Freckles. A lot of us have them, but very few of us have ever put much thought into what they are, how we get them and why some people have so many.
Also called ephelides, freckles are small areas of the skin that appear darker than the skin around it. The reason for the darker appearance is down to melanin, a type of pigment found naturally within the skin that is responsible for its colour. People aren’t actually born with freckles, even though it might seem like it, although genetics can influence how susceptible you are to developing them.
Freckles occur when melanosomes, which are the site within cells that is responsible for everything to do with melanin, become elongated and form melanin more easily than the surrounding skin, which gives rise to the typical brown spot appearance of freckles1. While freckles are most common in people with red or blonde hair and blue eyes, they can occur in people of any skin type2.
