A man’s tongue in the US state of Ohio turned green and grew hair on it, after he smoked cigarettes while taking antibiotics. A detailed study on the subject was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
According to the research publication, an anonymous 64-year-old smoker reported to the doctor, after weeks of taking the antidote and smoking at the same time, that his tongue had changed color and light hair had appeared on it, reports Al-Rai daily.
Doctors diagnosed his condition as an “abnormal layer” of skin cells that form on the tongue when the filiform papillae, which are small conical bumps containing taste buds, swell and change color due to the accumulation of bacteria.
This gives them the appearance of hair, which can grow to nearly an inch long if the tongue is not scraped regularly.
And the American Academy of Oral Medicine wrote: “The hairy tongue may appear brown, white, green, or pink, depending on the specific cause and other factors, such as mouthwash or even candy,” according to what was published by “Russia Today.”
Another reason for the patient’s tongue turning green could be that doctors later learned that the man had just finished a regimen of the antibiotic clindamycin for a gum infection.