Man begins to grow thick black 'hair' on his tongue caused by no-solid diet

A man's tongue turned black and developed thick 'hair' - after he was put on a pureed diet following a stroke.

The man in question is a 50-year-old who grew a thick carpet of dead skin and bacteria on his tongue after the two months he had been eating blended meals and soups.

He then contracted the unusual but harmless condition, known medically as lingua villosa nigra. This all happened while he was in care following a stroke that left him paralyzed on the left side and made it difficult to chew.

He was taken to Medical Trust Hospital in Cochin, Kerala when his tongue showed yellow stains caused by getting food getting stuck in the "hairs."

After a simple routine recommend to rid himself of the yellow stains that featured a thorough cleaning, the condition cleared up after 20 days.

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According to the American Academy of Oral Medicine, up to 13 percent of adults suffer 'black hairy tongue' at some point in their lifetime to varying degrees.

The condition is surprisingly common and is often caused by poor oral hygiene, tobacco, irritating mouthwashes and certain antibiotics. This has mostly been spotted in those who eat mostly soft foods.

This is because harder foods scrape dead cells from the tongue as we eat.

If the papilla gets too long, debris and bacteria can pile up and trigger the condition.

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