What Is Hairy Tongue?

By james

Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky

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Our tongues are very important to us. Without them, we would not be able to taste our food. Without a sense of taste, we would find it difficult to detect which foods might be harmful to us. Not being able to taste our food will also make food a lot less appealing, potentially resulting in the patient not getting enough nutrition.

There are some medical conditions that can affect the tongue, one of which is hairy tongue. It is a fairly mild condition, which is a good thing, especially considering hairy tongue is also quite common. Here’s a closer look at the condition and what we can do to prevent and/or treat it.

1. Hairy Tongue?

As the name suggests, hairy tongue condition is one where the patient appears to have hair growing on their tongue. While it may appear as though hair is growing on the tongue, however, there is no hair involved in the condition.

Hairy tongue is a relatively common condition and around 13% of people are expected to develop it at some point in their lives. It can affect anybody, but men are more likely to develop it than women are. It is also more likely to happen in older people than in younger people. The condition can cause other symptoms also in a small number of cases.