A Purple Face

[Montessori Mommy]

Today in nursing school "boot camp" (a summer semester of 5 weeks of three-8 hour days with three patients on the med-surg floor) I cared for a woman who said she has rosacea. I've known people with rosacea before, but this woman's entire face was shockingly purple. Her oxygen sats were fine, and there was nothing else serious going on with her. Her coloring was like this when she was admitted. Any thoughts?? The RNs on the floor were unsure of what it was, and my instructor had no idea either. I've been researching it online, but haven't come up with anything.

Thanks,

Beth

[SaraO'Hara]

This is a shot in the dark, but I've known people who had large purple birthmarks on their faces.

[LydiaNN]

That was my thought... a rosecea like mark that is large and purple sounds like a port wine stain to me. Of course, if that was the case, this woman should have known that's what it is.

[MS._Jen_RN, ASN, RN]

I had a patient who had an almost entirely purple face r/t a very large port wine stain birth mark. It extended down her neck and on to one of her shoulders. She was almost 90 and looked pretty scary, especially in the dark 'cause she had bright white hair. She was the sweetest person though.

~Jen

[HappyNurse2005, RN]

could it be argyria?

here's another pic of it

its from overdose of silver nitrates. i had a pt who had this, he was as blue/grey as a dead smurf. everywhere. it was freaky!

he got it from eyedrops back in teh day that had the silver nitrate in them. he was in his 80s.

[LydiaNN]

I had heard of this but never seen it, until a couple years ago, a man from Guatemala came in our center. His skin was decidedly blue. And he wasn't that old, probably younger than me. The scary thing is that I've read drinking silver is making a comeback in certain circles, thought to have some crazy health benefit or the other.