Freckles

Freckles may be part of your genetic makeup depending on your hair color and skin tone, you may naturally have more freckles than the average person. For most people, they are a sign of sun exposure and damage. These are the small brown spots you find speckled on any part of your body, you will find them typically on your face, arms, and shoulders. They develop when your skin produces melanin in response to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Keep in mind that most of the time, freckles are harmless!

Freckles or something else?

However, not all brown spots on your skin are freckles. Here’s a guide to distinguishing freckles from other brown spots:

• Ephelides – These are freckles — the typical brown dots you think of when you hear the word “freckles”. People with lighter skin or red hair tend to have more of these. During the winter months, ephelides generally lighten in color.
• Solar Lentigines – These are not freckles. Instead, they are larger brown spots that emerge from sun damage and are more common once you reach middle age. Unlike freckles, these spots stay the same color throughout the year and have defined edges.

(Want to learn more about sun damage? Check out our page on Solar/Environmentally Damaged Skin for concerns about solar lentigines.)