Those pretty little brown spots on the skin might be common, but freckles (雀斑) remain a bit of a mystery to many — including those who have them. We interviewed three top skin doctors to explain the mysterious spots.
"They get darker in the summertime, when the skin is in strong sunlight, and fade, or lose color, in the wintertime," says Dr. Joshua Zeichner at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. "The sun's ultraviolet rays (紫外线) help some skin cells to produce more melanin (黑色素) in the skin."
Contrary(相反) to popular belief, nobody is born with freckles, which generally don't pop up until adolescence. That is, some young people start to have freckles when they are developing into adults.
"But freckles often' run in the family', especially in families that have fair skin," says Jessica Wu, MD, a Los Angeles-based doctor. "People with fair skin and red or blond hair may have the same skin cells as their parents. Such skin cells are more sensitive (敏感的) to ultraviolet rays, so they produce more melanin in those spots."
The spots themselves are nothing to fear, but those who have freckles are often fair-skinned as well, which in turn makes them more likely to get skin cancer, warns Dr. Howard Murad, who is known as "the Father of Internal Skincare".
Freckles can be lightened with proper treatment, and new freckles often fade on their own. As with many things in life, prevention is key. "Wear sunscreen every day as part of your lifestyle, like brushing your teeth," says Zeichner. Wu agrees, "I do warn my patients with freckles to understand the necessity of wearing sunscreen."
Safe sun practice is important for everyone, but having freckles means you need to be extra careful. "You are likely to get more of them — in addition to risk of skin cancer — if you don't use sun protection," warns Wu.
