Hyperpigmentation of the papillae (tongue)

jenny121 · (#1 (**permalink**))

Hi just wondering if anybody suffers from , has had , knows someone who has , hyperpigmentation of the papillae. This is on the tongue not the skin.
It is the darkening of the tongue eg the taste buds look like there are black spots on the tongue or there are patches of dark areas on the tongue.
I currently suffer from this, it is not painful, its just unsightly.
I have read up on it and have found out that it mainly occurs in people with darker skin tones
If anyones knows of a treatment available or a support group or some more information on health professionals that might be able to help please reply.
Thanxs

jenny121 · (#2 (**permalink**))

If anone can look up treatment for hyperpigmentation of the papillae ( dark patches on the tongue or brown spots etc) that would be great. You might come across some info on treatment that i have not found. Maybe you might know some health professional who might have some info on it. Again i would be very grateful.
I realise that no one replied to my first post but many did look. To those that viewed my post i take it that you might not have heard of it the condition. Please feel free to discuss it with anyone you never know they might be able to help

thanx

name · (#3 (**permalink**))

Only thing I could suggest is a trip to the doctor to ask about this.

jenny121 · (#4 (**permalink**))

Yes i went some time ago to my local doctor and she was of no help really.
Obvisously having something like the symptoms i described is not great for my self esteem. So she wanted to give some antidepressants. No actual help for what i had. I took them for a while but stopped . Luckily i did because it has now come to light they cause suicidal thoughts and behaviour !!! But anyway i still have what i have with no luck in getting rid of it. Like i said before if anyone knows of a health professional who has heard of the condition i have let me know , ta !

name · (#5 (**permalink**))

Guess no one else knows. I did ask a few people and nobody could really think of anything.

Only other thing I could guess at is it could be your diet. For me Pork and Soy aren't good for my skin and caused dark patches. I used Black soap to take care of it. Who knows, there could be some sort of parallel with the tongue. Also -I'm kinda half guessing, half remembering stuff I've heard, for Black people hyperpigmentation of the skin is usually caused by bruising/cutting yourself (I think). You haven't kept burning your tongue or something like that (sorry if it sounds patronizing).

Ever thought about the types of foods you're eating?

jenny121 · (#6 (**permalink**))

It could be related to what i eat. I dont really eat much red meat but i know what you mean. And i always make sure that my food is at a sufficient temperature that it wont burn my tongue lol
Its ok though , i have been trying this mouth wash which contains aloe vera amongst other things. I use that and scrub my tongue at the same time . I have been doing that now for a couple of days so i am hoping to see a change if not an improvement.
I do get dark patches on my skin though. So i am interested in that soap you were talking about. What is the name and where cn i get it? does it work on old dark marks / patches on the face and body?

name · (#7 (**permalink**))

Talking about the soap?

Well I don't have any chronic skin conditions (eczema etc), but remembered reading about it here and gave it a go. I just typed in 'Black soap'/'African Black Soap' in a browser, read up on it's properties and (potential) benefits etc. I just bought it from a supplier on Ebay, then found a Nigerian couple selling bars where I live and decided to use them.

Best just to read up and find out for yourself. Personally I found that it 'evened', 'softened' and all that jive just like stated. Also as a guy I feel a lot better using one soap rather than faffing around with pots of this and that like a dame.