Smoker’s Melanosis
Smoking has many more consequences than lung cancer, one of which is smoker’s melanosis. We tell you all about these black spots that appear in the mouth of smokers.
Being a smoker brings with it many problems. It is really harmful to health, although people are unaware of all the pathologies that can be associated with this habit, beyond lung cancer. One of them is known as smoker’s melanosis.
Melanosis consists of the appearance of dark colored spots on the skin and mucous membranes. It is a benign process, but it tends to be confused with much more complex processes such as oral cancer. Both situations are characterized, at first, by dark spots in the mouth.
Currently, it is estimated that around 8 million people die each year as a result of tobacco. In addition, it does not simply affect the smoker, but can also worsen the health of all those around him.
The number of smokers continues to increase, and perhaps the reason for this is that the population is still not aware of all its negative effects. Therefore, in this article we explain what smoker’s melanosis consists of and how to treat it.
What is smoker’s melanosis?
As we have already mentioned, melanosis is characterized by dark spots appearing in the mouth, mainly on the gums. It is a benign and reversible situation. According to scientists, it is caused entirely by tobacco.
This means that there are no genetic factors that, a priori , intervene in the appearance of these spots. In addition, although they appear mainly from smoking, they can also arise from chewing tobacco.
Smoker’s melanosis is due to the fact that some components of tobacco stimulate the melanocytes of the mucosa. Melanocytes are the cells that are responsible for producing melanin. This is the substance that determines the color of the skin.
Melanosis is estimated to affect around 30% of all smokers. The factors that most influence the development of this pathology are the time that has been smoked and, also, the amount of tobacco that is consumed.
Additionally, it is usually accompanied by bad breath and yellowing of the teeth. In principle it is only an aesthetic problem. However, the truth is that melanosis can cause certain more serious diseases, such as cancer, to go undetected.
How to differentiate melanosis?
As we have explained, the importance of melanosis is that it is easily confused. That is, a person who has dark spots in the mouth from smoking can have different pathologies. It could be cancer.
Oral cancer is closely related to being a smoker. In fact, almost 8 out of 10 people with oral cancer are smokers. The symptoms of this pathology are varied. The first sign to appear is usually in the form of color changes in the mucosa.
However, cancer is not the only pathology with which melanosis can be confused. It should also be noted that certain blood vessel injuries have a similar appearance. In the same way, we find other diseases such as:
- Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.
- Addison’s disease.
How is it diagnosed?
The only way to differentiate a smoker’s melanosis from another pathology is to perform a biopsy. This way the doctor makes sure that the dark spots are not signs of other pathologies. However, before performing the biopsy, the ideal is to stop smoking.
When you stop smoking, if it is really melanosis, the spots disappear over time. As we have already mentioned, it is a reversible pathology. Still, they can take even years to disappear.
Before any suspicious sign, it is best to go to the doctor
Melanosis is a benign condition. However, if you are a smoker, at any sign it is very important to see a doctor. It is necessary to check if it is melanosis or if, in fact, the spots are due to a carcinogenic process or another disease.
Of course, it is essential to avoid tobacco. All the substances it contains have negative effects on the body. Therefore, it must be borne in mind that there are forms of therapy, medications and many other ways to quit this habit.
