Freckle facts for kids
Freckles are small, flat spots that appear on your skin. They are usually light brown or reddish. You often see them on parts of your body that get a lot of sun, like your face, arms, and shoulders. Freckles are very common, especially in people with fair skin.
Freckles are an inherited trait. This means you get them from your parents through your genes. Freckle formation is also triggered by exposure to sunlight.
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What Are Freckles?
Freckles are tiny spots on your skin. They are made of a special color pigment called melanin. Melanin is what gives your skin, hair, and eyes their color. Freckles are usually flat and can be light brown, red, or tan. They are not harmful and are a natural part of many people's skin.
You can find freckles mostly on your face. However, they can also show up on any skin that gets a lot of sun. This includes your lips, neck, arms, shoulders, back, and chest.
How Do Freckles Form?
Freckles form because of two main things: your genes and exposure to sunlight.
Genes and Melanin
Your body has a special instruction book called genes. One gene, called MC1R, helps decide if you will have red hair, fair skin, and freckles. If you have certain changes in this gene, you are more likely to get freckles.
There are two main types of melanin in human skin:
- Pheomelanin is a reddish type of melanin.
- Eumelanin is a black or brown type of melanin.
Eumelanin helps protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays. People with red hair often have more pheomelanin in their skin and hair. They might also produce less eumelanin. This is why they might not tan easily and are more sensitive to ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
Sunlight's Role
Even if you have the genes for freckles, they usually won't appear unless your skin is exposed to sunlight. When sunlight hits your skin, it makes your skin cells produce more melanin. In people who get freckles, this melanin gathers in small clusters, forming the freckle spots. This is why freckles often become more noticeable in the summer and fade a bit in winter.
Who Has Freckles?
Freckles are very common around the world. About 2.5 billion people globally have freckles. In some places, they are even more common. For example, about 75 percent of people in the Philippines have freckles.
Freckles are a normal and natural part of skin for many people. They are not a sign of any health problem.
See also
In Spanish: Peca para niños
