April 23, 2015
JAMA dermatology (Chicago, Ill.)
TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
- The availability of colloidal silver for purchase was assessed through Web searches. Amazon.com had 24 different ingestible liquid products containing colloidal silver on just the first search page. These products had favorable average reviews.
- Colloidal silver is readily available to our patients and appropriate questioning regarding its use may help in the prevention and diagnosis of argyria.
– Joshua Arbesman, MD
Abstract
The use of silver for medicinal purposes dates back to the eighth century ce and is still in use today. Generalized argyria is characterized by slate-gray to blue discoloration of the skin caused by cutaneous deposits of silver particles after long-term ingestion of solutions containing colloidal silver ingredients or silver salts. The skin discoloration is more prominent in sun-exposed areas and is usually permanent. There is no widely accepted effective treatment for the skin discoloration of argyria.