Geographic Tongue

Is Geographic Tongue usually something that someone has for the rest of their life?

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

Geographical Tongue can be congenital or acquired.  If it is present since birth and it is harmless, but may be permanent. Smoking, alcoholism and prolonged use of certain medicines like antibiotics, immunosuppressive medicines, steroid inhalers etc may also lead to white spots on tongue due to papillae inflammation and cause a Geographical Tongue. Here if the causative factor is removed, then the condition may revert back to a normal tongue.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[tt140]

My mom said my brother and I were born with it, mine went away and hasnt come back until now (im 26yrs old) but he has had it almost all the time since he was a child. Does it tend to come and go or is it usually persistent it the cause it congenital?

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

Once it goes, its unlikely to recur. Congenital Geographical Tongue is more likely to persist, than the acquired ones. Just take precautions and avoid the causative factors.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[tt140]

Thank you so much for your help!