Love them or hate them, the majority of us will at some point in our lives notice those little brown spots popping up on or around our noses. Freckles defined my childhood and I was really rather gutted when I seemed to grow out of them, but for many they're something that remain ever present well into adulthood. Gone are the days when they were something to be shied away from and covered up - Topshop have even launched their very own Freckle Pencil and have been encouraging customers to draw on their own freckles; it's no surprise it's popped up as a trend, as we so closely associate them with sunshine, happiness and youth. But what are these little freckly brown spots and why do we get them?
In the briefest of terms, freckles are caused by the sun. We all have pigment-producing cells in our skin called melanocytes, who feed this pigment to keratinocytes (the normal skin cells that form the outer barrier of our skin.) This barrier protects us from environmental damage and the sun's powerful rays - this is why we often tan when exposed by the sun, as it's our bodies natural way of protecting itself. (Technically speaking tanning is a bad thing and a sign of damage, even though we associated a sunkissed glow with health and radiance.) When our melanocytes become damaged by the sun, we produce abnormal collections of melanin pigment in the skin: freckles! These sit in the top layer of skin and will become more prominent with exposure to the sun - as our bodies will produce even more melanin, causing them to appear darker.
Although genetics do have some impact on the likelihood of developing freckles (paler skintones are much more likely to see them popping up,) they're not the only factor. Sunscreen can help reduce the number and severity of freckles, so being as sun safe as possible will keep them at bay. Although there are treatments available to remove freckles (laser light therapy being the most common,) the majority of creams claiming to reduce freckles only 'bleach' the skin and cause the surrounding area to be affected too. My personal opinion is that freckles are absolutely gorgeous and really bring character to a face, but for many they're seen as an imperfection they'd rather see the back of. As we step into the warmer weeks it's more important than ever to stay sun safe, so make sure you're applying those facial SPFs regualarly (check out my personal faves here,) regardless of whether you're freckle free or not.
Are you a freckly beauty? Do you love or loathe your freckles, or don't they bother you at all?
*image taken from a beautiful selection of freckled lovelies here.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
In the briefest of terms, freckles are caused by the sun. We all have pigment-producing cells in our skin called melanocytes, who feed this pigment to keratinocytes (the normal skin cells that form the outer barrier of our skin.) This barrier protects us from environmental damage and the sun's powerful rays - this is why we often tan when exposed by the sun, as it's our bodies natural way of protecting itself. (Technically speaking tanning is a bad thing and a sign of damage, even though we associated a sunkissed glow with health and radiance.) When our melanocytes become damaged by the sun, we produce abnormal collections of melanin pigment in the skin: freckles! These sit in the top layer of skin and will become more prominent with exposure to the sun - as our bodies will produce even more melanin, causing them to appear darker.
Although genetics do have some impact on the likelihood of developing freckles (paler skintones are much more likely to see them popping up,) they're not the only factor. Sunscreen can help reduce the number and severity of freckles, so being as sun safe as possible will keep them at bay. Although there are treatments available to remove freckles (laser light therapy being the most common,) the majority of creams claiming to reduce freckles only 'bleach' the skin and cause the surrounding area to be affected too. My personal opinion is that freckles are absolutely gorgeous and really bring character to a face, but for many they're seen as an imperfection they'd rather see the back of. As we step into the warmer weeks it's more important than ever to stay sun safe, so make sure you're applying those facial SPFs regualarly (check out my personal faves here,) regardless of whether you're freckle free or not.
Are you a freckly beauty? Do you love or loathe your freckles, or don't they bother you at all?
*image taken from a beautiful selection of freckled lovelies here.
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