Moles are generally darker than freckles and can be flat or raised off the skin. Moles are usually present from birth, but people can develop them throughout childhood and teenage years. While freckles are more widespread on people with light-colored hair and skin, age spots develop on people with a wider range of complexions. Age spots are typically larger than freckles, are more clearly defined, and tend to appear in older adults. Sun exposure is a primary cause of both freckles and age spots. For example, they can look like sun spots, also known as age spots, or liver spots. How to identify freckles, sun spots, and molesįreckles can look very similar to other marks that develop on the skin. People with red, blonde, or light brown hair and who have light-colored skin and eyes usually produce mainly pheomelanin and are more likely to develop freckles.People with dark hair, eyes, and skin usually produce mostly eumelanin and are less likely to develop freckles.
The type of melanin the body produces depends on a gene called MC1R. Eumelanin protects the skin from UV rays, but pheomelanin does not. The body can produce two types of melanin called pheomelanin and eumelanin. Genetics also play a leading role in who is more likely to develop freckles based on which type of melanin their body produces. Freckles often fade or disappear in the winter months, when new skin cells replace old cells.įreckles develop on areas often exposed to sunlight, such as the: This is why freckles tend to appear after sun exposure.įreckles can appear over a large area of skin and can reappear or become darker in the summer months. Sun exposure and genetic factors make some people more likely to develop freckles: Sun exposureĪ person’s skin cells produce extra melanin to protect the skin from sun damage. Freckles appear when melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color, builds up under the skin.
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