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.

Beware if alcohol gives you red cheeks

Getting a red face after downing a couple of alcoholic beverages is not a sign of strong qi (energy flow) or good blood circulation, but rather, it is an indication that your body is not metabolising alcohol efficiently. This phenomenon called Asian Flush Syndrome is common among Asians of Chinese, Japanese and Korean descent.

“If you are Asian and drink alcohol frequently, you may have a higher risk of getting stomach or oesophageal cancer or peptic ulcers due to a genetic inability to efficiently process acetaldehyde, a toxic by-product of alcohol metabolism,” says Dr Victor Lee Tswen Wen, Consultant Surgeon,Department of Hepatobiliary & Transplant Surgery, Singapore General Hospital (SGH), a member of the SingHealth group.