Freckles are small brown spots that usually appear on the skin of the face, but can appear on any other part of the skin that is often exposed to the sun, such as arms, lap or hands.
They are more common in people with fair skin and redheads, who are influenced by family inheritance. They are caused by the increase in melanin, which is the pigment that gives color to the skin, and tend to darken more during the summer.
Although they are benign and do not cause any health problems, generally those who have many freckles want to eliminate them for aesthetic reasons and this can be done very simply by avoiding excessive sun exposure. However, if just that doesn't work, you can see a dermatologist to start the treatment to lighten the spots.
How to get freckles off your face
The best way to remove or lighten freckles on the face, or any other part of the skin, is to consult a dermatologist, because, although there are several types of treatment, they need to be suitable for the skin type.
Thus, the dermatologist can indicate one of the following treatments:
- Whitening creams, with hydroquinone or kojic acid: allow to lighten the skin over several months of use and can be purchased at pharmacies, even without a prescription; Retinoid creams, with tretinoin or tazarotene: are often used in conjunction with whitening creams to decrease the color of freckles; Cryosurgery: liquid nitrogen is used in the office to freeze and remove the darker skin cells that are causing freckles; Laser: uses pulsed light to lighten freckle spots, which can be done at the dermatologist's office; Chemical peeling: this type of peeling that can only be done by a professional and that removes the damaged layers of the skin, lightening the freckles.
Whatever the type of treatment selected, it is important to always use a sunscreen with SPF 50 and to avoid excessive sun exposure, as UV rays can damage the skin and, in addition to darkening the freckles even more, they can cause problems serious as cancer. Find out which spots can indicate skin cancer.
Also check out the recipe for some home remedies to lighten freckles at home.
How to have freckles
Freckles are a genetic characteristic and, therefore, those who do not have freckles, usually, cannot develop them, since the skin tans evenly.
However, people who have very mild freckles can darken them by sun exposure. However, it is important to do so safely, using a sunscreen with a minimum protection factor of 15, as the sun's rays can increase the risk of skin cancer.
