What are the Most Common Causes of Blue Skin?

@SkittisH - Same reaction to ahain's post here, too. That's just nuts! Why didn't he just find himself some good face paint or something?

Thankfully for everybody who isn't a fantasy fanatic, as far as blue skin conditions are concerned argyria is a pretty rare one -- because most people know not to ingest enough silver to make it happen to them. I know of 11 cases in the United States that have been reported -- most of them from exactly what ahain's friend did, taking colloidal silver supplements.

Apparently you can make colloidal silver at home, and it's sold in kits by some companies who swear it cures everything under the sun. I'll bet they don't list turning permanently gray or blue on the box as one of the possible side effects!

@ahain - Oh my god, he gave himself argyria on purpose?! I hope he stays happy with being silvery blue, because that's a permanent condition! Whatever he does, he should not take any more silver, ever.

Even contact with too much silver jewelry can make the condition worse -- and while the skin coloring part might seem fun to him, the other symptoms of severe silver overdose are not so harmless. Enough silver buildup in the body can cause organ failure, vision issues and eventual failure, and other really worrisome possibilities.

A friend of mine who is just fanatical about Dungeons and Dragons and other fantasy stuff actually turned himself blue on purpose. He did this by taking colloidal silver in large quantities -- daily, every day -- and by going out into the sun a lot. Apparently going out into the sun makes the skin that was hit by it turn blue faster.

Once he turned blue enough for his liking, he quit taking the silver. The results are kind of freaky -- it looks like he literally just dyed himself blue, except that his hair (black) isn't affected for some reason. In sunlight he also has a bit of a glint to his skin. He does look like a fantasy character, though, so he seems pleased...

@indigomoth - Agreed -- better safe than sorry, especially since babies can't exactly tell you if something's really wrong and they don't feel well. It's up to you as a responsible parent to pay attention to details like blue tinges in the skin and act accordingly.

One exception to rushing to the hospital is if your baby has something called Mongolian Blue Spot. Since this is a type of birthmark, you'll probably learn about it after your baby is delivered, because the doctor is sure to notice it when examining your baby.

Mongolian Blue Spot is a rounded pale blue birthmark, and it's harmless, but it looks kind of strange -- kind of like a big bruise with cleaner edges. Anyway, if your baby has Mongolian Blue Spot then there's a blue skin condition that doesn't require medical attention.

If you just discover bruise-like spots on your baby, of course, get in to the hospital right away -- this could be a sign of some very serious conditions!

I just want to add that if you happen to notice your baby turn bluish at all, you should take them to the doctor right away.

I mean, if they really stop breathing they will turn blue and obviously you will do something about it.

But sometimes they will turn blue for a few moments, because they are having trouble breathing or whatever, and then look normal, and people will brush it off.

But it could be a sign of one of the problems listed in the article, or something else, like a defect in their nasal passages.

At any rate, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

When my mother was anemic for a while, her lips kept turning bluish which was a bit frightening for me. They would become slightly purple, and then grow bluer from there.

When she went to the doctor he showed her how if he pressed on her fingernails, they would stay pale for longer than they should.

I guess because the blood was not flowing back quickly enough?

He said you could try the same test on your gums. He just made her take some iron tablets and that seemed to work. She said she felt much less tired anyway. And her concentration came back.

But I wish she hadn't ignored her blue lips for so long. If you notice something like that you should get it checked out.