How Does the Sun Affect Freckles?

Freckles and Genetics

Whether or not a person is prone to having freckles has to do with that person's genetic makeup. Genes are what create the right conditions for freckles to form, as well as how dark and widespread the freckles will be. They tend to be more common among people whose genetic profiles include fair skin, red hair and light colored eyes.

Freckles are small areas of the skin where the amount of melanin is significantly high. Melanin is the compound that gives our skin, hair and eyes their color. When you go tanning, the UV rays generate melanin development in the skin as a means of protection. When more melanin is produced, the skin becomes darker, or more tan. Freckles work just the same way, but they start out with more melanin than usual.

The Sun's Effect on Freckles

People who are genetically predisposed to freckles may see new freckles develop and existing freckles grow darker with sun exposure. The effect that occurs here is just like tanning, but the results are more visible because of the higher levels of melanin in freckled areas.

Freckles do not indicate skin diseases or disorders, but they are more common among people who are most sensitive to UV ray exposure. People with sensitive skin or freckle-prone people who wish to reduce the appearance of their freckles should wear sunscreen whenever they will be spending any significant time in the sun.

Two Types of Freckles

There are two types of freckles. The most common freckles are called ephelides, and are usually reddish or brown in appearance. They appear abundantly on the faces and arms of people who carry the genetic trait, and they tend to be more visible in the summer than in the winter. These freckles are not raised, but rather are level with the surrounding unfreckled skin.

The second type of freckles are called lentigines. These freckles are darker and they build up over time, which means that they may not fade away in the winter and reappear in the summer like other freckles do. They are more common in older people because it takes significant time for the melanin to develop. Lentigines are often referred to casually by the terms liver spots, age spots, sun spots and sunburn freckles.