Why Does Some Jewelry Turn Your Skin Green – Things to Take Care Of

Have you ever noticed a greenish hue on your skin after wearing jewelry and panicked after that because you didn’t know what was going on? While this situation can be alarming and perplexing for you, it is important for you to be educated on this, so that when it happens you know what’s going on. 

Basically, the issue behind this situation is that a chemical reaction occurs between your skin and jewelry, and you need to find out why it should be avoided. Let us look into some valuable insights about this topic and why this situation occurs so we can answer your questions on why does some jewelry turn your skin green. 

The Culprit: Metal Corrosion

Do you want to be able to understand this process with ease along with the in-depth details? If yes, then here’s an explanation for you. 

The green color on your skin happens because of corrosion by acids contained in the skin and surrounding environment, mainly when such acids act on the metals in the jewelry. The copper metal often plays the role of an electron donor in this reaction. Copper in its raw state is a reddish-brown kind of color, but when it interacts with substances such as sweat, water, lotions, or even your skin's natural pH level, it is chemically altered to copper sulfates. The copper salts are frequently greenish-blue colored, which is why your skin gets the unique tint of greenish-blue as a result. 

Learning About Your Skin 

Did you know that even though this reaction might be occurring on your skin, it isn’t necessary that this could be the same situation for everyone? Sounds interesting right? 

 In order to grip the reason why some people react to the changes in climate more dramatically than others, one need to take into account their skin's, and also subcutaneous tissues, acidity levels. The pH scale ranges from its lowest value 0 to 14, while 7 represents the neutral point on the scale. Skin relating to people is often classified as 4. 5 and 5. 

Furthermore, we determined that the pH value of our water sample is 5, which is not much exceeding the accepted acidic range. In contact with skin and metals such as copper, which are sensitive to corrosion, it may spoil the speed of reaction, and one may observe intensive discoloration.
 

Factors Influencing Metal Reactivity

 Several factors influence the likelihood and intensity of the reaction between jewelry and skin. We have listed some of the factors below.  

Metal Composition

 Jewelry made from metals that have higher copper content, like brasses and bronzes, for instance, has a high risk of causing green skin as it involves more copper ions - the main factor for green skin. 

Skin Sensitivity

For people with a more acidic or sensitive type of skin, the reaction may be more expressive, leading to faster corrosion of metals and greening on surfaces.
 

Environmental Factors

 Humidity, sweat, and contact with lotions and perfumes can provide additional resources for the corrosion to speed up, making the green color more pronounced than ever. So, if you’re someone who generally sweats more, then there are chances you might see the color green on your skin more often compared to others around you. 

Preventing Green Skin

 While it might not be possible to eliminate the risk of green skin from jewelry completely, several measures can help mitigate the likelihood and severity of the reaction.
  

Choose High-Quality Jewelry

Instead of shopping the traditional hypoallergenic metal pieces, they are made of stainless steel, titanium, or sterling silver, which are less likely to cause skin irritation and corrosion. For some high-quality pieces, you can check out the collection that we have at Hannoush. 

Apply a Protective Coating

Some nail polishes or specialty coatings for jewelry can act as a barrier or protection between the metal and your skin. This means that the skin and the metal will not have direct contact with each other, reducing the risk of discoloration. 

Keep Jewelry Dry and Clean

 Moisture speeds up the chemical reaction of corrosion, so taking the jewelry off before swimming, showering, or engaging in extreme activities will allow the item to be in good shape and also reduces skin contact allergies. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q1. Why does jewelry turn my skin green? 

If your jewelry contains pieces of copper or alloy as well as brass then it can react with the acids in your skin, which can cause a greenish tint. This occurs due to a chemical reaction between metal and substances like sweat and lotions, resulting in formation of copper salts, which appear greenish-blue on the skin. 

Q2. Is green skin from jewelry harmful? 

In most cases, green skin from jewelry means that it is harmless and temporary and you don’t need to worry about it. However, people who have a sensitive skin or allergies may experience irritation or discomfort in which case removing the jewelry would mean that washing the affected area is recommended and needed.
 

Conclusion

However, the greenish color of the skin from some jewels can be sickening for some. Still, it can be natural and harmless or not caused by a chemical incompatibility of metal and skin acidity.