Trail Off Tuesdays: The Man Who Turned Blue

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Ever wondered what would happen if your skin turned permanently blue? Meet Paul Karason, an ordinary redheaded man whose quest for better health led to one of the strangest medical transformations documented in recent history. 

What makes this story truly fascinating isn't just the physical transformation but Paul's remarkable reaction to it. Rather than hiding away, he embraced his new appearance, even appearing on Oprah and other major shows to share his experience. 

Curious about other bizarre but true mysteries? Subscribe to Trail of Tuesdays for weekly explorations into the strange, curious, and downright weird side of reality. And if you know a peculiar story we should feature, reach out through our social media or show notes - we'd love to hear from you!

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Episode Transcript

Host (00:12):
Welcome to Trail of Tuesdays, the side of Cluetrail,
where we dig into the strange,the curious and the plain
bizarre.
These are short stories thatmake you raise an eyebrow and
say wait, what Today's episodeis about a man who turned blue

(00:35):
Not figuratively and not becausehe was sad, I mean actual blue.
His skin, his face, his handsall turned into a striking,
almost metallic blue-grey.
So what happened?
Let's take a walk down thiscurious trail.

(00:57):
Paul Karason was just youraverage guy Fair skin, red hair
and kind of quiet.
But in early 2000s somethingstarted to change for him, and

(01:23):
it wasn't subtle.
Slowly his skin began turningin an unusual shade of blue.
People stared, they even askedif this was makeup and most were
convinced it was a trick.
But no, it was definitely real.
Paul wasn't born like this.
He became blue, and it allstarted with something innocent,

(01:47):
something he believed wouldmake him healthier.
That was colloidal silver.
Paul has been dealing withsinus problems and other minor
issues for some time now, and itwas becoming more and more
annoying for him.
Instead of going theconventional route and maybe

(02:07):
take some medication, paulwanted to try an alternative
remedy first.
Nothing wrong with that.
He'd read at some point thatcolloidal silver could help, and
he was sold on the idea.
Not only did he drink it daily,he also rubbed it on his face,
and he even started making hisown potion using a device he

(02:30):
built himself.
Now you might be wondering whatis colloidal silver?
Well, it's definitely not somesort of concocted potion in a
jar.
Before the invention ofpenicillin in the 1930s,
colloidal silver was used as anantiseptic and antibiotic.

(02:51):
But here's the thing Today,science has moved on.
There's no medical evidencethat colloidal silver does what
it claimed it does cureinfections, fight viruses, boost
the immune system, you name it.
In fact, the FDA has explicitlywarned against it.

(03:13):
But Paul, like many others,believed in it, so much so that
he didn't just use it.
He made his own batches at home, using distilled water, silver
rods and electrolysis.
He created a solution that hedrank every single day.

(03:36):
He believed it helped him feelbetter, but what he didn't count
on was how it would permanentlychange him On the outside.
What Paul developed is calledArgyria.
It's a condition caused bysilver building up in the body,

(03:56):
especially under the skin.
When the skin is exposed tosunlight, those silver particles
darken.
Exposed to sunlight, thosesilver particles darken Think
Edward Cullen from Twilight, butless sparkly and less vampire.
And here's the catch Once ithappens, it doesn't go away,

(04:17):
unlike your paint-on Papa SmurfHalloween costume.
A long bath isn't cutting it.
There's no cream, no treatment,no laser that can fix it.
So Paul's skin now turn asteely blue-gray and stay like
that for the rest of his life.
Despite this, paul wasn'treally hiding it.

(04:43):
I mean, he did get some stareswhen he was living in Washington
but moved to California.
His people were known for beingmore accepting of the strange
and unusual.
In fact he even went public.
He appeared on talk shows likethe Today Show and Oprah,
telling his story, showing hisface, even explaining how he

(05:08):
made his solution.
He wasn't ashamed, just honest.
Some people were fascinated and, yes, others were skeptical and
some just laughed.
But Paul took it in stride.
You think Turning Blue would bea cautionary tale, and for many

(05:29):
it was.
But Paul didn't see it that way.
He claimed he got sick lessoften, that he felt stronger.
He never regretted takingcolloidal silver.
Still, his blue skin made himthe subject of jokes, memes and
incident legends.
But behind the headlines wasjust a man trying to take care

(05:55):
of himself the best way he knewhow, even if it was a little bit
unconventional.
You might be wondering now whydid colloidal silver impact Paul
like this?
Surely, if there were groups ofblue people in the early 90s
where everyone was usingcolloidal silver, we would have

(06:16):
known.
So why him?
The answer is fairly simple,and it lies in just how much and
how long he used it, for Pauldidn't just take small doses
here and there.
He made his ownhigh-concentration solution.
Over time, the silver particlesbuilt up in his body and his

(06:39):
skin started to change.
Whilst others might havedoubled in colloidal silver,
paul's case was extreme.
Most users don't take it insuch large amounts and for so
long as well, and very few applyit topically.
Paul passed away in 2013, at theage of 62.

(07:02):
He died of a heart attack andpneumonia, not because of the
silver.
He was a heavy smoker andunderwent a triple bypass
surgery in 2008.
But his story lives on as astrange and striking example of
what sometimes we are willing todo in the name of health, and

(07:23):
how sometimes it leaves apermanent mark.
So next time you see a bottleof natural remedy in the back
corner of a health shop, justremember Paul Karason, the man
who turned blue, chasingwellness.
Thanks for wandering off themain trail with me today.

(07:46):
Trail of Tuesdays will be backnext week with another short,
strange stop on the Clue Trail.
If you enjoyed this littledetour, make sure to follow the
show, leave a review and sharewith someone who loves the weird
sides of true stories.
And, hey, if there's a quirkycase you think we should cover,

(08:08):
drop us a message on Instagramor through the show notes.
See you next Tuesday.