What Are Freckles?
2. Risk Factors
The development of freckles depends on both genetics and environmental factors. In one study involving 523 middle-aged French women, the presence of freckles were increased when they had frequent sunburns and the presence of the MC1R gene responsible for the production of melanin.
Melanin can be divided into eumelanin and pheomelanin. Individuals with eumelanin tend to have darker skin, brown to black hair, and skin that easily tans. It provides more protection from ultraviolet rays. In individuals with pheomelanin, there is less protection from ultraviolet radiation. They generally have light skin, red to blond hair, freckles, and skin that does not tan easily. Although freckles can appear in all skin tones, of all six Fitzpatrick skin types, it is most common on skin tones 1 and 2 that are usually seen in Northern Europeans.
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