A New York woman’s long-time use of nose drops is being blamed for turning her face silver.
Rosemary Jacobs, 66, who – according to her Web site — was born in Brooklyn, has been struggling with the after effects of taking colloidal silver for most of her life. At the age of 11, Jacobs began taking nasal drops containing the metal substance, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Colloidal silver is the same ingredient that turned the face of Paul Karason, 57, blue.
Click here for more on Karason.
After several years of using colloidal silver-laced nose drops, a skin biopsy revealed silver particles had embedded deep beneath Jacobs’ skin, according to the report.
“They told me my color was permanent,” Jacobs told the Telegraph. “It was devastating.”
The condition, known as argyria, results from prolonged contact with or the ingestion of silver salts, Dr. Kamila Padlewska, an assistant professor at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Warsaw Medical School, Poland, wrote in a paper published on eMedicine.
The condition is characterized by a gray or gray-black staining of the skin and mucous membranes produced by the depositing of silver particles under the skin, Padlewska noted.
Jacobs underwent a series of dermatological procedures to remove the silver from her skin. To this day, however, her face still has a gray tinge.
Her mission now is to raise awareness about the dangers of taking supplements and medicines containing silver.
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