What Every Guy With Freckles Needs to Know

Freckles get a bum rap, since many people associate them with less-than-stellar sun care.

But is your speckled skin really signaling that you’re at risk of sun damage or even skin cancer?

They may not mean what you think—find out to discover what’s spotting your skin, and how that may affect your health.

What Are Freckles, Really?
If you have ephelides, as they’re known medically, you’ve got Mom and Dad to thank.

Freckling is a recessive trait, so both parents have to be carriers and pass the tendency on for it to show up, says Amit Sharma, M.D., a dermatologist at the Mayo Clinic, who researches dermatologic genetics.


The so-called gene for freckling is actually a benign mutation of the MC1R gene, which regulates pigment.

While it’s true that such a mutation in people of Celtic heritage causes the stereotypical freckles in fair redheads, variations of the MC1R gene also lead to them in Chinese, Japanese, French, Mediterranean, Israeli, and certain African ethnic groups as well, explains Dr. Sharma.

When Your Spots Develop
Ever wonder why you don’t see freckled babies?

Moles and other birthmarks can be there from day one, but not freckles, says Dendy Engelman, M.D., a Mohs skin cancer surgeon and director of dermatologic surgery at Metropolitan Hospital in New York City.

Freckles appear—and multiply—with exposure to light, usually making their debut around the time you’re 7 or 8. Which is where the freckles/sun damage myth comes in.

Yes, we said myth.

On a cellular level, sun damage means messed-up DNA—the nitrogenous base pairs that make up each rung of the double helix’s ladder don’t match up properly, possibly leading to tumor growth and the breakdown of skin-firming collagen and elastin, says Alicia Barba, M.D., a dermatologist at Barba Dermatology in Miami.

Freckles, though, are “just your skin type,” she says.

“You can do everything perfectly, and you’re still going to have freckles. If you’re being sun-smart, you should never be told that your skin is damaged, or feel ashamed that you didn’t take care of it, whatsoever.”

You Might Need More Protection
That said, if you have pale skin and freckles, you’re at a higher risk of developing skin cancer than someone of your same skin tone without them.

So stay vigilant: Get checked twice yearly by a dermatologist, and never skimp on protection.

Use broad-spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher on all exposed skin, all year round, says Francesca Fusco, M.D., an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

Aren’t sure how to tell a freckle from a sunspot, also known as lentigo?

“Healthy freckles, with no underlying damage, should intensify when you’re getting more rays, and fade—even disappear—when you’re in the sun less," says Dr. Fusco. “Sunspots, on the other hand, are going to be darker than your freckles and stay dark no matter how much exposure you get.”

Depending on where you live (or vacation), this ebb and flow of freckle hue will vary.

Aside from color, other signs a spot is a lentigo include size (a pencil’s eraser instead of its lead point) and shape (it may have a more well-defined border than most freckles), says Dr. Barba.

If you do have a lentigo, don’t worry—many are benign and mean nothing for your health. But if your doctor suspects the spot is a lentigo maligna (a subtype of melanoma), he or she will do a biopsy and treat if needed.

The article What All Women with Freckles Need to Know was originally published by our partners at Women's Health.
-----------
Article source: http://www.menshealth.com/health/what-your-freckles-really-mean