HEALTH

I have skin coming off my tongue, like a sunburn but in my mouth! It doesn’t really hurt, but it’s making it kinda awkward to eat. What should I do?

The most common cause of a peeling tongue is actually kind of like a sunburn. When your skin peels, your body is ridding itself of a damaged layer of skin cells. That’s what’s probably happening in your mouth. If you’ve eaten a lot of acidic or spicy food lately, the surface cells on your tongue may have been damaged. When this happens, your body goes into a defensive state and gets rid of the damaged top layer that it doesn’t need anymore.

The layer of cells underneath aren’t quite used to being exposed once the damaged layer peels off, so you might experience a bit of discomfort, especially if you continue to eat acidic or spicy food. Keep your diet on the bland side for a few days and you should be just fine.

Still worried or experiencing pain? Don’t hesitate to call your doctor. There are other more serious causes of a peeling tongue and other associated symptoms, and some require medication or treatment that only your doctor can provide.

We want to hear from you! Send us your weirdest body questions here (seriously, we'll answer anything!) and it just might get featured.

by Brittany Taylor | 3/19/2018