buds were detailed Wednesday in the journal Jama Dermatology by doctors from the Medical Trust Hospital in Cochin, Kerala.
Per their report, the 50-something patient’s hair-raising adventure was set in motion following a stroke, which paralyzed his left side, hindering his chewing, Live Science reported.
As a result, doctors put him on an all-liquid diet, whereupon after several months, his lollipop licker developed a layer of black hair.
Dermatologists subsequently took mucus samples, which revealed that he had a condition known as “black hairy tongue” (or lingua villosa nigra), where one’s filiform papillae — tiny conical protrusions on the tongue 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.
The retch-worthy ailment — which most commonly affects adults over 40 — is often attributed to poor oral hygiene. However, LVN has also been linked to medications, including penicillin and tetracycline, certain brands of mouthwash, as well as tobacco and alcohol use.
It is suspected that the man’s diet of soft foods and liquids — which do not abrade the tongue’s surface like their hard counterparts — caused the condition.
And while this oral patina is generally harmless, the patient sought treatment after his tongue developed yellow stains due to food getting stuck in the fur.
Fortunately, doctors were able to trim these lingual locks. “The patient and caregivers were given advice regarding proper cleansing measures, and the discoloration resolved after 20 days,” per the case report.
Despite its alien-seeming symptoms, LVN is actually quite common with 13 percent of adults experiencing the condition in their lifetime, according to the American Academy of Oral Medicine.
In order to prevent one’s stamp moistener from sprouting a beard, doctors recommend scouring it twice a day with a toothbrush or even a tongue scraper. In other words, you should brush your tongue to avoid needing to comb it.
In a similarly hairy situation in 2018, a 55-year-old woman suffered from black hairy tongue syndrome after taking antibiotics to treat wounds sustained during a car accident.