CALIFORNIA, USA

For more than a decade Paul Karason, the 57-year-old man, has been living with a blue face.

Fourteen years ago, Karason developed a bad case of dermatitis, which results in swollen, reddened and itchy skin. He started self-medicating, using a treatment called colloidal silver, which is made by extracting silver from metal.

Often touted by manufacturers as a cure-all, colloidal silver usually is found in a liquid form. Looking for relief, Karason drank the concoction and rubbed it on his skin something the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not recommend.

His skin slowly turned blue.

"The change was so gradual that I didn't perceive it and other people around me likewise," said Karason.

"It wasn't until a friend I hadn't seen in several months came by my parent's place to see me and he asked me 'what did you do?.'"

The FDA does not consider colloidal silver safe or effective to treat any disease or condition.

In fact, taking colloidal silver could have serious side effects, such as:

- Argyria which is an irreversible blue-gray discoloration of your skin, nails and gums

- Seizures and other neurological problems

- Kidney damage

- Indigestion

- Headaches

- Fatigue

- Skin irritation

Karason, who recently moved from Oregon to Californa, said it hasn't been easy living with blue skin. I do tend to avoid public places as much as I can," he said.