Yellowing: Is it "Natural" or does it constitute "Damage"?

- Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?

Yellowing on resin is kind of like a patina on copper -- it happens, and there's no stopping it from happening. It's merely a natural feature of the material itself. Even a doll that isn't handled daily or carted around in the sun will yellow, although it may not be quite as dramatic. Mine have doubtless all yellowed somewhat, since I've had all of them for at least four years. That said, I don't really notice it on anyone but my two white-skin dolls. One of them isn't yellow; he's green. (Go go Luts beauty green batch!) It's nothing I care to change, though -- we kind of just ran with it and he wears a lot of green, which just makes it more noticeable. I find it oddly charming.

- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?

I'd consider yellowing 'unacceptable' if it was dramatically uneven. I think a lot of dolls are going to yellow a bit unevenly; my DoC has somewhat yellower hands because he's always clothed but his hands are always exposed. It's not supremely noticeable, though. If a doll had virtual 'tan lines', that might be a different story entirely.

- Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?

Depends on what you mean by 'very yellowed'. Banana yellow, probably not (although I've honestly only ever seen one doll that falls into that realm). But I've my eye on a rather old sculpt, so I daresay I wouldn't even be able to find one that wasn't somewhat yellowed. You deal with it, if you want that sculpt badly enough (and I do).

 

Polyurethane, like most other organic polymers, is going to change with age. How much or how little will depend on the exact chemical composition and the dyes or paints used, but in general a slight alteration in tone is inevitable. Exposure to UV light will often enhance the process, but it can't be completely avoided even if you keep the doll sealed in a lightproof box for the next century (and what fun would that be for you OR for her?). In a way, the yellowing of resin dolls can be compared to the loss of collagen in human skin, which causes wrinkles and dryness. We do our best to slow the signs of aging in ourselves, and nobody wants to look old, but in the end it proves we're survivors. Looking older than twenty doesn't mean a person is "damaged" (however much society thinks otherwise), and aged resin should not be viewed as "damaged", either. I wear the wrinkles on my face with pride, and any resin doll I have for many years will wear her yellowing the same way.

Look on the positive side: resin is a lot less likely to deteriorate than many other plastics. Certain blends of vinyl can leach chemical plasticizers and even turn as brittle as dry straw with time. If yellowing is the only problem you ever experience with your doll, be thankful she's not either turning into a puddle of goo or slowing cracking to pieces.

 

Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?
Erm..its a natural thing , it happen to all dolls if they are a few years old

- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"
I don't know i mean when its even yellowed it could be pretty

- Would you buy a very yellowed doll?
Well i have an Yellow skin doll that doenst bother me , i dindt care much because it was my first doll but she as yellowed a bit on the knees and arms and another doll of mine from Resinsoul have yellowed chest
but hey it happens . and if i found an natural yellow doll and i like the mould very much it wouldnt bother me tho.

 

I like to think it's natural. I think of it like a cotton dress that you know is going to shrink when you wash it, so you buy it in a larger size to prepare for it. So, I think it's just about realizing it's going to happen and then planning for it and accepting it.

 

- Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?
I think yellowing is like ageing
- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?
When yellowing is uneven
- Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?
I would not because I don't/ would have time to "fix" it

 

Whether or not I'd consider it damage would seriously depend on the age of the doll in question. Say I'm interested in a specific doll, if that doll came out 6 months ago I would not expect the doll to have much natural yellowing if any at all. Therefore if that 6 month old doll has some seriously heavy yellowing, like it was deliberately left in the sun that entire time, then yes I would considered that doll "damaged" because a doll that young should not be that yellowed.

If, say, the doll I'm looking at came out 5 years ago, any yellowing it had incurred would be expected and therefore considered natural because a doll that old would probably have some considerable yellowing on it.

I would not buy a heavily yellowed new doll, but I might consider a yellowed old doll for the reasons stated above. As for "fixing" it? Depends on how bad it looks.

 

- Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?
I think it is feature of some kind of resin and sometimes it is a improper care.
- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?
When it looks unnaturally already.
- Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?
I think i wouldn't. Exept may be very old and limited mold and very beloved. I would try to fix it with make up. Because i don't like yellow skin XD

 

It certainly depends on how they yellow. If the doll is a normal skin that yellows well and makes them look more "real" instead of just a pale pinkish person, then I would not tamper with the yellowing. Most of the normal skins I see age very very gracefully, and their yellowing just makes them look a touch tanner or darker skinned.

However, white skins are another story. I was given a badly yellowed white skin, and it looked HORRIBLE. I was able to bleach away a lot of the yellow, but it's still there. I know in the future that I will have to bleach again, which keeps me from buying white skins in general. And don't get me starting on the 'greening' in tan dolls!

I suppose it all depends on the doll's skin type.

 

Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?
I think it depends on the type of yellowing- if it's either even all over or only in areas where the resin was exposed regularly (i.e. not covered by clothing) then that's not a big deal to me- but if it's yellowed unevenly to the point that it's obvious someone left it sitting on a hot windowsill in the middle of summer or something, I would consider that damage because it's a direct result of someone's neglect.

When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?
To me it's not the amount of yellowing itself, but the behavior of the person selling a yellowed doll. If someone were honest and upfront about a doll having heavy, uneven yellowing, it's fine if I love the sculpt enough to buy it anyway, because I bought it with the knowledge that it had that kind of yellowing. But if someone said it had little to no yellowing and it arrives looking like someone squirted lemon juice all over it, I would have a problem with that and would find it unacceptable.

Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?
If I saw a sculpt that I absolutely loved and knew I couldn't get it anywhere else, then I would buy a yellowed doll. I would probably try to fix it if the yellowing was really dark, but a little bit wouldn't bother me.

 

I don't see it as being damaged, but I would judge each doll individually and make a decision. If it is a discontinued sculpt that I was after then I would get it.

 

-Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?

Yellowing is pretty inevitable when it comes to dolls, especially white-skinned. I think the only case where I would consider it damage is with an uncaring owner who leaves their doll out in the sun (unless you're trying to yellow on purpose) and things related.

- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"
I wouldn't buy an unevenly yellowed doll unless I knew I could work with it. If it's blotchy I don't have the skills to help the doll.

- Would you buy a very yellowed doll?
It depends. My Unoa has turned from an ivory color to a cream base over the years and I still love her! I think as long as the yellowing isn't too off from a realistic skin tone I wouldn't have a problem with it.

 

oopsie I double posted. :P

 

- Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?
Yellowing is definitely natural. I would only consider it to be damage if the owner left their doll out in direct sunlight, causing yellowing that would happen over many years in a short amount of time.

- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?
When the yellowing looks extremely unnatural and uneven.

- Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?
Depends on the sculpt and the price. I probably wouldn't attempt to fix it myself, however I might let a customizer do it. It would depend on the face-up though, if it was an LE face-up I couldn't bring myself to wipe it in order to correct the yellowing. It just depends on the sculpt and how bad the yellowing is.

 

Yellowing doesn't really seem to be too bad in my book. It happens and there's not much you can do about it. If there is a slight amount of yellowing or the yellowing is pretty uniform, I wouldn't see it as too much of a problem. However, when yellowing is extreme,like patches all over the body or something, that's probably a red flag.

 

I'd love to see your green doll! That made me smille and I didn't saw it.

 

I just bought a doll off of my friend--she's had her for about 5, maybe 6 years.
She had almost pure white skin the first time I saw her. Buuut.
She's yellowed an awful lot, she's the most yellow one on the shelf now! Hahah.

But, this doesn't bother me. The doll itself was in, basically, new condition.
And I loved her sculpt and face-up, so I was able to ignore the yellowing.
It doesn't bug me, it just happens! Though, I'd probably cover more of the doll's body if the yellowing were to be uneven, or... Splotchy, I guess. But, I'd still be able to ignore it, I think!

 

It's totally natural for a doll to yellow and there's no changing that, you can slow it down and fix it down the line but it will never be the same pristine colour after it was first cast. Yellowing doesn't bother me in itself as some resin turns a nicer creamy shade as it yellows. As long as the yellowing was uniform and the seller was honest about it I wouldn't be bothered by it if I was thinking about buying the doll, you have to accept most older sculpts will be yellowed.

 

This is a great topic and one I was just thinking about tonight. I stayed away from BJDs for so long because I was afraid that they would yellow and look terrible or become so floppy I wouldn't know what to do with them anymore. I would say yellowing is something natural that occurs with the resin, but I wonder how the non-normal colors will age. I have some peach and real skin dolls and I wonder what will happen to them after a while. I had a Narae I purchased years ago and I kept her out of sunlight in a dark room. When I first got her she was a greyish color, but after years she became more golden and less grey, so for her I think she "aged" well. I think yellowing becomes unacceptable when the yellowing is uneven so you really notice it? Like if one leg or arm was really yellow while the other remained unchanged? I don't know. If you take care of your dolls and keep them out of sunlight and artificial light as much as possible would the yellowing occur unevenly or always even? I'd had very few BJDs very long since I really just started. Narae was my oldest doll and she looked great. I also had 2 four year old Iplehouse JIDs and I couldn't tell whether they yellowed or not. I'd say no since their resin is a match to my newer dolls. Would I buy a yellowed doll? If I really liked her absolutely. Would I try to fix it? Probably not. Do I think if I were selling a yellowed doll others would perceive the yellow as damage? Yes, I do think buyers would see it as damage and expect a nice discount. Maybe not all would, but it's been my experience that people want their second hand dolls to be as "mint" as possible so that they may have the longest play time with them achievable. I can understand that.

 

Yellowing is natural to a resin dolls. As time pass eventually they will turn "yellow" no matter how good we take care of them.
I would not mind to get a yellowed doll. However, I will consider the age of the doll. If the doll is relatively new and turn yellow very quickly, I personally will not purchase them.

 

Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?

To me it is both. Most resin yellows over the time so it is natural. But nearly all of my dolls have white skin and when it yellows that's definitely damage to me because I want my white dolls to be white. It would be ok to me if normal or tan skin yellowed.


When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?

When a white doll is no longer recognizable as a white doll and looks like it is normal skintone. And uneven yellowing is pretty unacceptable, too.


Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?

I would if I'd plan to dye it anyways or it would be even and look pretty good and suit the doll.