All About Smokers’ Melanosis: One Of The Dangers Of Smoking

Smoker’s melanosis is just one of the potential dangers of smoking. We all know that being a smoker causes a lot of problems. It is really harmful to health even though people are not aware of all the health issues that may be associated with this habit apart from lung cancer.

Melanosis consists of the appearance of dark colored spots on the skin and mucous membranes. It is a benign process, but people confuse it with much more complex processes like oral cancer. Both situations are initially characterized by dark spots in the mouth.

Researchers currently estimate that about 8 million people die each year as a result of smoking. Moreover, it not only affects the smoker but can also affect the health of all other people.

The number of smokers continues to rise, and perhaps the reason for this is that the population is not yet fully aware of all its negative effects. Therefore, in this article, we explain what smoker melanosis is and how to treat it.

What is smoker’s melanosis?

As we have already mentioned, melanosis is characterized by the presence of dark spots in the mouth, mainly in the gums. It is a benign and reversible condition. According to researchers, it is caused solely by smoking.

This means that there are no genetic factors that affect the occurrence of these spots. Although the main cause is smoking, they can also be due to chewing tobacco.

Smoker’s melanosis is due to the fact that some tobacco components stimulate the mucous melanocytes. Melanocytes are the cells that are responsible for producing melanin. This is the substance that determines the color of our skin.

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

In addition, it is often accompanied by bad breath and a yellowing of the teeth. In principle, it is only an aesthetic problem. The truth is, however, that melanosis can lead to more serious diseases, such as cancer, not being detected.

How is melanosis recognized?

As we have explained, the importance of melanosis lies in the fact that it is easily confused. In other words, a person who has dark spots in the mouth due to smoking may have various health problems. It could even be cancer.

Oral cancer is closely linked to being a smoker. In fact, almost 8 out of 10 people who suffer from oral cancer are smokers. The symptoms of this pathology are different. The first sign that appears is usually in the form of color changes in the mucosa.

However, cancer is not the only health problem that people often confuse with melanosis. We also believe that it is important to know that certain lesions in the blood vessels have a similar appearance. Similarly, there are other diseases such as:

• Peutz-Jegher syndrome.
• Addison’s disease.

How do doctors diagnose it?

The only way to distinguish smoker’s melanosis from another pathology is by performing a biopsy. In this way, the doctor makes sure that the dark spots are not a sign of other problems. However, the patient should ideally stop smoking before performing the biopsy.

When they stop smoking, if it really is melanosis, the spots disappear with time. As we have already mentioned, this is a reversible problem. Still, it can take years to disappear.

Concluding remarks on smoker’s melanosis

Melanosis is a benign condition. However, if you are a smoker, it is very important to go to a doctor with any signs. You need to check if it is melanosis or if the spots are due to a cancerous process or another disease.

In addition, you should avoid smoking. All the substances it contains have negative effects on our bodies. Therefore, you should consider various forms of therapy, medication and many other ways to stop this habit.