If an albino turned himself blue with colloidal silver would his skin SPF be higher?

Factual Questions
1

If an albino tuned his skin gray- blue like this guy by taking colloidal silver would he be less likely to sunburn?

2

Interestingly, even though the pigment granules in someone with argyria are dispersed evenly all over the body, the color changes mostly happen in areas that are exposed to sunlight. Some people think this is because the silver compounds turn dark on exposure to light, as in the photographic process, and some think that the presence of the silver compounds causes increased melanin production in the presence of sunlight.

So it’s possible, if the latter is true, that someone with albinism wouldn’t even change color very much with argyria. It’s also possible, if the latter is true, that the body increases melanin production because the silver is making the skin more sensitive to UV light. If that’s the case then an albino (or anyone) with argyria might be more prone to sunburn.

If the former is true, though, then even an albino with argyria would darken (on exposed areas) and I would think the silver grains would stop some UV light from getting deeper into the skin and protect it at least to some extent, but I don’t know how much.

It’s also possible that the silver grains increase the skin’s sensitivity and block some UV from penetrating deeper, so maybe the effects cancel each other out.

I think we need to capture some spammers and do some experiments.

3

I need to correct something. Argyria is the skin discoloration that comes from having silver compounds deposited in the skin. The presence of excess silver compounds itself is argyrosis, and it’s possible to have argyrosis without argyria. According to something I just read, blondes are more susceptible to argyria, but presumably they’re no more or less likely to have argyrosis than anyone else. That makes me think that the darkening of the skin is caused just by sunlight + silver, and that increased melanin production isn’t necessary.

4

One more thing. I just realized that since silver exposure doesn’t increase the risk of skin cancer, that means it probably doesn’t increase the risk of sunburn. If it decreases the risk, I can’t find any evidence of it.

5

Holy moly! I bet that guy looks just like this when he’s shocked–> :eek: Okay, that was immature. Sorry.