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Sunburn freckles: What Are Freckles? Plus, When to See Your Doctor

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What Are Freckles? Plus, When to See Your Doctor

What are freckles?

Freckles are small brown spots on your skin, often in areas that get sun exposure. In most cases, freckles are harmless. They form as a result of overproduction of melanin, which is responsible for skin and hair color (pigmentation). Overall, freckles come from ultraviolet (UV) radiation stimulation.

There are two categories of freckles: ephelides and solar lentigines. Ephelides are the common type most people think of as freckles. Solar lentigines are dark patches of skin that develop during adulthood. This includes freckles, aging spots, and sunspots. The two types of freckles can look similar but differ in other ways such as their development.

Ephelides: These freckles form as a result of sun exposure and sunburns. They can appear on anyone who doesn’t protect themselves from UV rays. They show up on your face, the back of your hands, and upper body. This type tends to be most common amongst people with lighter skin tones and hair color. People of Caucasian and Asian descent are more prone to ephelides.

Solar letigines: Like ephelides, this type tends to appear in Caucasians and adults over 40 years old.

The credit for freckles goes to both the natural environment and genetics. Your risk for burning can increase the incidence of freckles.

In a study of 523 middle-aged French women, two elements predicted the presence of freckles: frequent sunburns and a gene known as MC1R, which provides instructions for making melanin. But the gene doesn’t affect all individuals the same way. There are two type of melanin: pheomelanin and eumelanin.

People whose skin produces pheomalanin aren’t protected from UV radiation and tend to have:

  • red or blonde hair
  • light skin
  • freckles
  • skin that tans poorly

People with more eumelanin tend to be protected from skin damage by UV and have:

  • brown or black hair
  • darker skin
  • skin that tans easily

Solar lentigines

For solar lentigines, the French study also found that several different factors increased the likelihood, including:

  • dark skin
  • the capacity to tan
  • a history of freckles
  • sun exposure
  • hormone treatment, such as oral birth control

All freckles fall into the ephelides and solar lentigines category, although freckles and sun spots can differ. Solar lentigines include sunspots, which can sometimes be scaly.

Moles are not the same as freckles. They are still skin lesions but are often darker and not necessarily associated with sun exposure. Like ephelides though, moles are more common among light-skinned people.

A mole is made of an excess of pigment-forming cells with a greater than average supply of blood vessels. It’s normally present at or soon after birth.

Moles can take on a wide variety of appearances. The color can range from brown to pink and can assume different shapes. On a young person, a harmless mole will keep pace with a person’s growth.

Freckles and moles by themselves pose no threat. But moles can suggest an increased risk for melanoma, or malignant skin cancer.

Do a self-exam to check your freckles and moles for:

  • A – Asymmetry: Draw a line through the middle. If the halves don’t match, it’s asymmetrical.
  • B – Border: Borders of cancerous moles tend to be uneven, notched, or bumpy.
  • C – Color: A variety of colors in a mole is a warning sign.
  • D – Diameter: A mole bigger than 1/4 inch (a pencil tip) may be cancerous.
  • E – Evolving: Report any change in size, shape, color, or elevation to your doctor.

Make an appointment with your doctor or a dermatologist if your freckles, moles, or sunspots display one or more of the above criteria.

If you’re concerned about your freckles and don’t already have a dermatologist, you can view doctors in your area through the Healthline FindCare tool.

Moles can increase risk for skin cancer

The risk of melanoma increases with the number of moles. Someone with 11-25 moles can have a 1.6 times increased risk for melanoma. This can be as high as 100 times more for someone with 100 moles or more.

Other risks for melanoma include:

  • having fair skin
  • red hair and blue eyes
  • a history of non-melanoma skin cancer
  • a history of excessive tanning or sun exposure

In one analysis, the risk of melanoma for white populations was approximately 32 and 20 times higher than people with darker skin. An annual screening is a good idea, if you fall into one of the at-risk categories or develop a new mole.

For people who want to avoid freckles, prevention is key. It’s also possible to prevent freckles while speeding up their disappearance. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using a water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 on your skin. Wait 15 minutes before heading outdoors for full protection. Do this every day, even in the winter, to prevent further pigmentation.

“You really can’t freckle unless you’ve had sun exposure,” explains Dee Anna Glaser, MD, chair of the department of dermatology at St. Louis University. “Even if you inherit that tendency, if your mom and dad were the most amazing sunscreen advocates and kept you out of the sun, you probably still wouldn’t freckle.”

Over-the-counter prevention

One study reported good results for lightening freckles and skin pigmentation with products such as:

  • alpha hydroxyl acids (8% AHA toner)
  • Trichloracetic acid (TCA)
  • phenol
  • acid peels

You can purchase acid and chemical peels online. The study above reports Jessner Solution as a potential treatment for freckles. Always patch-test to avoid skin irritation, if you are using a facial peel at home. Wash off the peel immediately if your skin starts to burn and do not leave on for longer than instructed.

Laser therapy

Dr. Glaser suggests laser therapy to lighten or remove freckles. “Some fractionated resurfacing lasers can work beautifully not only on the face, but on the chest, or up on the upper shoulders. Another popular target for these lasers is freckles on legs above the knees, where people get sun exposure from boating and similar activities.”

The fractionated lasers resurface by targeting the water that’s inside the skin’s layers. It drills through the layers until it reaches that middle layer of the dermis. This causes the old epidermal pigmented cells to be expelled, and the reaction leads to collagen remodeling and new collagen formation.

Sunspot removal

By comparison, sunspots don’t generally fade with less sun exposure. Instead, they can be treated with:

  • hydroquinone
  • retinoid creams
  • chemical peels
  • cryotherapy
  • laser therapy

There other lasers that target skin pigments. Instead of going through layers of skin, these laser target and destroy the pigmented areas. The pigment-specific lasers work well on sun spots.

Read more: How do mole removals work? »

Freckles and moles almost always are harmless, but may suggest an increased risk of skin cancer. Knowing your risk and particulars of the ABCDE rubric for assessing changes in skin pigmentation will help with identifying any freckles or moles that may be dangerous. Talk to your doctor about your freckles, moles, or sun spots. They’ll be able to help identify spots for you to monitor closely.

Keep reading: How to get rid of freckles »

What Are Freckles? Plus, When to See Your Doctor

What are freckles?

Freckles are small brown spots on your skin, often in areas that get sun exposure. In most cases, freckles are harmless. They form as a result of overproduction of melanin, which is responsible for skin and hair color (pigmentation). Overall, freckles come from ultraviolet (UV) radiation stimulation.

There are two categories of freckles: ephelides and solar lentigines. Ephelides are the common type most people think of as freckles. Solar lentigines are dark patches of skin that develop during adulthood. This includes freckles, aging spots, and sunspots. The two types of freckles can look similar but differ in other ways such as their development.

Ephelides: These freckles form as a result of sun exposure and sunburns. They can appear on anyone who doesn’t protect themselves from UV rays. They show up on your face, the back of your hands, and upper body. This type tends to be most common amongst people with lighter skin tones and hair color. People of Caucasian and Asian descent are more prone to ephelides.

Solar letigines: Like ephelides, this type tends to appear in Caucasians and adults over 40 years old.

The credit for freckles goes to both the natural environment and genetics. Your risk for burning can increase the incidence of freckles.

In a study of 523 middle-aged French women, two elements predicted the presence of freckles: frequent sunburns and a gene known as MC1R, which provides instructions for making melanin. But the gene doesn’t affect all individuals the same way. There are two type of melanin: pheomelanin and eumelanin.

People whose skin produces pheomalanin aren’t protected from UV radiation and tend to have:

  • red or blonde hair
  • light skin
  • freckles
  • skin that tans poorly

People with more eumelanin tend to be protected from skin damage by UV and have:

  • brown or black hair
  • darker skin
  • skin that tans easily

Solar lentigines

For solar lentigines, the French study also found that several different factors increased the likelihood, including:

  • dark skin
  • the capacity to tan
  • a history of freckles
  • sun exposure
  • hormone treatment, such as oral birth control

All freckles fall into the ephelides and solar lentigines category, although freckles and sun spots can differ. Solar lentigines include sunspots, which can sometimes be scaly.

Moles are not the same as freckles. They are still skin lesions but are often darker and not necessarily associated with sun exposure. Like ephelides though, moles are more common among light-skinned people.

A mole is made of an excess of pigment-forming cells with a greater than average supply of blood vessels. It’s normally present at or soon after birth.

Moles can take on a wide variety of appearances. The color can range from brown to pink and can assume different shapes. On a young person, a harmless mole will keep pace with a person’s growth.

Freckles and moles by themselves pose no threat. But moles can suggest an increased risk for melanoma, or malignant skin cancer.

Do a self-exam to check your freckles and moles for:

  • A – Asymmetry: Draw a line through the middle. If the halves don’t match, it’s asymmetrical.
  • B – Border: Borders of cancerous moles tend to be uneven, notched, or bumpy.
  • C – Color: A variety of colors in a mole is a warning sign.
  • D – Diameter: A mole bigger than 1/4 inch (a pencil tip) may be cancerous.
  • E – Evolving: Report any change in size, shape, color, or elevation to your doctor.

Make an appointment with your doctor or a dermatologist if your freckles, moles, or sunspots display one or more of the above criteria.

If you’re concerned about your freckles and don’t already have a dermatologist, you can view doctors in your area through the Healthline FindCare tool.

Moles can increase risk for skin cancer

The risk of melanoma increases with the number of moles. Someone with 11-25 moles can have a 1.6 times increased risk for melanoma. This can be as high as 100 times more for someone with 100 moles or more.

Other risks for melanoma include:

  • having fair skin
  • red hair and blue eyes
  • a history of non-melanoma skin cancer
  • a history of excessive tanning or sun exposure

In one analysis, the risk of melanoma for white populations was approximately 32 and 20 times higher than people with darker skin. An annual screening is a good idea, if you fall into one of the at-risk categories or develop a new mole.

For people who want to avoid freckles, prevention is key. It’s also possible to prevent freckles while speeding up their disappearance. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using a water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 on your skin. Wait 15 minutes before heading outdoors for full protection. Do this every day, even in the winter, to prevent further pigmentation.

“You really can’t freckle unless you’ve had sun exposure,” explains Dee Anna Glaser, MD, chair of the department of dermatology at St. Louis University. “Even if you inherit that tendency, if your mom and dad were the most amazing sunscreen advocates and kept you out of the sun, you probably still wouldn’t freckle.”

Over-the-counter prevention

One study reported good results for lightening freckles and skin pigmentation with products such as:

  • alpha hydroxyl acids (8% AHA toner)
  • Trichloracetic acid (TCA)
  • phenol
  • acid peels

You can purchase acid and chemical peels online. The study above reports Jessner Solution as a potential treatment for freckles. Always patch-test to avoid skin irritation, if you are using a facial peel at home. Wash off the peel immediately if your skin starts to burn and do not leave on for longer than instructed.

Laser therapy

Dr. Glaser suggests laser therapy to lighten or remove freckles. “Some fractionated resurfacing lasers can work beautifully not only on the face, but on the chest, or up on the upper shoulders. Another popular target for these lasers is freckles on legs above the knees, where people get sun exposure from boating and similar activities.”

The fractionated lasers resurface by targeting the water that’s inside the skin’s layers. It drills through the layers until it reaches that middle layer of the dermis. This causes the old epidermal pigmented cells to be expelled, and the reaction leads to collagen remodeling and new collagen formation.

Sunspot removal

By comparison, sunspots don’t generally fade with less sun exposure. Instead, they can be treated with:

  • hydroquinone
  • retinoid creams
  • chemical peels
  • cryotherapy
  • laser therapy

There other lasers that target skin pigments. Instead of going through layers of skin, these laser target and destroy the pigmented areas. The pigment-specific lasers work well on sun spots.

Read more: How do mole removals work? »

Freckles and moles almost always are harmless, but may suggest an increased risk of skin cancer. Knowing your risk and particulars of the ABCDE rubric for assessing changes in skin pigmentation will help with identifying any freckles or moles that may be dangerous. Talk to your doctor about your freckles, moles, or sun spots. They’ll be able to help identify spots for you to monitor closely.

Keep reading: How to get rid of freckles »

Freckles and solar lentigo – clinic “Family Doctor”.

In the Middle Ages, age spots on the face were considered the mark of the devil and served as a reason for suspicion of witchcraft. Over the past century, the point of view on age spots has changed significantly. Currently, freckles and solar lentigo on the face are explained by completely different mechanisms than another contract signed with blood with dark forces.

Freckles (ephelids) are usually spots with a diameter of 1-2 mm, (but there are more), from yellow to brown, observed in people with fair skin and blue eyes (mainly 1st and 2nd phototypes). Freckles appear at 2-3 years of age, then their number increases to a maximum in adolescence. Then, with age, the number of freckles decreases, and by old age they can completely disappear. Freckles are most commonly found on the face, arms, neck, and chest, and may become darker in summer. Freckles can even be located on the lips, but they are no longer on the oral mucosa.

The predisposition to freckles is an innate property of the skin associated with a higher ability of some melanocytes to produce melanin. Whether freckles appear or not depends on several genes (MC1R, IRF4, ASIP, TYR and BNC2), among which the MC1R gene is associated with pale skin and contributes the most to the formation of freckles. The presence of freckles is an indicator that the skin is sensitive to sunlight. A number of studies have shown that people with freckles are more likely to develop skin photodamage and melanoma. But at the same time, the freckles themselves never turn into skin tumors.

Freckles are treated for cosmetic reasons only. The methods of the ancient inhabitants of the Carpathians – washing in running water and repeating conspiracies – are somewhat outdated and disappointed doctors. Currently, bleaching and exfoliating agents are used for this purpose. Some berries and fruits (red currant, lemon, etc.) used in various masks give a whitening effect. In a beauty parlor, superficial and deep peels, cryomassage, and phototherapy are used. Prevention of freckles involves the use of sunscreen.

Solar lentigo (senile lentigo, actinic lentigo, adult freckles, liver spots) are benign pigment spots that appear on sun-exposed areas of the skin. Initially, their size does not exceed 5 mm in diameter, but in the future it can increase, and such spots can merge into large foci. The color of the solar lentigo is usually brown and the intensity of its color does not change with the season. Long-standing spots gradually turn dark brown. As a rule, solar lentigo appears at the age of 40-50, but it can appear earlier in people who are fond of tanning.

The name “liver spots”, stretching from the depths of centuries, is a so-called myth and has no basis – solar lentigo is not a manifestation of liver disease. The cause of solar lentigo, as the name implies, is the ultraviolet radiation of the sun, as well as relatively recently appeared solariums, while the role of genetic factors is relatively small. Studies have shown that the appearance of solar lentigo depends on the total amount of ultraviolet radiation received by the skin during a lifetime, and on sunburn that has occurred.

For the treatment of solar lentigo, external agents with hydroquinone and tretinoin are used. A whitening effect was noted with the use of liquid nitrogen and peelings with salicylic acid. Prevention of the appearance of solar lentigo is the use of sunscreen and the avoidance of excess ultraviolet radiation.

Prepared information for you:

Betekhtin Mikhail Sergeevich – dermatovenereologist, oncologist, cosmetologist, Ph.D. Conducts reception in the buildings of the clinic on Ozerkovskaya and Usacheva.

The doctor told how dangerous freckles look

https://ria.ru/20210601/vesnushki-1735023570.html

The doctor told how dangerous freckles look

The doctor told how dangerous freckles look – RIA Novosti , 01.06 .2021

The doctor told what dangerous freckles look like

For whom freckles are typical and whether they can be dangerous, the candidate of medical sciences, oncodermatologist, director of medical . .. RIA Novosti, 01.06.2021

2021-06-01T04:10

2021-06-01T04:10

2021-06-01T04:10

society

health

900 02 Oncology

Russia

Natalia Gaidash

Triaktiv Medical Center

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MOSCOW, June 1 – RIA Novosti. For whom freckles are characteristic and whether they can be dangerous, Natalia Gaydash, candidate of medical sciences, oncodermatologist, director of the Triaktiv medical center, said in an interview with Sputnik radio. Freckles are pigmentation that appears under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. This is a protective reaction of the skin, which is characteristic of young people, up to about 25 years. Most often, it manifests itself in people with a certain phototype, which is determined by the color of the skin, hair and eyes, Gaidash said. the skin begins to darken, but the eyes are still light, this is the second phototype, the third phototype is darker skin, darker hair, and the eyes can be both blue and brown.The fourth type is completely dark, and the fifth is the Negroid race, ” – the doctor explained. The lighter the skin, the more likely the appearance of freckles. Therefore, most often they occur in people of the first and second phototypes. They are located in those places that are open to sunlight: on the face, on the shoulders. They appear in the spring and disappear in the fall. Sometimes, under the influence of ultraviolet light, dark spots appear that are easily confused with freckles – this is solar lentigo. Such “freckles” last for a long time, they are usually larger and darker than usual. Lentigo can appear in people who are prone to freckles with skin burns. “If a person is burned in the sun and pigment spots appear, it will definitely not be freckles, but lentigo, that is, a consequence of sunburn. The smaller the pigment spots, the” more freckled “The larger, the less chance that these are freckles. Freckles are also lighter, if the color begins to saturate, we look in the direction of lentigo,” Gaidash specified. She noted that solar lentigo usually does not cause inconvenience and does not need to be treated, but better control so as not to miss a serious problem. “Sometimes lentigo can be lentigo melanoma, a very tough skin cancer, so people with the first and second phototype, who are prone to freckles, need to come to the doctors in the fall to do a dermoscopic examination” – said the interlocutor of the radio.

https://rsport.ria.ru/20210525/melanoma-1733738836.html

https://ria.ru/20210430/rodinki-1730763425.html

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society, health, oncology, russia, natalia gay dash , medical center “triaktiv”

Society, Health, Oncology, Russia, Natalia Gaidash, Medical center “Triaktiv”

MOSCOW, June 1 – RIA Novosti. For whom freckles are characteristic and whether they can be dangerous, said Natalia Gaydash, Candidate of Medical Sciences, oncodermatologist, director of the Triaktiv Medical Center, in an interview with Sputnik radio.

Freckles – pigmentation that appears under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. This is a protective reaction of the skin, which is characteristic of young people, up to about 25 years. Most often, it manifests itself in people with a certain phototype, which is determined by the color of the skin, hair and eyes, Gaidash said.

«

“The first phototype is people with very light skin, which is sure to burn on any contact with ultraviolet radiation, their eyes are light. If the hair and skin begin to darken, but the eyes are still light, this is the second phototype, the third phototype is it is darker skin, darker hair, and the eyes can be both blue and brown. The fourth type is completely dark, and the fifth is the Negroid race, “the doctor explained.

The lighter the skin, the more freckled. Therefore, most often they occur in people of the first and second phototypes. They are located in those places that are open to sunlight: on the face, on the shoulders. They appear in spring and disappear in autumn.

An oncologist named a way to reduce the risk of developing skin cancer

May 25, 2021, 02:30

Sometimes under the influence of ultraviolet light, dark spots appear that are easily confused with freckles – this is solar lentigo. Such “freckles” last for a long time, they are usually larger and darker than usual. Lentigo can appear in people who are prone to freckles when the skin burns.

«

“If a person is burned in the sun and age spots appear, it will definitely not be freckles, but lentigo, that is, a consequence of a sunburn. The smaller the age spots, the more “freckled”, the larger, the less chance that these are freckles. Also, freckles are lighter, if the color begins to saturate, we look in the direction of the lentigo,” said Gaidash.