# Skin sparkles ... and NOT on Edward Cullen. How? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 6, 2010, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693 "2010-07-06T09:12:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rabbi101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@rabbi101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rabbi101)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/21 "2010-07-07T00:46:08Z")
I guess a couple of you frequent strip clubs a lot where women wear cheap glitter, and so cannot wrap your head around this. Try not to sound any more stupid than you do. This thing happens to men, too. Or do you go to male strip joints? 🙂 Get a scientist in on this, will you? ---
**Author:** ![rabbi101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@rabbi101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rabbi101)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/22 "2010-07-07T03:57:21Z")
Looking for pictures, meanwhile on the african mushrooms (btw, a lot of black-skinned people, like most of us, say they feel better after a big dose of sun … : [http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2007/05/23-03.html](http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2007/05/23-03.html) or > **['Radiation-eating' Fungi Finding Could Trigger Recalculation Of Earth's...](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070522210932.htm)** > > Scientists have long assumed that fungi exist mainly to decompose matter into chemicals that other organisms can then use. But researchers have now found evidence that fungi possess a previously undiscovered talent with profound implications: The... > **[Chernobyl Fungi Feed on Radiation](http://bloglikeyougiveadamn.blogspot.com/2007/05/chernobyl-fungi-feed-on-radiation.html)** > > Today we have a science fiction-esque follow up to my previous post about Chernobyl tourism in Prypiat, Ukraine. National Geographic report... ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/23 "2010-07-07T16:11:15Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > [FDA Approved Wholesale Cosmetic Grade Mica](http://www.making-mineralmakeup.com/mica.htm) _whimper_ They spelled “dyes” as _dye’s_. Dye’s! My brain hurt’s. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/24 "2010-07-07T16:20:19Z")
> [@rabbi101](#): > > I’m not surprised us white folks are clueless. QFT ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/25 "2010-07-07T16:24:39Z")
“s white folks” ? ! ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/26 "2010-07-07T16:52:14Z")
Anecdatum: I’m white (with skin undertones of the sallow variety), and I’ve occasionally noticed a “rainbow effect” in the sun. Pretty subtle, and I don’t know that anyone else has ever noticed on it. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/27 "2010-07-07T16:56:34Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Anecdatum: I’m white (with skin undertones of the sallow variety), and I’ve occasionally noticed a “rainbow effect” in the sun. Pretty subtle, and I don’t know that anyone else has ever noticed on it. I have. Hell, I can see you from here. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/28 "2010-07-07T17:02:40Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > I have. Hell, I can see you from here. Don’t look directly at him! ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_Lurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_Lurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_Lurker)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/29 "2010-07-07T17:07:20Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Anecdatum: I’m white (with skin undertones of the sallow variety), and I’ve occasionally noticed a “rainbow effect” in the sun. Pretty subtle, and I don’t know that anyone else has ever noticed on it. Obviously you’re a leprechaun. Gimme your pot of gold! ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/30 "2010-07-07T17:34:18Z")
> [@rabbi101](#): > > I guess a couple of you frequent strip clubs a lot where women wear cheap glitter, and so cannot wrap your head around this. Try not to sound any more stupid than you do. This thing happens to men, too. Or do you go to male strip joints? 🙂 Get a scientist in on this, will you? Whadoyoumean “you people”?! And is there expensive high-end glitter? ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/31 "2010-07-07T17:58:05Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > Don’t look directly at him! Not a man. > [@Long\_Time\_Lurker](#): > > Obviously you’re a leprechaun. Gimme your pot of gold! Only 1/8th Irish, for chri! ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Angel\_of\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/32 "2010-07-07T18:05:35Z")
Well, I’ve got untannable fish-belly skin that makes an egg look positively bronze by comparison. (Made growing up in California in the 70s absolutely _wonderful_, thank you very much). Many years ago, while examining it closely and trying to discover what the frack was wrong with my skin - ahh, teenage angst - there did appear to be tiny shiny sparkly sections about the size of a hair follicle. They seemed to have absolutely no pigment. It did look like mica. Maybe everyone on earth has this little sections, and they show up the darker your overall natural pigment is? Can’t even take credit for being a freakin’ vampire. Had a dental hygienist laugh once about my teeth being so small. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/33 "2010-07-07T18:24:43Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Not a man. Oops, sorry. :o ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/34 "2010-07-07T18:28:34Z")
Gender-neutral name + abrasive = happens all the time. No worries. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/35 "2010-07-07T19:10:04Z")
> [@rabbi101](#): > > Mainly, though, I want to know what causes the sparkles, which are noticeable mostly after the skin is activated by the sun. You know how some white people have freckles? If you look closely at the freckle, it looks exactly like the skin from a black person. Like some pepper got mixed into the salt, right? And freckles become more prominent after sun exposure. Well, is it a stretch to think the reverse happens, also? Yes, I’m talking about “anti-freckles”. Little bits of white people skin getting mixed in. Not all black people have this, just like not all white people have freckles. Unfortunately, I don’t have any negroes or white folks handy and my brother borrowed my only magnifying glass. To really test this theory, you would need to determine where freckles normally appear (and where they never appear, such as on the palms) and see if the location frequency of anti-freckles match. I’ll leave that as an exercise for the OP. (I’m thinking this is the type of answer the OP is looking for…) ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/36 "2010-07-07T20:23:25Z")
> [@The\_Controvert](#): > > You know how some white people have freckles? If you look closely at the freckle, it looks exactly like the skin from a black person. Like some pepper got mixed into the salt, right? And freckles become more prominent after sun exposure. > > Well, is it a stretch to think the reverse happens, also? Yes, I’m talking about “anti-freckles”. Little bits of white people skin getting mixed in. Not all black people have this, just like not all white people have freckles. > > Unfortunately, I don’t have any negroes or white folks handy and my brother borrowed my only magnifying glass. To really test this theory, you would need to determine where freckles normally appear (and where they never appear, such as on the palms) and see if the location frequency of anti-freckles match. I’ll leave that as an exercise for the OP. > > (I’m thinking this is the type of answer the OP is looking for…) [Vitiligo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitiligo), but they’re not usually small. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/37 "2010-07-07T21:04:36Z")
They sparkle? Does this have anything to do with them being so loud? (KIDDING! Old thread reference…) ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/38 "2010-07-07T21:29:13Z")
Rabbi101, I suspect the reason you have not gotten more illuminating responses is that no one else appears to have seen this phenomenon. I can’t find any references to it on the Internet. I haven’t noticed it even though I have spent time with many African-Americans, occasionally in sunlight. No one else on the board has emerged to say, ‘yeah, sparkly, what’s up with that?’ So before we delve into the question of why this occurs, it would help to get corroboration of your experience. Have you pointed it out to people who have the condition, and have they or others present also noted it? You say it is something that is only seen if you’re looking for it, so information on why you started to look for it is in order. Have you looked for it among golden-skinned people of other races? It would also help if you could explain how and why you came to examine melanin-rich skin under a microscope. Also, can you discuss how you came to rule out glistening sweat and sun radiation while observing the phenomenon only when sunlight is present? You say you have found “a little bit” of information on the Internet, but have not shared this information other than discussing mushrooms (which I respectfully suggest does not advance your case). ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/39 "2010-07-07T22:03:12Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > As 15th century slave traders soon discovered, some of the more dangerous Africans we the venomous Diamond Blacks. [moderating] In GQ, please wait on the satire until we’ve had some serious answers. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693/40 "2010-07-08T02:13:10Z")
I am white, and I once noticed this phenomenon on myself. It was definitely caused by a certain brand of lotion (that of course I can’t remember now. All I remember is that the bottle was purple). I’m assuming that it contained our friend mica. The sparkle was much more subtle than the stuff that is specifically sold as body glitter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skin-sparkles-and-not-on-edward-cullen-how/545693.md?page=3)