How Is Smoker Melanosis Treated?

Smoker’s melanosis is just one of the potential dangers of smoking. We all know that being a smoker brings with it many problems. It is really harmful to health, although people are not aware of all the health 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. Both situations are characterized, at first, by dark spots in the oral cavity.

Researchers estimate that currently about 8 million people die each year from smoking. Smoking not only affects the smoker, but can also affect the health of others.

The number of smokers continues to grow. The reason is that the population is not fully aware of all the negative effects of tobacco. Therefore, in this article, 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.

This means that 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. Melanocytes are the cells responsible for producing melanin. This is 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.

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

How is smoker melanosis different?

As I explained, 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:

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. However, before performing the biopsy, the patient should quit smoking.

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

In conclusion…

Melanosis is a benign condition. However, if you are a smoker, it is very important to consult a doctor for any signs that may occur. 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.