'SNL' Alum Kate McKinnon Was Diagnosed With a Geographic Tongue

Saturday Night Live alum Kate McKinnon has opened up about discovering that she has a geographic tongue. She joked about it in an interview with PEOPLE Magazine. The diagnosis came up when Kate was asked to share the last screenshot or picture she had taken on her phone, to which she said was a photo of her tongue.

The 41-year-old comedian admitted that she doesn't find the condition aesthetically pleasing. Therefore, she described her geographic tongue in two words:

"It's gross!"

What is a geographic tongue?

The Mayo Clinic says a geographic tongue is an inflammatory but harmless condition affecting the surface of the tongue. It's called geographic tongue because the tongue sheds in patches and looks like an atlas, hence the name geographic tongue.

The Mayo Clinic added that patches on the tongue are missing papillae, which are tiny, pinkish-white bumps. The patches will typically appear in one area and then move to a different part of the tongue, making it look like places on a map.

The condition doesn't cause health issues. It doesn't bother some people, but others have admitted that sometimes their tongue is sensitive to certain foods, including spices, salt, and sweets.

Good news about a geographic tongue

Even though the tongue looks gross, according to Kate McKinnon, there is some good news about the condition to keep you from worrying about it if you ever get one.

• A geographic tongue is not cancerous.
• It doesn't cause health issues.
• A geographic tongue is harmless.
• There are no symptoms.
• There is no known cause for it.
• There are no side effects.
• It does not affect taste.
• It does not keep people from eating.
• It does not keep anyone from drinking.
• It does not stop you from chewing gum.
• It doesn't require medication or any other treatment.
• No one knows you have the condition unless you show them.
• The condition is not contagious.
• It is usually not painful.
• The condition is usually not permanent.
• The condition heals on its own. However, you can get it more than once.
• It will not make you sick.
• The tongue doesn't cause death.
• It does not cause bad breath.
• It does not prevent you from cleaning your tongue when you brush your teeth.

How common is a geographic tongue?

Experts estimate that approximately only 3% of all people worldwide have or have had a geographic tongue. It is hard to pinpoint because most people do not seek medical care when they have it.

I have had a geographical tongue. I did seek medical advice, but there was nothing that could be done about it. I accepted the situation because it did not bother me. Therefore, I forgot that I had it. Then one day, I saw that it had disappeared as quickly as it had come. That was over 20 years ago, and it has not returned. I still don't know what caused it, and what caused it to disappear.

Disclaimer

Usually, I post photos within my articles. However, I decided not to include any geographic tongues because like Kate McKinnon, I think they are gross. You can find plenty of photos with that condition online. If you can't find a photo, know that the tongue looks like an atlas.

Here are links with more information:

• Geographic Tongue: Mayo Clinic
• Geographic Tongue: Cleveland Clinic
• Geographic Tongue: WebMD

Have you ever had a geographic tongue? Feel free to comment about this article.