Argyria Symptoms, Causes & More
Article Sources
- 1. Wadhera, Akhil, and Max Fung. ‘Systemic Argyria Associated with Ingestion of Colloidal Silver.’ Dermatology Online Journal, 1 Jan. 2005, escholarship.org/uc/item/0832g6d3
- 2. Bracey, Nathan A, et al. ‘Argyria Caused by Chronic Ingestion of Silver.’ CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal = Journal De L'Association Medicale Canadienne, Joule Inc., 5 Feb. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5798984/#:~:text=Argyria refers to benign grey,/doi:10.1503/cmaj
- 3. Almurayshid, Abdurrahman, et al. ‘Effective Laser Treatment Options for Argyria: Review of Literatures.’ Wiley Online Library, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 3 July 2020, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jocd.13549
The Degree of Skin Discoloration
Factors that determine the degree of skin discoloration include the silver levels in the body, amount of sun exposure and duration of the condition. Higher silver levels cause more discoloration.
Melanin causes the skin to darken, and exposure to sunlight increases melanin production. In argyria, silver particles trigger excess melanin when the skin is exposed to sunlight, making the face, neck and arms appear darker. The skin may turn blue in the early stages of argyria. Over months or years, the area may turn slate-gray.
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