What is argyria, a condition that turns skin colour to blue?

Written By DNA Web Team | Updated: Mar 25, 2023, 02:30 PM IST

Know more about argyria, a condition which turns the skin colour to change shade and become blue.

A man with blue skin colour came into the public eye for the first time ever. Paul Karason took a homemade dietary supplement for years to cure symptoms of arthritis, dermatitis and other health conditions and as a reaction to the medication, his skin turned blue, as per Daily Mail. 

The supplements he consumed had colloidal silver which resulted in turning his skin blue. He read in a magazine that homemade silver chloride colloid has some health benefits and started drinking the homemade supplement. Karason even rubbed the silver compound solution on his face to stop his skin from flaking. Karason claimed that this supplement cured his acid reflux and arthritis. 

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What is argyria?

This remedy sure helped him but it gave him an irreversible condition called argyria. Argyria is a condition that turns the skin to turn blue or grey due to exposure to or ingestion of silver.  Blue or grey colouring in the skin is caused by the accumulation of silver compounds at various parts. It is the most dramatic symptom of argyria. It is not particularly harmful. 

According to Karason, he did not even notice the change until his friend pointed it out. Karason died in 2013 at the age of 62 after suffering a heart attack.