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Tan skin worries..... color changing?

Nov 28, 2016

    1. I have three tan (medium brown, lovely color) dolls who will turn 13 this year and as far as I can tell their resin hasn't changed a bit. I am careful to keep them out of direct sunlight, but the same can be said of my white skin doll who was produced the same year and has quite noticeably gone from a delicate pinky-white to sallow yellow.
       
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    2. I bought Miro Doll dark chocolate Mika waaay back when I was new to the hobby. She came with very blotchy color and prominant seam lines, but I chalked that up to her being an inexpensive doll.

      Currently I have a light tan/coffee Bobobie Dai and her tan is beautiful.



      Bobobie Dai
      [​IMG]
       
      #42 ParlourGoddess, Mar 14, 2022
      Last edited: Mar 14, 2022
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    3. Reviving this thread for some advice...
      I had grand doll plans of different sized 'Alice' dolls all from the same company, so that I could do Alice in Wonderland shoots where they had the same outfits, for shrink/grow fun.

      I bought a Withdoll Adriana in Real UV resin in August 2015. She arrived Jan 2016.

      In 2021 I was gifted some money from my Nana and splurged, buying 3 more Withdoll dolls at the same time, thinking that way they'd age the same. There didn't seem to be the UV option this time, but I picked Real resin colour as I thought this was the same thing and they now just included the sun protection by default.

      There was a mention down the bottom of the pages for dolls about colours changing, but also a note saying that
      'All product will be made with the highest quality sunscreen regardless of skin type.'
      I wasn't aware of any complaints with Withdoll resin and since my Adriana has aged beautifully, now over 6 years old and only slightly less red toned in areas most exposed, I wasn't worried.

      The new trio (JWD, KWD and BWD) arrived June 2021. They were kept out on my work desk, I was living with my parents until recently while we built a new house. Our temporary 'home' was a single room with very little natural light as there were only windows and a screen door at one end. However, it did have big fluroescent lights, which I had on daily when working. I was concerned when I packed them away for us to move that the new dolls all appeared to have yellowed noticably, even in the short time we were there.

      We've now been living in our new home 6 months. The new dolls have just turned 1 year old and the yellowing is now even more noticable. These dolls have been out, exposed to light, but not direct sunlight shining on them. I went to change their clothes today, getting out their other feet and hands and cried at the difference. They're only a year old and at this rate will be green in another.

      Doing research now, I didn't realise that Withdoll's 'UV' resin wasn't a coating, but a completely different resin type. So my dream of having dolls that matched, just because they're from the same company is looking less and less possible.

      I'm now panicking because my years of planning and literally over a thousand dollars is looking like it is blowing up. I was thinking I'd have these dolls for years to come, they'd make me smile and think of my Nana, and if I took care of them, they'd age together.

      From discussions here, I thought nowdays tan resin wasn't as prone to greening as it used to be, as companies continued to improve their formulas etc. To the point where I couldn't believe I was having such a colour difference after only a year. Was this a mistake? Bad batch?

      Anyone else have experience with Withdoll Real colour resin aging and the rate of yellowing/greening?
      I'll post photos later, I'm writing this at midnight because I can't sleep and just need to do something with my anxiety.

      Example image - Warning for doll nudity

      Trying out Imgur, please let me know if you can/can't see images.

      I tried to colour correct the images to as real life, but they still appear too pink to my eyes on screen. It was hard going after a while as the yellowed areas messed with my eyes compared to the non-yellowed areas and they also blew out.

      If you look hard you can see the shorts line on both the KWD and JWD. The feet and hands are by far the worst of it. I found that all 3 had significantly less on the back of their legs vs. the front. I put the heel feet on the JWD to get the best contrast between the yellowed and non-yellowed. Same with putting the BWD hands next to their yellowed hands.

      In real life the yellowed parts look lighter than the non-yellowed parts, with a definite olive colour, compared to the warm brown of the tan still in good condition.

      I think I wouldn't be so upset if they had yellowed evenly. But it is very much NOT even. With the legs and arms obviously a different colour on one side, and the hands and feet completely different.

      I could also see that the colour change on the hands wasn't consistent, as in the web of the fingers and in between there is a slight warmth compared to the discolouration of the back of the hand and top of the fingers.

      And the prospect that I did this to them, by having them out for the 6 months I was staying with my parents, which might have been avoided if I'd just had them in box, is gutting. I've now put the non-yellowed parts and one of the headcaps out in my new home, putting the rest back into their boxes, to try purposefully yellow those parts. As an experiment to try find out both
      A) Are the parts still yellowing in our new home at an accelerated rate, possibly proving the resin to be the problem.
      B) Are the parts able to yellow at a less significant rate, possibly proving the fluorescents in the previous environment to be the problem.

      I also now have the problem that we are making doll shelves with some in-built lighting and I don't want to cause aging by choosing the wrong kind of lighting set up for that either! Sigh

      [​IMG]

      [​IMG]

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      [​IMG]

      Think I've figured it out, images were too big. Hopefully they can be viewed now.
       
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    4. @Buzzibee I'm so sorry this happened to you, dear. Yes, you're right, fluorescent lamps emit UV light and they can accelerate yellowig in resin dolls. I'm no technician, I only know this because this was always one of the things besides sunlight I was cautioned against starting out in the hobby. To make it more fact-based, I've looked up some info for you in the wikipedia, so here goes:

      ... the photosensitive individuals in this case being your dolls, sadly. I know nothing about Withdoll resin and its colour-stabilizing properties, though, I'm sorry.
       
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    5. I bet LED would be pretty safe—I’m coming at this from a different angle, because I work with reptiles, which need UV. Fluorescent (previously T8, now T5 high output) is the best source of UV (in specific bulbs built to give off waaaaay more uv than a standard fluorescent. LED has absolutely taken over aquarium lighting in a huge way, but they can’t get it to make any significant amount of UV for reptiles that need it.

      I think there are types of LED they use in museums that would be the most safe, but even basic LEDs are a pretty big reduction in UV and heat output from fluorescent tube lighting. That said all my info is adapted over from a totally different hobby, so I can’t be sure!
       
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    6. Hi everyone, this is a post I’ve been meaning to make for quite a while, and only just sat down to get a final draft done (then promptly lost the draft on DoA and had to start over with an older version of the post that I had saved to my computer, lol). I tried to keep it as short as possible, but I’m by nature a blabbermouth and also getting over being sick, so please forgive my rambling. xD

      For those of you who don’t follow my Instagram, about a month after I received my Souldoll Kid Ricia in the new neutral tan skin color, I noticed she was changing color. It was mostly in places that hadn’t been covered, but she was definitely turning green (I actually think the fact that it was so uneven made it more glaring). Afterward I think I walked around my house feeling like I’d just had a bad breakup, I was so upset, because my Ricia was my dream doll. Shortly after this I emailed Souldoll about the problem, and they only asked for some photos before they said they were sending me a new one with more UV protection mixed into the resin. She came even faster than the original and looked perfect. I was so relieved and hoped that the problem was over. And it was definitely improved, because instead of greening within one month, like the first one did, it took closer to a year. But the fact remains, she still seems to be turning green.

      To give some backstory on why I know this isn’t normal (or really acceptable, because there is no disclaimer for this kind of discoloration on Souldoll’s website), I’ve had tan dolls from both Fairyland and Iplehouse, and despite the fact that I never display my dolls in direct sunlight, the rooms where I displayed them were very bright and full of indirect sun almost everyday. And yet neither my Fairyland or Iplehouse dolls showed any signs of discoloration in all the years I owned them.

      Recently, I finally emailed Souldoll to let them know that they’d improved the issue, but not fixed it. I let them know that I was sad about the discoloration but made it clear that I wasn’t asking for another replacement, because I know they’re probably hurting in this economy and I did not want to be that problem customer that causes trouble and makes ridiculous demands, lol. In response, they were very polite and asked me some questions along the lines of looking into a fix for the problem. They also thanked me for reaching out. Overall it was a very positive interaction, and I’m hopeful that they’ll be able to solve this problem so that no one else has to see their dolls turning green.

      In the meantime, because I had no use for another Ricia, one of my floating heads has been able to use the extra body. It’s nice that she’s not a floating head anymore, but that doesn't fully negate for how upsetting this was for me. If I could go back and change it, I would probably get my Ricia in normal skin so that I wouldn’t have had to deal with the issue at all (which would be sad in a way, because I almost always bond better with tan dolls). To be honest, part of me wishes that I had asked them to send me a normal skin replacement instead.

      In the end, I think because Souldoll worked so hard to fix this for me, I somehow felt like I shouldn't feel disappointed or upset that this is happening (again). I’m really thankful they replaced her, but whenever I look at her, I have to fight sadness and fear of this problem getting even worse, and the possibility that I will have to wipe her faceup (which is pretty special to me) and maybe try to blush her to get her back to a normal human color again. The reason for this post is partly just to admit that this is indeed upsetting for me, in the hopes that I’ll be able to make peace with it, find a solution, and move on.

      My other reason is just to bring awareness, because if I had known about this problem in advance, it absolutely would have affected my decision about which skin color to get my girl in. I am not posting this to bash Souldoll or damage their reputation in any way, because as far as I'm concerned they went above and beyond when I brought the problem to them. I still totally recommend them as a company. Their customer service has been great all around and their dolls are beautiful (and lovely posers as well). Heck, I’m even planning on ordering another doll from them before too long (just not in tan skin, haha).

      So that’s my experience with greening. If anyone else has had problems with tan resin turning green, with any company, feel free to share your story and what solutions you were able to find!

      (PS. As far as solutions go, sorry guys, but turning my Ricia into a fantasy character with green skin isn’t an option, because she is very much rooted in her story as a very human kickboxer, haha).

      A comparison from when the replacement first arrived in May 2021:
      [​IMG]

      Recent photos of the replacement:
      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]
       
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    7. That really sucks. I'm so sorry it's happened to you, and definitely important to know about this specific company/ Resin combo. It really looks like a tan version of the eventual color bleaching out effect that I have had on very very few of my ns dolls over a very long period of time. (Where instead of getting more yellow or darker they just get very very pale).
      Just want to give you a virtual hug. I would feel really crummy too, especially, I understand wanting to not hold it against them, but it doesn't make it not a problem. :hug:
       
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    8. Oh no! I'm so sorry the tan isn't stable - surely the greening is understandable in 5+ years, but mere months to a year is definitely heartbreaking to see. I can see how Souldoll didn't know, given that they offer tan rarely, I guess it's a learning experience for all.

      My Dollmore Tara is NS, but looking at her closely, she's greened in a similar way - I assume it's the red pigment breaking down that could be dyed back. There's hope that the dye could last longer than Souldoll's tan mix at least if you end up going that way.

      I know it's quite a let down but I hope it doesn't diminish your enjoyment of your Ricia by a lot, she's a lovely doll regardless (I'm always happy to see her around at least!)
       
      #49 cobaltconduct, Oct 10, 2023
      Last edited: Oct 10, 2023
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    9. It's interesting how it appears to be happening in the same places both times. I assume you don't have her facing directly into a window in both cases, so it's strange the pattern is so similar.
       
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    10. @AlisonVonderland Yes, precisely! From what I've seen and heard from others who've had discolored dolls, it seems like the red pigment fades, so that NS dolls become more yellow and tan dolls become more green. I'm not sure what secret companies like Fairyland has, but there must be a way to minimize the loss of the red pigment, because my MNF girl still looks nice and pink...

      Thanks for the kind words though, and the virtual hug. Just being able to share this problem and feel understood is very comforting to me. :hug:

      @cobaltconduct I agree, I would have understood this happening after a lot of years. Although, if my memory serves me, I've heard that normal mellowing tends to happen very evenly, and it seems like my 6-year-old MNF girl supports this. If she has changed colors, it's been so even and slight enough that I haven't noticed.

      Thank you for the kind words, and luckily I am still able to enjoy my Ricia. It's a bit bittersweet, but that doesn't change the fact that she's still my favorite of my collection, and still brings me happiness whenever I look at her. :love

      @RinSetsua That's a good point, I've never displayed her directly facing a window, so it is a bit strange. I've even moved since I got her, and my new place doesn't get nearly as much sun as my old house (which could have contributed to how much slower she's changing color, now that I think about it). All I know is, it's the spots that weren't covered by hair/clothes that are changing the most, but the why still doesn't make sense to me. It must have something to do with the light, but with windows that block UV and displaying her in a relatively dim room, it doesn't quite add up (don't think it's from lamps either, as I don't often display her right next to a lamp and the bulbs are LED anyway).
       
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    11. None of my tan dolls had any issue upon arrival and I can say they age far better than my lighter skintone dolls especially the iplehouse ebony is flauless after a decade , to me snow white and white have the least time resistance one which also displayed some uneven color change through the years was iplehouse Luna tamer in gray but this doll has gone through the hardess times as it was played the most and displayed constantly and was made back in time when iplehouse used half french resin for the colored dolls which is more luxurious to the touch and feel and maybe easier to color but sadly ages faster , they changed this formula fairly early in the eid times. At the end my tan dolls have less issues than the rest of the crew and mind you all my dolls are 10+ years old
       
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    12. I love my brown girls. Love, love, love them.
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      In the first picture, the head on the far right (11) is a Limhwa half-elf head. It is not the slightest bit green, but a gorgeous, warm honey brown. Limhwa can do a tan resin better than any other company, IMHO. The doll on the far left (1) is an Iplehouse Rexy in light brown from 2013. Not a trace of green on her, either. I think the resin is a gorgeous chocolate brown. The doll in the middle (7) is a Granado Jane. She's new (2022) - that's how the tan resin from Granado looks. I... call it corpse brown. It is desperately in need of some red tint. (She will be getting dyed.)
      In the second picture, the deep brown body is a Dollshe fashion maxi 26F body from before 2018 (2016, I think?). The color remains a gorgeous, rich deep brown (no green at all). That's Dollshe's "light tan" resin. Also, on the far right is a Raccoondoll White Emma in sweet mocha resin from 2020. If you look carefully at her face, I sanded down her nose a little, and the resin did change color (lightened a bit). No greening yet on her.

      @puppymush - while I don't own any brown Souldolls, unfortunately, yours is not the first I've read with this issue. Not even the second or third. Sadly, it appears that Souldoll pigments apparently continue to be unstable, and their tinted resins discolor astonishingly rapidly. However, my white Souldoll body is absolutely gorgeous (and so are yours!), and even if it discolors, it's not going anywhere.
      I would like to offer a suggestion to you and to @Buzzibee: color theory. If you look at the color directly across from green on the color wheel, it's red, which means that the two will "cancel" each other out and mix to create more of a brown color. I have had lots of success with a light dusting of pastel chalk over top of a resin color I wanted to change. Because of the uneven nature of the discoloration, blushing with pastel chalks would be more useful than dyeing in both of your cases.
       
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    13. Wow, I had no idea this issue was this common with Souldoll... I did hear from someone on Instagram that even Souldoll's normal skin changes pretty fast, it's just not as much of an issue since they're turning more yellow instead of green. I'm so sad because I love their dolls like crazy, I'm just struggling with the idea of getting another doll with a similar problem. :(

      Thank you so much for this tip! I did think about dyeing her but as you mentioned, the discoloration is so uneven I wasn't sure how dye would take to it. I've also heard that dye loses the red pigment over time as well and I didn't love the idea of having to dye her every few years lol. I had basically decided on the blushing route instead (my sister is a faceup artist and she uses pastels) so I'm really happy to hear you've had good luck with it! :)
       
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    14. I sincerely hope you'll just borrow materials and try it yourself. There's a series of tutorials posted by @Naomicamlux that are absolutely amazing. I've used their techniques and got results so good, even Spouse peeked over my shoulder and told me it looked really good. (Spouse is not into dolls. This is a HUGE compliment.) If you scroll down to the bottom of this post, there's a great explainer on where to blush bodies. And honestly, blushing bodies is dead simple but makes a huge difference. Just put darker pastels in any crevices, and if you want highlights, brush a lighter pastel on places where light hits the doll naturally.
      [​IMG]
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      This was my second attempt at body blushing.

      And this was my second attempt at a face-up:
      [​IMG]

      Sooooooo... yeah. Body blushing is much easier than face-ups, is what I'm saying. :lol:
       
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    15. @MaleficentMrsofEvil So you do body blushing without restringing the doll? :aeyepop: (Yes I know nothing at all about blushing, haha). Anyway, that tutorial looks great! I'm filing all this information away for when the weather gets right for faceups etc, because I'm ready to see what I can do to fix up my poor seasick girl!

      This is probably a total long shot, but I'm wondering if it might be possible to put a layer of pink on top of her current faceup instead of wiping it and starting over...I know this might wash out the darker details of the faceup, but maybe those could be touched up afterward? It's just that I love her faceup so much, I would love to be able to preserve it for a while longer! :pout:
       
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    16. It is! Just take the lashes out first and seal again. You'll also have gloss again though.
       
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    17. Ahh okay, yay! I can handle removing some lashes! :celebrate Luckily this girl doesn't have any gloss anywhere, so that's one less thing for me to worry about, hehe.
       
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