If you have a naturally fair complexion, the chances are that your skin has been blessed with a generous handful of freckles. These tiny marks may have been the subject of playground insults at primary school, but these days we’re all about embracing them - and if you haven't been 'kissed by angels,' you can even buy special products to help you fake a faceful.
But freckles don’t just look sweet – they also serve an important purpose. Prepare for a quick science lesson….
First things first, what actually is a freckle? As Hank Green of YouTube channel SciShow explains below, they’re small areas of skin that contain higher amounts of melanin – the pigment protein that determines our eye, skin and hair colour.
Melanin acts as natural sun protection, darkening the skin and protecting you from damaging UV rays. Freckles appear when melanin forms in little clumps, which get darker when the skin is exposed to sunlight. So that explains why your freckles come out to play whenever the sun decides to make an appearance.
These spots will fade in the winter, when they’re exposed to less sunlight.
Ever wondered why some people are ever so susceptible to freckles whilst others simply tan in the sun? As Green explains, freckles are linked to the MC1R gene, which controls how much and of which kind of melanin your body produces.
If you have an active MC1R gene, your body produces more of the darker brown eumelanin, leading to darker hair and skin that protects itself against the sun. If your MC1R gene is inactive, you'll prouce more pheomelanin - which means fair skin, lighter or reddish hair, and a propensity for lots and lots of freckles.
So, it turns out that freckles are just nature's way of protecting your skin from the sun. Whether you're freckly or not, though, you'll still need to wear a good SPF, because premature ageing as about as fun as it sounds.