You either love them or you hate them and most of the time, people with freckles hate them and people without them, want them. There's just no pleasing some people is there!
Freckles are not harmful or the sign of a health problem. They are just pigment cells (cells that contain colour) that are contained within the skin in small batches. Freckles are usually tan or light brown, flat, and very small (smaller than the head of a pin). Sometimes they overlap and run together, so they may look larger.
Being outside in the sun can help cause freckles or make them darker and people who have fair or red hair or fair complexions are most likely to have freckles. This is just because their skin and eyes are lighter in colour. Someone with a light complexion has less melanin in his or her skin. Melanin is a chemical produced by certain skin cells called melanocytes, that helps protect the skin from sun damage by reflecting and absorbing ultraviolet rays.
The more melanin you have in your skin, the tanner you look! People with fair skin have less melanin in their skin to begin with, but some of their melanocytes make more melanin when exposed to the sun. So instead of easily getting an even suntan, they sometimes get freckles.
Some people's freckles fade away almost completely in the winter and return in the summer. Other people's freckles don't change much with or without the sun and can be seen year-round. Freckles also tend to fade as people get older. Whether you're freckled or not, make sure you wear sunscreen and follow other sun-safety rules.
Freckles are not harmful or the sign of a health problem. They are just pigment cells (cells that contain colour) that are contained within the skin in small batches. Freckles are usually tan or light brown, flat, and very small (smaller than the head of a pin). Sometimes they overlap and run together, so they may look larger.
Being outside in the sun can help cause freckles or make them darker and people who have fair or red hair or fair complexions are most likely to have freckles. This is just because their skin and eyes are lighter in colour. Someone with a light complexion has less melanin in his or her skin. Melanin is a chemical produced by certain skin cells called melanocytes, that helps protect the skin from sun damage by reflecting and absorbing ultraviolet rays.
The more melanin you have in your skin, the tanner you look! People with fair skin have less melanin in their skin to begin with, but some of their melanocytes make more melanin when exposed to the sun. So instead of easily getting an even suntan, they sometimes get freckles.
Some people's freckles fade away almost completely in the winter and return in the summer. Other people's freckles don't change much with or without the sun and can be seen year-round. Freckles also tend to fade as people get older. Whether you're freckled or not, make sure you wear sunscreen and follow other sun-safety rules.
