Your skin changes depending on the season. It can get oily, dry, or even change color. Most people know about sunburns and tans but do not know that the sun also causes freckles. If you have freckles, you probably know that they come out when the sun is out.
To minimize the appearance of freckles, you should not leave the house without applying sunscreen. They are not harmful to your health but freckles bother some people. Here are some facts that you need to know about freckles:
They Might be a Sign of Aging
Freckles are tiny spots that are darker than the rest of your skin and they often appear on fair-skinned people. However, some freckles are bigger than usual. They tend to form in middle-aged persons in areas that are exposed to the sun for long periods.
Freckles are not necessarily an indication of cancerous cells but it is a good idea to consult your doctor if you have large ones. You need to schedule frequent skin screenings to ensure that you do not have cancer.
You Aren’t Born with Them
Babies do not have freckles because nobody is born with them. They usually form when predisposed people expose their skin to the sun. Because babies do not spend any time in the sun, their skin does not have freckles.
They Mostly Occur in People with Light Eyes and Fair Skin
Although freckles can be present in any type of skin, they are more common in people with fair skin and pale complexions. This means that if you have pale skin, light hair, and light eyes, you are more likely to have freckles. Redheads are also more predisposed to freckles.
They Are Caused by Dominant Genes
If you have freckled skin, your father or mother probably has them too. If your parents do not currently have freckles, they probably had them at some point because a dominant gene causes freckle. This means that your whole family probably has freckles but the prominence will vary depending on periods of sun exposure.
Some Freckles are Seasonal
There are two types of freckles and the most common one is known as ephelides. These freckles are about the size of the head of a nail and they are brown in color. However, the good news is that they are seasonal and they disappear when the sun does.
They Make You Sun Resistant
These tiny spots can be your best defense against the harmful rays of the sun. Freckles protect you from the sun because they contain melanin, which works to defend the skin from harmful UV radiation. However, you should still wear sunscreen to protect your skin: make sure that you apply sunscreen with at least 30 SPF to protect your skin from harmful sunrays.
They could be Liver Spots
The other common type of freckle is known as liver spots. Unlike the seasonal freckles, liver spots are a bit larger and do not come and go with the sun. Liver spots mean that you have exposed your skin to the sun for a long time.
Not All Redheads Have Them
While most redheads have less melanin protecting their skin, not all of them have freckles. The same gene controls freckles and red hair is recessive. Roughly eighty percent of redheads have the freckle gene. This means that twenty percent of redheads do not have freckles.
Some of the above facts are common knowledge but others are not. If you want to get rid of your freckles, you have a variety of removal methods at your disposal, including fading creams, cryosurgery, and laser treatment.
