What Is Smoker’s Melanosis And What Are Its Consequences?

What is smoker melanosis? Smoker’s melanosis is just one of the potential dangers of smoking. We all know that being a smoker brings with it many problems. Tobacco is harmful to health, although people are not aware of all the problems that can be associated with this habit, apart from lung cancer.

Melanosis consists of the appearance of dark spots on the skin and mucous membranes. It is a benign process, but people confuse it with more complex processes, such as oral cancer. At first, both situations are characterized by dark spots in the oral cavity.

Researchers estimate that approximately 8 million people die each year from smoking. Smoking not only affects the smoker, but also the health of others. The number of smokers continues to grow, as the population is not fully aware of all the negative effects of tobacco. Therefore, below, we will explain what is smoker’s melanosis and how to treat it!

What is smoker’s melanosis?

As already mentioned, melanosis is characterized by the appearance of dark spots in the mouth, mainly on the gums. It is a benign and reversible condition. According to scientists, it is caused entirely by smoking.

There are no genetic factors that affect the appearance of these spots. In addition, although the main cause is smoking, stains can also be caused by chewing tobacco. Smoker’s melanosis occurs because some components of tobacco stimulate the melanocytes of the mucous membranes. These are the cells responsible for producing melanin, the substance that determines the color of the skin.

Researchers estimate that melanosis affects about 30% of smokers. The factors that most influence the development of this disease are the time period and the amount of tobacco consumed.

Also melanosis is often accompanied by bad breath and yellow teeth. In principle, it’s just an aesthetic issue. But the truth is that melanosis can lead to difficult detection of more serious diseases, such as cancer.

How is melanosis differentiated?

As I explained above, the danger of melanosis is that it is easy to confuse. In other words, a person who has dark spots in his mouth due to smoking may have other health problems. It could be cancer.

Oral cancer is closely linked to smoking. In fact, almost 8 out of 10 people with oral cancer are smokers. The symptoms of this pathology are varied. The first sign that appears is a change in the color of the mucous membranes.

However, cancer is not the only health problem that people often confuse with melanosis. Certain lesions of the blood vessels have a similar appearance. There are also other diseases, such as:

• Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
• Addison’s disease

How is it diagnosed?

The only way to differentiate smoker’s melanosis from another more serious disease is to perform a biopsy. In this way, the doctor makes sure that dark spots are not signs of other problems. Before performing the biopsy, the patient must quit smoking.

When you stop smoking, if it is melanosis, the spots will go away on their own. It is a reversible problem. Even so, it may be years before the stains go away.

In conclusion…

Melanosis is a benign condition. But if you are a smoker, it is very important to consult a doctor for any signs of illness. You need to check if it is melanosis or if the spots are the result of a cancerous process or other disease.

In addition, you should avoid smoking at all costs. All the substances that tobacco contains have negative effects on the body. Therefore, you should consider different forms of therapy, medications and other ways to give up this habit.