Man turns BLUE after he self-medicates for a skin condition



A man who turned blue after self-medicating for a skin condition says his hue is lightening.



Paul Karason, 58, has the strange Papa Smurf look as a side effect of using a silver compound which he used more than a decade ago to treat a bad case of dermatitis on his face.

But he told NBC's Today Show that his skin is lightening because he is now using the self-administered doses of colloidal silver less.

Lightening up: Paul Karson's skin turned blue after he used self-administered doses of colloidal silver to treat a case of dermatitis, but he rarely uses it now



'I’m in a place right now where it’s very difficult for me to make my own, and my resources are limited and it’s very expensive,' he explained to host Matt Lauer, a year after first appearing on the programme.

Colloidal silver is a suspension of silver in a liquid base - in this case, distilled water.



Silver has antibacterial properties and has been used to fight infection for thousands of years.



But it went out of use when penicillin, which is far more effective, was developed.

Karson seen, left, before he began using the medication more than a decade ago and, right, on the U.S. Today Show



It continued to be used in some over-the-counter medicines until 1999, when the FDA banned it because it causes argyria, which is a result of the silver reacting with light the same way it does in photography.



The silver collects in the skin and other organs and does not dissipate, meaning Karason will be blue for life.

Karson also revealed he has recently broke off his relationship with partner Jackie Northrup during his interview today, who he was engaged to when he last appeared on the U.S. show.

He said: '[My skin] has lightened up, it is not major but it is lightening up. I am actually going to try green.'

