Updated: June 2026
What is argyria?
Argyria is a rare, permanent, cosmetic blue-grey tint to the skin, caused by heavy, prolonged exposure to silver over months or years. It is the condition behind the “blue man” stories — and it takes far more silver than sensible external use.
This guide covers whether colloidal silver turns you blue: what argyria really is, the true story of the blue man, and why argyria is genuinely rare.
It is the first thing many people have heard about colloidal silver, and it is a fair question to ask.
So here is an honest answer, with the real numbers. For more straight answers, see our colloidal silver questions answered.
UK-made colloidal silver, in dark glass
Double-purified water — reverse osmosis, then distilled — with real silver. Made in the UK.
Will colloidal silver turn me blue?
Turning blue is a real condition called argyria, but it is rare and linked to heavy, prolonged silver intake over months or years.
That is far beyond how our products are meant to be used. It is not something that happens from sensible external use.
What is argyria, exactly?
It is a build-up of silver in the body that can give the skin a blue-grey tint.
It is permanent and cosmetic. It does not fade, but by itself it is not considered dangerous, and it is genuinely uncommon — developing only from prolonged, heavy exposure built up over many months to years.
What actually happened to the “blue man”?
The famous case is an American man, Paul Karason — and what usually gets left out is how much silver it took.
He made his own colloidal silver at home and, for a long period, drank around ten ounces of it a day. On top of that, he rubbed a silver salve into his face every day, for years.
It was that extreme, sustained combination — homemade silver, swallowed daily and applied to the skin, over many years — that caused it.
So will normal use turn me blue?
The cases you read about involve amounts and timescales far beyond normal use.
We won’t pretend any silver product is completely without risk. But we sell ours for external use only, we don’t tell you to drink it, and we make no medical claims about it.
What do you do on your side?
We can’t control how a product is used, but we can be straight about what is in the bottle.
- A known strength — every bottle is a stated 10, 100 or 200 ppm, so there are no surprises.
- Two-stage water — reverse osmosis, then distilled, so the bottle holds only silver and clean water.
- Dark glass — bottled in dark glass, never plastic, and sold for external use only.
There is more in is colloidal silver safe? and our colloidal silver ppm explained guide.
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Why buy from Health is a Choice
We make our colloidal silver in the UK, the way we would want it for our own family. We don’t purify our water once — we do it twice.
It is first cleaned by reverse osmosis, then distilled on top of that, before we suspend real silver in it and bottle it in dark glass — never plastic.
- Made and bottled in the UK
- Bottled in dark glass, never plastic
- Double-purified water: reverse osmosis, then distilled
- Available in 10, 100 and 200 ppm
- 100ml dropper, 100ml spray and 500ml refill
- Free Royal Mail Tracked 48 on every order
Related guides
- Colloidal silver: your questions answered
- Is colloidal silver safe? What to know
- Colloidal silver and the MHRA: where we stand
- Colloidal silver: the complete UK guide
Made in the UK · Dark glass, never plastic · Free Royal Mail Tracked 48
Last updated: June 2026
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. We make no medical claims. If you have a health concern, please speak to your GP or pharmacist.
