A man in the US has been left looking and feeling blue after using silver extract to treat a skin condition
Paul Karason was fair skinned and freckled 14 years ago - before he developed a bad case of dermatitis caused by stress.
When it got so bad that the skin on his face began to peel and crack he started using a substance called colloidal silver.
The product is reportedly made by extracting silver from metal into water with an electrical current and it is then taken as a drink.
But the 57-year-old has said drinking the potion did not cause his skin to discolour - the change in hue happened when he rubbed he potion directly onto his face.
"The change was so gradual that I didn't perceive it and other people around me likewise," he said.
Advertisement "It wasn't until a friend I hadn't seen in several months came by my parents' place to see me and he asked me 'What did you do?'"
His girlfriend, Jackie Northup, added: "The only time now I really think about it or notice it is if we're out in public and people start staring."
Describing him as a "very kind man with a big heart" Ms Northup said she hopes people learn to accept the way he looks.
Mr Karason has moved from Oregon to California hoping to find acceptance but said: "I do tend to avoid public places as much as I can."
But he said he was optimistic about being accepted for who he is. He said: "I think that will happen here. Where I was, I rather doubt it would have but this is a different kind of community."
Feeling Blue: Man's Skin Changes Colour
Posted - Apr 21 2008 : 10:15:06
