Don’t we girls love clear skin? We would kill for flawless skin. I certainly would! Add to the woes of acne, blackheads and whiteheads, freckles are something that most of us just don’t like to have to deal with. Though there are a few who treat freckles as cute and unique, most of us want them gone. Nothing that interferes with our clear skin is ever welcome is it? You can add freckles to the list of please don’t ever come back!
Freckles are tiny brown spots the size of a tip of a needle or nails. They are mostly seen on facial skin, arms and shoulders mostly due to over exposure to the sun. This makes them more common among people with fair skin that is sensitive to sun and sun damage. Freckles are due to an increase in the production of melanin in certain cells. Very much contrary to the common belief that it is due to the increase in melanocytes which are the melanin producing cells. This makes them appear as small spots that slightly darker than the surrounding areas of the skin.
Yes,freckles have different types to them too! Like any other skin trouble, they tend to vary in types depending on the cause. As a freckle is mostly caused due to sun exposure, it can be classified into simple freckles and sunburn freckles.
A simple freckle or epehlidesis a flat tan spot that tends to appear in the summer months when the sun is out.They tend to fade in the winters again. These is a type that is generally found in people with fair skin but it is also hereditary in some families. Redheads and people with green eye colour are more prone to this type of a freckle than the others with fair skin.
These are a darker form of freckles that are scientifically called lentigenes. This term includes certain types of dark freckles and the sunburn freckles. Sunburn freckles occur mostly on the shoulder and back where sunburns are most common. These are very rarely genetic.
Another form of freckles that we must discuss are called the liver spots! Don’t worry. This doesn’t have any connection with liver diseases. This spots just form as a result of old age at the back of the hands. Some of them also develop non-malignant cysts around these spots that are popularly called barnacles or rice krispies. in some they begin as darker freckles and grow into barnacles. These are invariably referred to as the barnacles of old age.
It is believed that the formation of freckles has a strong connection between heredity and sun exposure. Two people with the same sun exposure need not necessary have the same results of freckles development.
Both natural and tanning lights have the the wavelengths of the ultra violet rays. On exposure to this ultra violet radiation the skin thickens. The melanin pigment producing cells, melanocytes then increases the production and the skin tends to get darker and tanned. This production and deposition can provide further protection against the sun rays. Exposure beyond this limit ends with the formation of freckles.
Those with darker skin complexion are less sensitive to sun exposure. But even they on prolonged exposure will develop sun damage and burns. And it has been observed that those with lighter skin tones, blonde or red hair and light eye colours are more genetically prone to freckles than the rest. This proves that the heredity plays a very important role in the development of freckles on face or any other part of the body. In a research that was conducted in comparision between two pairs of identical twins and faternal twins, it was found that more correlative results was present between the identical twins. Thus, confirming the genetic role play Either ways irrespective of the skin colour, freckles are results of over production of melanin in certain areas.
Prevention is always better than cure. Especially in the case of freckles, since most people find the treatments unsatisfactory.
Since freckles are a combined result of genetics and sun exposure, we shall focus on the sun exposure solutions. Obviously as there is nothing we can do about out genetics but curse the stars and blame our parents.
Here are some Freckles prevention tips.
A warning to all those of you who exhibit sensitivity to heat, please check your skin for freckling frequently. This is a sign of UV damage that can leave you open to malignant skin cancers in the future.
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