🧬Causes

Freckles develop mostly due to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun causing over production of melanin pigment.

Other causes include:

• Genetics. Several genes are associated with freckling.
• Xeroderma pigmentosum. This is a rare disease that causes increased sensitivity to ultraviolet light, such as the sun.

🔢Types of Freckles

There are two types of freckles: ephelides and solar lentigines.

Ephelides:

Commonly referred as "freckles", ephelides are flat and usually red or tan-to-brown in color. They tend to first appear in young children who are exposed to the sun and continue to develop into young adulthood. They are more prominent in summer but fade considerably or disappear in winter. Ephelides are usually less than 3 mm in diameter and found on face, neck, chest and arms.

Solar lentigines:

Solar lentigines are yellow to red to brown to dark patches of skin with clear borders. They arise in middle age and result from sun damage. They are found on exposed areas of skin, including your face, forearms, back of your hands, chest, back, shoulders and lower legs.

💊Treatment

These brown spots are usually diagnosed clinically and following treatments are suggested:

• Topical creams containing hydroquinone, retinoid creams, alpha hydroxy acids such as glycolic acid, kojic acid can lighten freckles.
• Chemical peels remove superficial layers of skin and help in the fading of freckles.
• Cryotherapy
• Laser therapy - ND YAG lasers that target skin pigments. Instead of going through layers of skin, these lasers target and destroy the pigmented areas. The pigment-specific lasers work well on sun spots.