What Is The Disease Of Smoker Melanosis?

Melanosis in a smoker is just one of the many potential side effects of smoking. It is known that smoking can be associated with a wide range of problems. It is very harmful to health and people are not aware of all the health problems it causes, in addition to lung cancer.

In melanosis, dark spots appear on the skin and mucous membranes. It is a good quality process, but it can be easily confused with more complex processes such as oral cancer. Both diseases are initially associated with the appearance of dark spots in the oral area.

Recently, researchers have estimated that about eight million people die each year as a result of smoking. Smoking not only affects the smoker himself, but also the health of the people around him.

The number of smokers continues to grow, possibly due to a lack of awareness of the negative effects of smoking. For this reason, in today’s article, we want to tell you what kind of disease a smoker’s melanosis is and how it can be treated.

What is smoker’s melanosis?

As already mentioned, melanosis is associated with the appearance of dark spots in the mouth, mainly in the gums. This is a good quality and manageable space. According to researchers, melanosis is entirely due to smoking.

This means that genetic factors have no effect on the onset of this disorder. Although smoking is the cause of these dark spots, they can also originate from chewing chewing tobacco.

Smoker’s melanosis originates because some of the tobacco ingredients stimulate mucosal melanocytes. Melanocyte cells are responsible for melanin production. This ingredient determines the color of the skin.

According to researchers, melanosis affects about 30% of all smokers. The development of this disease is influenced by, among other things, how long a person has smoked and the amount of tobacco smoked.

In addition to dark spots, there is bad breath and jaundice. Basically, it’s just aesthetic disadvantage. However, melanosis can unnoticed lead to the detection of more serious diseases such as cancer.

How to identify melanosis?

Melanose is easily confused with other health problems, including cancer.

Oral cancer is closely related to smoking. Nearly eight out of ten smokers suffer from oral cancer. The symptoms of this disease vary widely. The first sign is often the discoloration experienced by the mucous membranes.

However, oral cancer is not the only disease in which melanosis is easily confused. It is important to know that certain types of vascular lesions manifest in the same way. Other diseases in which melanose can be mixed include:

• Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
• Addison’s disease, i.e. adrenal insufficiency

How is melanosis in a smoker diagnosed?

The only way to differentiate a smoker’s melanosis from any other possible disease is to perform a biopsy, that is, to take a biopsy. In this way, the doctor will be able to determine that the dark spots are not signs of any other disease. However, it would be recommended that the patient quit smoking before taking the biopsy.

When you stop smoking and if it really is melanosis, the dark spots disappear on their own over time. As we have already mentioned, this is a treatable disease. However, it can take years before dark spots disappear completely.

Final summary

Melanosis is a good quality ailment. If you are a smoker, it is a good idea to see a doctor for any signs of this condition. Dark spots should be checked to make sure they are melanosis or some other disease such as cancer.

In addition, smoking should be avoided at all costs. All the ingredients in tobacco have negative effects on the human body. So it would be good to consider different therapies, medications, or other ways to stop this bad habit.